No foot wear is bifl, and that’s double true for cushioned comfortable footwear.

Hoka is known for being very cushioned, but yeah it’s the standard 300 miles or so.

There are high quality leather products that require a lot of maintenance, and low quality leather that requires little maintenance. If there’s any correlation, it’s weak.

Generally leather quality is based on the quality of the hide (what part of the hide, what weather conditions the cows lived in, what scars they had, etc.), the type of leather (full grain, corrected grain etc), thickness, and the quality of the tanning.

Yes you can judge leather by the amount of maintenance it requires, but you’d be eliminating many of the better options in other metrics.

Quality doesn’t really correlate with how much maintenance. Many “lower quality” leathers actually usually require less maintenance because they’re tanned with more chemicals (or are coated with coatings) that retain moisture better than your regular high quality veg tan. You might have less folding, but you’ll get plenty of UV, water, salt, sweat, etc., on a bag.

But in any event, beefy nylon is very durable - the only major weakness is tearing.

Thick nylon ripstop is durable stuff. Just as long lived or more than high quality leather. It just can tear a bit easier. All leather requires maintenance, regardless of quality. It loses moisture and will crack.

Nylon will be lighter and better with water obviously. Leather is a bit more durable around sharp/rough objects…. Leather requires maintenance, nylon doesn’t.

Personally I’d go nylon because the weight and weaknesses of leather, but it depends how you use it and what you value.

Ll bean

Silicone. Sorry but it’s the truth.

Wore my pair at a Hawaiian wedding so I’m pretty much Olukai royalty now

I have had both and liked the foam more. The leather is mostly for looks / fancy occasions where you want to wear flip flops.

A ton depends on the exact species and the way it’s processed, but bamboo / maple / ash are generally going to be the best three.

Comfy but not terribly durable.

People disagree. Personally I consider it to be something that is going to last at least 15-20 years with relatively minimal expense.

Some people think it’s just “it lasts longer than other things in the category.” Like boots that have durable uppers with replaceable soles, or a Toyota that requires less maintenance than average. Personally “buy high quality products and/or reparable products” Is not bifl to me, but to each their own.

I have a desk made out of 4” thick ancient old growth wood that was used in a cotton gin built in the 1820s. I’ve had it for 10 years and obviously, it still looks new. It’s 200 year old wood and a metal base. That’s bifl (and your kids’ lives).

I’d check if / when some of the more expensive routine things were replaced: (1) tires, (2) transmission fluid, (3) differential fluid , (4) brake fluid, (5) timing chain/belt, (6) brake rotors, (7) struts/ shocks. The more of those that have been serviced, the less you’ll have. If none of those have been, you could be looking at a mountain of maintenance expense considering the mileage is right on the edge of when those things will be necessary.

You aren’t alone. I don’t hate the tight fit for hiking - that’s really what they built it for - but I definitely don’t like darn tough for daily use. My feet end up far warmer and more comfortable in looser and thicker socks. I also have regular width feet.

Saddleback is the longest lasting / toughest but it’s a bit chunky. And I’ve tried a lot of wallets.

My wife is like this and the best option (for a regular style chair) - as silly as it may sound - is those huge executive chairs you see at staples. They are mega wide, which is what you need.

Dunno man I got an oxo which looks similar to the right, and it’s lasted 8 years and looks like new.

Yeah imo darn tough gets way too much praise relative to smart wool. Every single piece I’ve had from smart wool has outlasted my DT. Not that I don’t like DT also. I think it’s just the warranty that everyone is so drawn to lol.

There are no bifl shoes. There are somewhat bifl uppers if you want all leather shoes - but you’ll still be replacing the soles and insoles as frequently as you’d replace them with any other shoe - and that is the majority of the cost over time. If you’re interested in the bifl uppers, go to the good year welt sub .

Saddleback leather is tough stuff. I’ve owned several high end brands and saddleback is the toughest while also being fairly pliable.

Oh my God. No offense you’re just trolling now if you don’t know that down is meant to retain heat and stop convection. They literally molt them in the summer to keep from overheating. Good lord.

https://bedroomsandmore.com/blog/down-vs-wool-bedding-which-is-better/

“Down is not super breathable and loses its loft when wet”

https://www.switchbacktravel.com/down-vs-synthetic-insulation

Yes, not a good pillow material as defined by objective criteria. As I said, if you don’t want to use objective criteria then sure, sleep on garbanzo beans because anyone’s opinion goes.

And no, down doesn’t excel at thermoregulation. It traps heat, limits convection, and doesn’t absorb much moisture - which is how most natural materials regulate - in addition to losing its ability to loft when it absorbs moisture. Again, that’s precisely why down is used as an insulator in jackets (and geese). It’s whole purpose is to trap heat.

I didn’t state anything as fact other than longevity and resilience. Down absolutely is going to lose resilience at a faster rate than many other materials - that is objectively knowable. Whether it’s still ok for your neck/head that depends. Some people can sleep on anything.

I’m not convincing you you don’t like a thing. I stated down pillows won’t last 15+ years as you said. I stand by that, although I’ll amend that to say it depends how you quantify “last.” They’ll lose resilience faster than several other materials.

(And sleeping cooler than a closed cell foam isn’t a high bar. They’re both very highly insulating. Down is used in coats exactly because it stops convection ( air circulation) so well.).

Edit: btw nothing is 100% goose down. That doesn’t exist. Even 1100 fill power is about 2-3% feathers (and often 2-3% down fibers ie broken down clusters). Check your law tag. Guarantee it doesn’t say 100% down. 750-800 fill power is generally about 85% down - of which it’s often only 80% clusters.)

First off, Frette doesn’t list fill amounts (red flag). I can almost guarantee it’s less than 25 ounces, though. Second, i have used a feathered friends pillow and comforter in the past. They are higher quality than Frette (85% down is unimpressive). If yours weighs a lot, it’s because it’s got a ton of feathers instead of down in it. Like I said, I subbed it out for the Coop pillow and it’s better. Third, the notion that a material quite literally designed by nature for the sole purpose of retaining warmth is “cooling” is a fitting way to end the conversation because you have no idea what you’re talking about and clearly don’t want to learn.

I mean, I have no reason to dislike the company other than being overpriced for what it is. A down pillow is nothing special - a little over a pound of down put into a cotton case. If I was going to get a pricey high quality down good, I’d get feathered friends. They actually use higher quality down than Frette, plus it’s cheaper.

But like I said, I wouldn’t get either of them. Down is good for one application: light weight insulation items in dry environments.