Replacing My Converse

Converse are ingrained enough into geek culture they appeared in Ready Player One.

Converse are the unofficial shoe of the geek. The perfect shoe for my narrow, flat feet. Or so I thought. I went to the doctor with a stabbing pain in my ankle/heel that would not let up. Ended up being tendonitis of the Achilles tendon. Most likely caused by my chronic wearing of shoes with no support. That is, my low top Converse. (Side note to derby girls, if you get a stabbing pain in your arch when you’re skating don’t just blow it off as your skates. It might be a warning).

I have two options. One, get insoles. This isn’t an ideal situation for me. My narrow feet make it hard to find some that fit in my shoes properly. Plus insoles run anywhere between $20-$50 at the drugstore. Considering that my converse are pretty well beaten up, I’m not sure its worth it.

My second option, is to get new canvas shoes. Ones with support. I know very well I am looking for a golden goose. Looking around the internet, these seem to be the best choices for replacing my converse.

Dr. Scholl’s Jamie

Obviously, anything from Dr. Scholl’s is going to be super supportive. The insole is designed for arch support, and is removable if it’s not the right one for you. Plus, I’m really digging the cute patterns.

Superga Cotu Classic

Of all the options, the Superga Classic’s are the ones that I’m interested in the least. They’re the least feminine, and I don’t like the color choices as much. That being said, they have great reviews around the internet from former Converse wearers.

Keen Coronado

Keen makes outdoor shoes, so they’re naturally very supportive. The Coronado also have a very classic look that I love.

Keen Maderas Lace

New to the Keen collection is the Maderas. They basically look like a feminine version of Converse. And when I watched the Zappos video the insole looked amazing. Plus, with the more feminine cut, these would look the best with my shorts (I drive a manual transmission car, sandals are not my friend).

I’ll be picking up/ordering one of these options soon, and I’ll let you know how it goes. Hopefully one of these will be worthy of replacing my trusty Converse.

Update: I’ve found going up a half size in my converse, and then buying the Dr. Scholl’s Tri-Comfort insoles has worked very well for me!