I don’t know why it’s happening but my shoes just die here in taiwan! The pair that I am wearing at the moment are already starting to come apart at the seams and I only bought them about 2 months ago. When I bought them I specifically bought more expensive ones (from sogo - an actual brand name pair) and they’re still no match for Taipei.
Last time I went home I bought with me a pair of shoes that were exactly the same brand and make as ones I’d previously owned and had lasted me 4 years in Australia. When I’d wore this brand and make of shoes in Australia I took them to soccer training and wore them through mud, sent them through the washing machine etc. But the minute I bring them to Taiwan? They lasted just over a month.
Does anyone else Have this problem? And does anyone have any recommendations?
Taiwan is pretty humid, but I’ve had pretty good luck with some name brand shoes. One thing that helps is to wear them on alternating days. If you wear them every day for months at a time they will wear out. Give them a day or two to dry out. Get some sandals to wear when you’re just doing casual stuff. Keep your shoes in a dry place too.
I’ve noticed that plastics tend to break down here. Lots of things I brought over from the US that had been fine for years either turn brittle and crumble or melt. Not sure if the constant burning of trash outside releases chemicals that break plastic down.
To answer your question: why does Taiwan kill shoes? To scare the monkey.
I haven’t had any problems but I don’t live in taipei. The only accelerated wear I get is from wearing them on my motorcycle. I’ve noticed clothes don’t last as long because they get air dried outside in the sun.
Plastics , like most things, break down faster due to higher temperatures, radiation exposure (UV), pressures and humidity. So in Taiwan you’ve got intense sunshine, high heat and high humidity.
Taipei and North Taiwan is very humid, so clothes don’t do well there. Mid and South Taiwan is quite dry and sunny, I don’t experience these problems here, as long as you keep your stuff out of the direct sunlight.
Taiwan (climate / humidity) does kills boots also - despite where being made.
A true story:
Last winter, I needed to travel to Europe, so I took some German made Premium-label boots with gore tex coating and waterproof rubber soil to wear for the trip.
After walking for a few minutes in Taoyuan airport, I felt something strange and looking at the boots, one was starting to loose chunks of rubber.
Once in Hong Kong airport, walking down the alley, both soils started simply to dis-integrate as in a SF movie within each step , finding myself with only the gore-tex left, leaving a trail of rubber behind me. i was obviously stared at
Was forced to buy utterly expensive shoes in the duty free as not arriving on Cathay Pacific in-flight slippers in Amsterdam
Yeah, I had something similar with a pair of hiking boots (good quality, bought in Canada) that had been a closet for a year or so. The sole just came right off when I tried to put them on. Didn’t go hiking that day.
Note that shoe shops apparently can do re-soling quite easily, if that’s what’s the problem is.
[quote=“ceevee369”]Taiwan (climate / humidity) does kills boots also - despite where being made.
A true story:
Last winter, I needed to travel to Europe, so I took some German made Premium-label boots with gore tex coating and waterproof rubber soil to wear for the trip.
After walking for a few minutes in Taoyuan airport, I felt something strange and looking at the boots, one was starting to loose chunks of rubber.
Once in Hong Kong airport, walking down the alley, both soils started simply to dis-integrate as in a SF movie within each step , finding myself with only the gore-tex left, leaving a trail of rubber behind me. I was obviously stared at
Was forced to buy utterly expensive shoes in the duty free as not arriving on Cathay Pacific in-flight slippers in Amsterdam[/quote]
They would’ve have been Mendle shoes were they? Utterly shit they are in any climate.
[quote=“Mucha Man”][quote=“ceevee369”]Taiwan (climate / humidity) does kills boots also - despite where being made.
A true story:
Last winter, I needed to travel to Europe, so I took some German made Premium-label boots with gore tex coating and waterproof rubber soil to wear for the trip.
After walking for a few minutes in Taoyuan airport, I felt something strange and looking at the boots, one was starting to loose chunks of rubber.
Once in Hong Kong airport, walking down the alley, both soils started simply to dis-integrate as in a SF movie within each step , finding myself with only the gore-tex left, leaving a trail of rubber behind me. I was obviously stared at
Was forced to buy utterly expensive shoes in the duty free as not arriving on Cathay Pacific in-flight slippers in Amsterdam[/quote]
They would’ve have been Mendle shoes were they? Utterly shit they are in any climate.[/quote]
Damn correct and right on MuchaMan !
If the German lads in WW 2 would have had Mendles , the Krieg would have been over in no time, returning on their socks to ze heimat
[quote=“ceevee369”][quote=“Muzha Man”][quote=“ceevee369”]Taiwan (climate / humidity) does kills boots also - despite where being made.
A true story:
Last winter, I needed to travel to Europe, so I took some German made Premium-label boots with gore tex coating and waterproof rubber soil to wear for the trip.
After walking for a few minutes in Taoyuan airport, I felt something strange and looking at the boots, one was starting to loose chunks of rubber.
Once in Hong Kong airport, walking down the alley, both soils started simply to dis-integrate as in a SF movie within each step , finding myself with only the gore-tex left, leaving a trail of rubber behind me. I was obviously stared at
Was forced to buy utterly expensive shoes in the duty free as not arriving on Cathay Pacific in-flight slippers in Amsterdam[/quote]
They would’ve have been Mendle shoes were they? Utterly shit they are in any climate.[/quote]
Damn correct and right on MuchaMan !
If the German lads in WW 2 would have had Mendles , the Krieg would have been over in no time, returning on their socks to ze heimat [/quote]
I’m pretty sure the WWII boots weren’t MIT (made in Taiwan) as current Mendles are. I really had high hopes for these but they squeak, fall apart and I am sure are responsible for my fallen arch.
Me? I just walk. Lots. Hours a day. I am hard on shoes and dammit, I expect my shoes to be as rugged as I am. Never found a pair that could match me though. Grrrrrrr…
They are apparently using biodegradable soles nowadays, and the shoe repairman told me that if you wear them every day or once a week at least, it retards the degradation, but if you leave them unworn for a year, they disintegrate. I’ve no idea how much truth there is in this, but the repairman can replace the soles with non-biodegradable ones when that happens, for something like NT$700.
[quote=“ChuanYa”]I don’t know why it’s happening but my shoes just die here in taiwan! The pair that I am wearing at the moment are already starting to come apart at the seams and I only bought them about 2 months ago. When I bought them I specifically bought more expensive ones (from sogo - an actual brand name pair) and they’re still no match for Taipei.
Last time I went home I bought with me a pair of shoes that were exactly the same brand and make as ones I’d previously owned and had lasted me 4 years in Australia. When I’d wore this brand and make of shoes in Australia I took them to soccer training and wore them through mud, sent them through the washing machine etc. But the minute I bring them to Taiwan? They lasted just over a month.
Does anyone else Have this problem? And does anyone have any recommendations?[/quote]
Gotta respect your footwear here, many things can go array, afoul or askew.
1-Grime: your crispy fresh out the box look will be gone on the first night out, all it takes is one person at a club or on the sidewalk to step on your shoe and it is tainted.
*luckily sneaker cleaning stores are popping up in various neighborhoods…
2-Humidity: this will rot the stitching in any shoe, best to air them bitches out overnight, leave em on a balcony or somewhere where they can get air, cramped in a closet or the bag that has your sweaty gym clothes will shorten their life.
*shoes will eventually die of ‘old age’ in Taiwan and that is when the rubber sole cracks and splits into pieces.
3-Commuting: Walking or gasp riding a scooter will turn your all whites a nasty shade of off white quick fast and in a hurry.
*gotta take the toothbrush to em once in a while or a damp towelette. I find the so readily available wet naps you find at many restaurants and on flights useful in this area.
Taipei is like Michael Jordan, you can’t stop it, you can only hope to contain it.
i always put it to the same reason my shoes wore out faster back home in summer compared to winter. higher heat and such, but also more sweat and lots more micro organisms etc eating away at things. i go through about 2 pairs a year on a very good year. back in the cold land it was 1 a year.
I bought a new pair of shoes yesterday. The GF said that they made me look five years younger.
But honestly podiatrists would be appalled to know how long I’ll wear a pair of shoes.
As a rule, I won’t spend over $NT1000 on shoes here anymore. According to my math, I could buy $NT600 shoes for their shorter lifetimes, and it would still be cheaper than buying $NT2500 shoes for their longer ones.
