Patagonia's reason for being: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire, and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. Patagonia grew out of a small company that made tools for climbers, as a result Alpinism remains at the heart of a worldwide business that still makes clothing and shoes for climbing--as well as for skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running. In each of these sports, the reward comes in the form of hard-won grace and moments of connection between the athlete and nature. Patagonia's values reflect those of a business started by a band of climbers and surfers, and the minimalist style they promoted; the approach they take towards product design demonstrates a bias for simplicity and utility. At Patagonia, a love of wild and beautiful places demands participation in the fight to save them, and to help reverse the steep decline in the overall environmental health of the planet. Patagonia donates their time, services and at least 1% of sales to hundreds of grassroots environmental groups all over the world who work to help reverse the tide, and they work steadily to reduce any pollution and harms caused by their business activity. They use recycled polyester in many of their clothes and only organic, rather than pesticide-intensive, cotton. Staying true to their core values during thirty-plus years in business has helped create a company the employees are proud to run and work for, and their focus on making the best products possible has brought success in the marketplace.
M**N
Minimalism, the Good and the Bad
The green Patagonias arrived today and I was eager to try them out. I ordered my normal size and they fit perfectly. They feel almost glove-like on my feet--very comfortable. The green hue is a rugged, yet serene looking, dark greyish green.As noted in their online description, they are a minimalist shoe: they're very lightweight and seem not to have any heel rise. For me, that minimalism is both good and bad. It's good in that I want to use them for (fast) walking and, as I experienced only an hour ago, when I went for a 3 and 1/2-mile walk (on an undulating, heavily-rooted biker trail), it felt almost as though I was walking barefoot; they offer a very natural, weightless stride. The only problem is that in their minimalism, the heel, which is approximately 1/2-inch (at the most) thick, provides only--no surprise--minimal cushioning.Because a walking stride, no matter the speed, requires a heel landing, they are not--especially at a fast, vigorous pace--perfectly suited for walking. They might fare better as a running shoe--provided a forefoot landing, or strike is employed. (Minor update: apparently my opinion that a a walking stride REQUIRES a heel landing is not as universal as I thought, for I've recently read [online] advise that advocates a flat-foot landing for walking [4-26-15]).Nevertheless, suitable for walking, or not--I like these sneakers.11/29/2014: I wore these (in the rain) on a four-mile walk a few days ago; I marched, 'round and 'round (as I am sometimes want to do) the inside perimeter of my fenced-in, leaf-laden, pine-straw-cushioned, near-level property. The shoes, on this type terrain, felt even better on my feet, and served well as walking shoes.Also, I jogged a bit on this rainy-day walk and, as expected, the shoes felt well suited to the task....I can only wish that, years ago, I had been aware of the minimalist approach to running; I used to run a lot and, in retrospect, sustained the negative consequences of poorly designed (for the purpose) thick, wedge-shape, running-shoe soles that encouraged, if not demanded, a heel landing.
J**N
Four Stars
No arch support what so ever. Hurts my husbands knees.
T**M
Four Stars
Great shoes for in camp, light enough to backpack with.
A**R
Five Stars
I love these shoes they are very comfortable!
J**E
Four Stars
Very comfortable
A**G
Five Stars
Amazing shoes!
D**T
Three Stars
Good looking. Fits well.
Y**U
Five Stars
I love this pair of shes.
Trustpilot
3 weeks ago
4 days ago
