Shoelaces

[thechainrule]

Hello everybody!

This year is my first burn, unsurprisingly I'm struggling with some of the simplest, most remedial stuff: shoelaces. I've heard that it is ideal to find footwear with a zipper release as shoelaces can cake up playa dust and even begin to cut you after a few days. The person that told me this is a good friend and not a burgin so I am inclined to believe him, but at the same time my engineer brain says "they are fucking shoelaces!" Anyway, I cant get the image of slicing my finger open tying my shoe out of my head and I already have a set of boots that i want to bring to the playa that will do the job. I was thinking I could just swap the laces out for one of the quick lace type solutions but I have some doubts on them not getting caked up like traditional laces. Does any have any experience with the following products or have a tip on how to not cut yourself on a piece of string. Christ.

tac laces

[media]

speed laces

[unjonharley]

horse pucky,, I wear plain old lace up shoes.. Never had a problem.. You might have to clean the laces if you get them wet.. Like take a shower with you boots on.. Or think its a good idea to run after the water truck and go for a slide in the mud.. Come to think of it.. Would be nice to have a spare everything..

[Captain Goddammit]

horse pucky,, I wear plain old lace up shoes.. Never had a problem..

Sure, you never have a problem because I always have to tie them for you.
Next year I'm getting you Velcro!

[TT120]

Zippers get ruined pretty quickly out there. (This includes tent zippers) Stick with the laces and you'll be fine. Bring both if you want, see which works better for you.

[lucky420]

If you bring zippers bring a bar of soap to make them glide easier.


Capt. GD & UJ. I love your banter...

[theCryptofishist]

Capt. GD & UJ. I love your banter...

Good. Can we just stipulate that at this point I said something very witty indeed on the subject?

[FIGJAM]

Wash and moisturize your hands after tying your boots.

Overexposure to the dust will dry out your hands and if they crack, the crack will dry and split and grow and become a painful mess.

[thechainrule]

Ah thanks so much!

[Savannah]

Wash and moisturize your hands after tying your boots.

Overexposure to the dust will dry out your hands and if they crack, the crack will dry and split and grow and become a painful mess.

This, and open eyelets (where possible) are my favorite way to go. Or skip laces altogether--my favorite playa boots are a riding boot/cowboy boot hybrid that pull-on & off without lacing.



You're not going to suddenly slice yourself open with shoelaces so much as abrade yourself steadily over the course of days (until perhaps you bleed). This can also happen if you wear a backpack with rough straps over bare skin, after a few days.

[Lonesomebri]

Yeah Savannah, I'm starting to think those are my favorite playa boots also......
Moisturize with olive oil, hands, feet and salad. Even the top of the boots start to rub my calves wrong near the later half of the week. I bring knee-high socks. Zippers do not fare well in the dust. By Thursday I often adopt a more open floor plan with my tent, open and flowing to the playa, as the door zipper is broke by then. Slip-ons are the way to go. I bring cowboy boots, big hiking boots with laces, and fuzzy bedroom slippers. My buddy often wears sandals, though I do not recommend that at all. Whatcha need is shoelaces abrasive enough to cut through toe jamming rebar.

[graidawg]

go naked. with no clothes no material to abrade your skin. simple.

personally i go with the boots that just pull on option and wear flip-flops around camp. but then my feet look like a a lizards for about 3 months post burn.

i have it on good authority that laces can really hurt your hands at the end of the week. my favorite theory is that dipping inot the cooler to get beer somehow causes your hands to become weak and feeble meaning that they chafe and stuff. the solution is to drink warm beer like us brits.

[gustavh]

thechainrule,

I switched my boot laces to the speed laces you posted and I loved them! My hands were never cut by regular laces but they get chapped pretty quickly and it can be quite painful after a few days. I like those bungee laces because you can just switch them back to regular laces when you get home.

[skippy3k]

God I love this place. Where else can you weigh in passionately on the merits of shoelaces versus zippers.

I think it's really based on personal preference with no "correct" answer. One thing to consider is laces DO allow for some adjusting of tightness. I don't know about you all, but my feet seem to get bigger out there and my shoes smaller. I brought a pair of Blundstone Blunnie's last time, which are essentially slip on boots with a little elastic in the ankles. Easy to put on and off, and look damn sexy on me, which is my highest priority on any decision I make in life. But after a few days, I had to remove the insole just to fit my foot in there. And even then, it was a struggle. I'm still bringing them this year for the ladies, but also we be bringing my other boots with shoelaces for those micro-adjustments that will be needed as I become more and more bloated as the week goes on.

[Savannah]

Great point. All the standing and walking and biking and the differences in fluids, and your feet can swell up a bit. Having options (no fewer than 3) remains one of the best things you can do.

[misfit]

those with sticky zippers, try condensed air. those with torn skin on fingers from laces, try gloves...........

[Captain Goddammit]

I usually wear sneakers, with socks. Clean socks every day. I have regular laces but I never untie them. I just slip them on and off.
I do that with ALL my shoes and boots, on and off the playa.
I buy them, tie them once, and I'm done. I never have had any shoe issues at burning man.

[gustavh]

thechainrule,

I switched my boot laces to the speed laces you posted and I loved them! My hands were never cut by regular laces but they get chapped pretty quickly and it can be quite painful after a few days. I like those bungee laces because you can just switch them back to regular laces when you get home.

I forgot to mention, for my mid-calf boots, I used 2 sets of those bungee laces because one set is not long enough.

[thechainrule]

cool thanks!

[FossaFerox]

The biggest thing with laces is to avoid shoes with cloth loops rather than eyelets. Those cake in dust and become hard to tighten at which point you have to yank hard on dry dusty laces which can cause cuticles to split.

[delle]

Like the good Captain, I prefer just tying once and being done with it. Because of that, my favorite (totally non-sexy but oh so comfy) footwear is skater shoes... tied, not tightly but not too loosely, just once and then just slipped on.

For my hiking boots, I have a great trick -- taught to me by a kid several years ago. I couldn't find the hack anywhere on the net so I made a quick vid to demonstrate.

It works great for any low boot with open hooks at top:

[media]

[chuckularone]

It works great for any low boot with open hooks at top:

That's what those lugs are for, isn't it?

[delle]

Presuming you mean "Duh! That's the way it's sposed to be" -- I'd have to agree. Now that I'm in the know.

However, I didn't learn about this until I was way past my prime, and have an almost 100% "You're KIDDING me! That's so easy!!" response rate on those I've shown it to.

So I'm just running with the assumption that most of us were taught it wrong.

[chuckularone]

Presuming you mean "Duh! That's the way it's sposed to be" -- I'd have to agree. Now that I'm in the know.

However, I didn't learn about this until I was way past my prime, and have an almost 100% "You're KIDDING me! That's so easy!!" response rate on those I've shown it to.

So I'm just running with the assumption that most of us were taught it wrong.

Fair enough! I've always done it that way (well since I was issued my first pair of combat boots at least) and never thought anything of it.

[delle]

I didn't know what you meant by "Lugs".

My first startled reaction was that you'd somehow discovered my room of pretty (but dumb) boys in the basement.

I suppose I could see if one might not be trainable in the shoe-tying department.....


Anyhow, now that I have apparently figured it all out, please disregard my panicked PM.

[Blompson]

Picked up a few pairs of these for stupid-cheap on sale at a mall shoe store.
I wonder how they'll do on playa.

*ahem* ..the light-up laces, not the shoes.

[Jovankat]

I used a set of them for light last year, not actually as shoelaces though, and I really liked them.

[maladroit]

I used combat boots with side zippers (well-oiled) and they were perfect. However, tying laces isn't that annoying. But it's just annoying enough that you might put off doing anything about your feet until it's too late.

My first year I wore hiking boots and developed unbelievable blisters that made walking agony. It had never been a problem before, but somehow the mix of heat, caustic dust, jumping around on things, etc...really takes a toll.

I switched to the side zipper combat boots and did a daily routine. Wash feet thoroughly, rub in coconut lotion, sprinkle with foot powder, pull on a polyester liner sock, rub on a little more foot powder, pull on a good thick sock, sprinkle some foot powder in the boots, jam my feet in there and zip it up. It only took about 5 minutes and my feet were comfortable and pain-free for 10 days on the playa.

[AfricanFire]

I love wearing those cheap knock-off Uggs on playa. Warm, as comfortable as slippers, and easy on and off. After a few days with tons of walking/riding and messing with zippers or shoelaces there is nothing better than super comfy slip on shoes.

[Sham]

Laces always worked for me. A few years back, I forgot ALL my footwear. I packed nothing to wear on my feet. I only had my travel sneakers to wear. The best part of that was removing my shoes at the airport to get through security on my way home. I know the TSA was talking about me after I left!

[lucky420]

Didn't you also forget to pack pants one year too or was that jk?