Tell me about your Birkenstocks

[Tina]

I always wear well-fitting Nike walking shoes when we go to Disney and about 2 or 3 days into the trip, I begin getting horrible, horrible blisters. I've never owned a pair of sandals, but my sister swears by her Birkenstocks. I've looked at the website and am thinking about getting a pair of Arizona Birks. What do you think of them? Did you ever get blisters with them? Did you get blisters while 'breaking them in?' I have a trip coming up in May and want to find the perfect shoe asap so I can have them comfortably broken in for my trip.

 

[mt2]

I have sandals and I love them. I do have a friend that wears nothing but Birks. She doesn't wear tennis shoes ever!

My heals used to hurt often but now they don't. Buy them. You'll wonder what took you so long.

 

[loisg1]

Two words... love 'em!!! I have clogs and sandals and wear the clogs with heavy socks in winter (except for very rare occasions) and the sandals all other times. Got my first pair in '98 and that was all I took on vacation without any trouble.

Good luck!

 

[mannasn]

So glad to see a Birks thread (although I'm sure there are others, I'm "search function" impaired LOL). I was so tempted to buy some last weekend - they're so comfy, but a little taken aback by the price tag. I think I may go back and get some today! To heck with price! LOL

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

I got my Birks in Germany. They are the most comfortable, amazing shoes ever, and I'm probably wearing them into the ground. I wear them all day around WDW, and have never gotten so much as a blister. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

 

[KLAIT]

I work my Birks at Disney without breaking them in and they were extremely comfy. The first pair I bought were a little big and I gave them to my mom...she pretended like she likd them but I never saw her wear them....a year later she told me that when she saw them she thought they were the ugliest she she had seen, but one day broke down and wore them on her walk with the dog and she wears them every single day now.....

 

[jbdreamer]

I LOVE my Birks!
They are the only thing I wear in the summer. My favorite pair I got in 1998 from a fellow Diser (scoutsmom99) as a gift from her trip to Germany. I still wear them today - I've had new bottoms put on since then.

They don't look it but they are the most comfortable shoes. I wore them the whole week last time I as at Disney World.

But I suggest breaking them in first before taking them to Disney. They take a little getting use to. They have to mold to your feet.

 

[luvmyeor]

I love my Birks. I have so many pairs that I have lost count. The only time I don't wear my Birks is for a two-day training class at work where we have to wear sneakers. My sneakers are at least 5 years old and still look brand new.
If you've never worn Birks before it is best to break them in before going to Disney. I bought my first pair in 1999 and tried to wear them in Disney without breaking them in...I was glad I had other shoes with me. After breaking in that first pair I found it much easier to wear a new pair anywhere. I bought my first pair at a local store and have ordered most of my others from Germany. It is a lot cheaper to order them and some places offer free shipping if you order enough at once. There is also a Birk outlet in the same building as one of the Disney outlets (the former Belz outlets). I just picked up two pair when I was there in February. The only thing you need to be careful about if you are ordering them is that you need to go up a size in certain styles (usually the ones with the molded rubber soles that cannot be resoled). Whenever I'm not sure if I need to go up a size I usually check one of the online stores and check the size chart for that style. I do not advise buying Birks from ebay as many of them are seconds or customer returns.

A friend of mine talked me into trying a pair of Teva's. They are sitting in the bottom of my closet. My feet sweat too much when I wear them. I am afraid to try Crocs for the same reason.

 

[luvdzne]

I love them! I have 3 different pair, I had 4 but the dog ate them . I no longer have that dog either . They take a while for your feet to break them in, but once they do, they are the most comforable shoes. I can't wait for it to be birk season again!

 

[FergieTCat]

I just bought two pairs of Birks from Zappos.com. One pair is lime green flip flops (!!) and the other are rubber three strap sandals with pink and blue flowers (very snazzy!) I had no idea that the three strap sandals had a rubber soul, but they are very comfy and cute, so I'm going to keep them. And they don't need a break in time because the soles are flexible.

I bought two pairs of Tulas (licensed by Birkenstock) last year at Payless and after I broke them in, I was very, very happy. My feet are a mess, with tendonitis and my weight, so I am constantly on the look out for comfy shoes.

 

[Kimberle]

Yes, I have many pairs. They are wonderful shoes. I wore them all over Disney. No blisters. You must break them in. Even when I get a new pair, I still have a "breakin" period.

Order them from QVC. They have the best prices, and you can return them for up to 30 days, even if you've worn them. They just had a pair as the TSV last weekend.

 

[crazelion]

I loved my birksstock sandels. I wear them all the time. The best decsion ever made was try pair.

I would love another pair but that will have wait until I get job again.

 

[Patty3]

I bought a pair and wore them around for about a month. I could not get used to them and gave them to my best friend. She loves them, I think they are pretty ugly. I was looking for comfort and they just did not do it for me.

 

[darcyt]

Another fan here! I love them. I had plantar fasciitis that hurt so much I could barely walk, and it went away when I started wearing Birkenstocks (I still can't believe the difference it made). I used to always walk around the house barefoot, but now I always wear a pair of Birks. They've come out with some cuter styles lately, too. They'll never be the cutest shoes around, but limping and complaining about my feet wasn't particularly cute, either.

I bought the first pairs in a local store, but since then I've had great luck buying them on Ebay. I've tried them on (and now I own several different styles, so I know my size before I bid) and look at them closely on Zappos and QVC's website, check feedback, etc. I have saved a ton of money. Some of the styles are more comfortable on my foot than others, and I never know my favorites till I've worn them awhile. I'd feel bad returning them after I've worn them that much, even if the store allows it.

I even had to change sizes before I found the perfect ones for me. A narrow worked better in the Birkenstock store than it did after a lot of walking out in the heat! I would hate to spend $100 on a pair that I'd wind up not wearing. Plus I like to have several choices in my closet.