Socks ???

[Raphael]

I wear my sandals with kilts all the time during the summer. No one has yet to complian about it. Then again, I live in Vancouver, most of the populations wear them during the summer. Besides, it is your life, live it on your own rule.

As for socks wearing, I usually wear it about 2 inches below my knee cap or I just roll the socks down to the top of my boots.

[Rob Wright]

I agree with Miah, try New Balance. I wear an 11 4E and New Balance is the only company that makes shoes in the wide sizes in popular sizes. I wear mine when I cook at work and I'm on my feet an average of seven plus hours a day.

Rob Wright

[Dreadbelly]

I tried a pair of New Balance back in the early 90s or so.

My experiences with them can be summed up as follows.

Paid a lot of money. Over 120 bucks. Nice black hikers.

Width good. Arches, fair. Had to pay 9 bucks for inserts to help arches.

1 month or so. Two of the eyelets pop off the shoe. I take them to store, demand replacement or refund. Long story short, I spent about 25 bucks to send them in to some place and get them back. I was furious, but had a considerable investment in shoes. Had to do something.

About 4 months or so, seam along side of shoe starts splitting from sole. My foot is WIDE. Shoes getting wet caused them to shrink considerably. Instead of stretching back to fit feet, shoe started splitting. And by wet I mean I drenched them, walking through a river during a hike in the Cascade Mountains around Leavenworth WA.

Demand repairs. No go, not with out money. I don't spend money. Damage to shoes MY fault according to nasty lady on phone. New Balance hikers it seems, are not actually for hiking. Wearing them out into the woods and wading through rivers was abusing the shoes. So damage was my fault. Nulling all responsibility of New Balance.

Shoes go in garbage.

Had similar troubles with S.A.S. shoes. Some of you might have heard of those.

Had pair of Birkenstocks that held up to "severe" abuse for 9 years.

Had pair of Doc Martins that got beaten worse then Jesus did and held together for about 7 years with out fail. I could have gotten them resoled, but, Doc's had dropped in price and could get new boots for 125 bucks or so... So resoling did not make much sense.

If a shoe can't last a year, it aint worth buying.

[RockyR]

Thank you Kilted Knights in Sharp Pleats and Arnored Sporrans for all thos answers!

Well for my first outing I want to be sure I am not looking silly.

I don't have the time before my next trip to get regular "kilt socks" whatever that is, so I bought a two pack of George "Over The Calf" socks for all of 5 bucks to get me by. They are not very thick, which I really prefer since I don't like junk on my legs, and they fit plenty tight enough that they won't fall down even when walking a lot, but they are thick enough that they don't strech out where you can see through them at all. Still plenty dense, just not thick. They fit comfortably rolled down twice with the top about where you all say you ware yours.

They are actually dress socks, what do think of that type sock, gonna look ok?

What about hiking in sandles and no socks? will that look silly? (short hikes.. not the whole mountain trail... more like trail paths..

I am really a small fellow and now thanks to pushing my self away from the table sooner than later, I no longer have a hangover or dunlops disease. ;) I have my old Sailor flat front U.S. Navy uniform stomach back. ( Interseting how wanting to look good in a kilt will get one to loose some inches )

Thank you Knights!

[beverlonian]

JohnAllen - wear your socks at whatever height you wish - just don't wear green tights!

[beverlonian]

On the subject of socks, I'd like to relay a little story from my youth - but please don't anyone get upset about this. However it is a true story and should be regarded in the context of the day (end of Empire).

In the 1960's I was a Cadet in the British Merchant Navy when one of my peers entered the Officers Dining Saloon (silver service, stewards, full naval uniform, et al) of a vessel I was serving on (at the time in the tropics so "whites" were the order of the day) without wearing socks. The Captain immediately rebuked the offender and gave him the advice "You should always wear socks, it distinguishes you from the natives!". It's something I've always borne in mind to be well dressed.

[Casey]

Sandles and socks, not for me even in a kilt.

Clogs and socks, ok. Birkenstock or Mephisto are the best.

Casey