Vintage style hiking/active wear, especially shoes/boots?

[Nikita B]

On a recent trip to Scotland, I found myself in my urban vintage garb (Freddie's jeans, 49er, cardigans, blouses and oxfords/saddles) with frequent wet feet and all day damp clothing to be a little less equipped for the rural outdoors.

I'd love some recommendations for vintage style rural wear so that I don't have to sacrifice my vintage style for modern comfort on my next travel adventures. Thanks ladies!

 

[Amy Jeanne]

I hike in ratty shorts and ratty t shirts. Hiking isn't the time to be vintage for me. It's when I'm NOT hiking and gussied up when it counts.

 

[Cassidy]

I'd definitely be interested in some recommendations for active shoes - not so much for hiking, but I walk a half mile to and from work every day, and while I can change footwear there I'd rather not have to. As the weather's getting cooler I've been wearing some Aerosoles flats with an oxford look, but they're not very substantial.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

I haven't been out in vintage in quite some time, but I wear plain (modern - but classic styling) brown leather mountaineering boots when we do certain types of hiking. Otherwise, I do everything in canvas tennis shoes otherwise. I hike, trail run, shop, everything, in classic canvas shoes. I prefer minimal under foot.

Many years ago we got quite the eyeballing when we hiked out nearest 14er in vintage gear with salt and pepper rucks. Same when my husband goes downhill skiing sporting his knickers and wool sweater!

 

[St. Louis]

This is a great question, since I like to wear 1930s-40s gear pretty much all the time. For hiking, I wear lace-up hiking books, 40s slacks, shirt, and a sweater -- nothing too delicate that can be destroyed by branches. For my regular everyday work life, I have to wear low-heeled oxfords or similar shoes. I often have to walk for at least a half mile from my classroom back to my office or to the library. I often wear these Born Naleighs, though I have to say, you can find those at much lower prices on other sites. There are similar shoes that are comfortable and have a good vintage feel & look.

Years ago I used to do Civil War reenacting (the so-called "hard-core immersion" kind) that required sleeping outdoors in some cases, and lots of hiking in the hilly rocky woods in southeastern Missouri. Sometimes we were able to "live" in a historic log cabin village, which meant starting fires, doing laundry, cooking & carrying on other activities in period clothing. What I learned from those events was that if we know enough about how people managed their day-to-day lives, it is quite possible to perform even physically challenging tasks in period-style clothes. That's a discussion for a different thread (and maybe a different type of forum) but I do believe it's quite possible & even comfortable to wear 30s and 40s style clothes even in a rough environment. Of course I would never risk damaging real vintage clothing under such circumstances. Everything I wear when I'm cleaning or gardening, for example, is stuff I've made.