Polyurethane shoe sole disintigrating

I bought a pair of Florsheim shoes a few years ago to wear to weddings and funerals etc. For me that is about once a year or so. They HAD Polyurethane soles. Today I went to a wedding and took them out of the box from under my bed. After driving 50 miles to the town the wedding was in I stopped at a gas station and when I got out something was wrong with my right shoe. I was leaving chunks/crumbs on the tar as I walked across the parking lot. The sole was just falling apart. OMG at the rate I have worn them I figured I could be buried in them.

Thank goodness it was mostly an outside wedding and reception but by the end of the evening there was nothing left of the soles on either shoe. The uppers were in perfect shape!:rofl2:

When I got home I looked into it on the net and I found out that the polyurethane soles have a shelf life of 4 - 5 years and storing them without use arguably shortens their lifespan.

Has anyone else had this issue? If not a heads up!

I have a pair of expensive hiking boots that did the exact same thing, the soles came apart in big tarry chunks. I still might get them resoled if possible

I've had many shoes tossed over the years for this problem.

Stepping on gasoline, diesel and some organic solvents do this.

Tim I hope you had your Red Wings with you as backup! Always acceptable to go to a wedding in Wings. Tc

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Tim I hope you had your Red Wings with you as backup! Always acceptable to go to a wedding in Wings. Tc

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I have done that and a funeral too.

I had that with a pair of Sears Boots years ago. That material is the Celluloid of the shoe world. They just disintegrate at will.

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Originally Posted by tcrideshd

Tim I hope you had your Red Wings with you as backup! Always acceptable to go to a wedding in Wings. Tc

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I had debated wearing my "dress" Red wings but didn't. And left them home.:(

Many shoe collectors lament this issue, because shoes are made to only last a few years. Especially with the Air Jordan shoes, there was a documentary/news special on it a couple years ago. I think there's a company trying to develop a more stable sole that will last for a longer amount of time, but my research-fu is failing me. This is why my parents bought me a pair of classically wood soled shoes for my highschool graduation, they're a decade old and still in fine condition.

Termites could be an issue...............:p

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Originally Posted by dinnermint

This is why my parents bought me a pair of classically wood soled shoes for my highschool graduation, they're a decade old and still in fine condition.

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Cheap is the word in the shoes and boots of today, I have big feet, 14-15EEE and the quality of the foot ware has dropped significantly in the last 7 years or so.

The complaint I have is that the shoes I have bought from Hitchcock is so bad that the style I wear every day has been discontinued because the suckers have a paper insole that just plain Stinks, my feet have never been stinkers till these shoes.

The companies that have made the Best shoes and Boots have gone out of business because they didn't wear out in 4 months and quality materials have sky rocketed in price, No Win.

I don't think I've ever had shoes with polyurethane soles. Mine are all leather or rubber and I haven't had any issues (just checked and even the boat shoes are rubber soled).

I think my pair of heavy duty winter boots may have different sole material because they were advertised as suitable for extreme temperatures (both cold and hot) as well as oils but I don't remember the details anymore. No issues with them either over 7-8 winters already, though they don't see heavy use.

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Originally Posted by 32t

After driving 50 miles to the town the wedding was in I stopped at a gas station and when I got out something was wrong with my right shoe. I was leaving chunks/crumbs on the tar as I walked across the parking lot. The sole was just falling apart. OMG at the rate I have worn them I figured I could be buried in them.

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Petrol dissolves most plastics very quickly. I'd say you stepped in some.

Just remembered my Heirling ski boots, went to put them on 2 years ago and they fell apart in my hands, 350$$ boots, a little disappointed. Imagine if that were a weapon and it did that in a dire situation?

Sure, the buyer can beware but that does not always ensure the product is good.

Lucky if I get 6 months out of any pair of work boots. Was working for a large company quite a few years back and we were issued new boots every 6 months. There were plenty of lazy b'stards who couldn't wear out a pair in 2 years, so I was buying them up at half retail. Got 6 pair that the sole just disintegrated, you could literally follow my footsteps and see where I had been on site.
Always look on the bright side. Got 6 spare pair of laces, and the boots make brilliant planters for cacti...

I don't think I've ever had a sole disintegrate. I usually wear a hole in the toe, hole in the sole from sheer mileage, or they start to split at the seam where the sole is attached long before anything starts to crumble like that.