Shoes for Rainy Days
Moved to NYC proper from a more suburban area almost a year ago. Lately it's been a lot of rain which is rough since I don't have the right footwear.
Looking to try something on in person. I don't need to buy right away but I'd like to get something within a month or so. I want something that's going to keep my feet dry if I step in puddles, nothing too deep. I was thinking about duck boots or something similar, I've tried vans MTE and they're okay but would need insoles.
Something casual but not wellies or blundstones (slip on style shoes rarely fit me right). Budget of under $200 prefer under $150. I'm a size 6.5 in aldens, usually wear a 7.5 in sneakers.
29 Replies
if you like duck boots then why not go with the classic bean boots?
I don't know any place locally that carries them
Open to others too but duck boots are the thing I think of first
LL bean in yonkers!
Tho driving there would be more pleasant than taking public transport cuz it's in a shopping center
Yeah the Yonkers one is about 2 hours (2 trains+2 busses)
Duck boots are overkill for NYC rain imo. I bought a pair of LL Bean boots when I went to college in upstate new York. Ever since I moved to NYC 6 years ago, they've been sitting under my bed unused. I may have taken them out pre-pandemic for super heavy snow days, but now I just stay indoors when that happens.
I have a pair of red wings I tend to wear on rainy days, which you can probably find on sale in your budget, and some grant Stone Derby boots. I've also been eyeing a pair of jcrew kenton chelseas but they haven't gone on a deep discount recently.
Grant Stone is $280+ and I don't really have the care to do a deep clean after going outside. I feel like with those I'd have to be careful when it comes to salt in the winter.
Also red wings are probably a no go. I had a pair, they tore up my feet in under a quarter mile. The red wing store didn't carry that boot in any smaller sizes (I probably needed a 6.5 or 7 can't remember).
Could try ordering online then even though you want in person. Free shipping and returns are $6.5
J Crew has a version of the duck boots and has both ample in person nyc locations as well as free shipping/returns for ordering online
Yeah duck boots are prob overkill in NYC rain tho it more so depends on what you like style wise!
Not in stock in what my size probably is and it's final sale
Whatcha think about j crew pacer boots?
The duck boots are probably towards the over kill side but I want something that I don't have to think about when the weather is bad
Not rain boots but should work for almost all rainy days in NYC
I already own Alden indys
Same!
Tbh I've been wearing those in rainy and snowy weather multiple times so far and they've been great
Could go to REI and get a pair of hiking boots
Yeah, that's an option or something gortex
There's also like neoprene fishing boots lol
Less fugly
I did just remember my Indy boots are kudu leather which is especially good in rain n snow
Mine are natty CXL
may be a different vibe but my 'weather' shoe has been a pair of doc martens (i have the derbies but the boots would also work) and they handled the snow, rain and ice in dc well this year
Chippewa Apaches
Def seen them in stores in NY, but I can’t remember which. Maybe Dave’s?
Loggers are the only ones available in my size
I just wear leather boots when it’s raining, I have more beat up ones for when it’s salty
You could probably find stuff at paragon or Dave’s if you want something more weather resistant
The other options are overshoes or just getting like wellingtons
But really just leather is normally enough for me
I wear these when it’s rainy and potentially dirty
And my cowboy boots when it’s rainy and I’m dressing a little less workweary
i forgot about paragon and dave's seems like a really useful store that i'd like to visit, thank you
do you have a go to routine for keeping leather shoes from getting damaged by the salt?
Keeping them from getting damaged involves waterproofing things which usually make the patina pretty boring.
Just wash off salt stains with vinegar
By the time the salt has destroyed the shoes you’ll want new shoes anyway
#gywcrew
thank you! hope that's useful to the OP too. i've been wiping off salt with a cloth and water when i get home (after brushing), and gonna keep an eye out for ones that persist
A bit of salt did rust one of the d-rings on a pair of boots though
Yeah if they’re salty I brush them off, if it’s bad I clean them with a cloth and a tiny bit of leather cleaner, mostly I just do nothing and don’t worry about it