Ikwym ....I only checked as I was writing my original response and was disappointed myself.
xxploit
joined 1 month ago
They did open one during COVID actually IIRC, we went there at the time since everything was always empty but the choice of products (at the time) was poor. No idea what it's like now, it's kinda out of the way of any route we take to get anywhere so generally not worth a stop.
Good shout. I do know Lowa are, or at least some models(?), made in central Europe. I did like some design from them but it was seemingly impossible to find in lower mainland BC to try back then.
It's been a while since I looked myself (not using the ones I bought all that often so they look almost new), but I don't recall coming across any Canadian ones unfortunately.
At first I thought, Arcteryx has been doing some hiking shoes/boots, but they haven't been Canadian owned for over 2 decades and I found them a bit too gimmicky personally.
As for what to look for, you need to realize what you find comfortable. For example I need arch support and wider toebox. You're gonna be wearing them for extended periods of time and you don't want blisters/discomfort.
I ended up trying a bunch in various shops and ordering a pair of Danners (not Canadian) online from a place where I could do free return, in case they didn't fit. It was the closest to my need, but I still had to get additional insoles for arch support.
Once you think you got it figured out, do yourself a favour and wear them at home for a few days, and see if anything is rubbing etc. "Breaking shoes in" is bollocks, mine were leather and didn't require any breaking in.
Hope that helps at least a little bit
1-3m doesn't sound like much until people realize that it's likely to be 1-3m of ocean behind it and not just 1 off wave like what you see on the beach
What a Dyck