# Vote: Sperrys: Sesonal or Year-long



## superpacker (Jul 16, 2008)

What I want to know is do you guys where Sperry boat shoes all year, or do you feel they are a summer shoe only? It seems like the OPHB implies its a year-round shoe, but I think a lot of fellas feel summer only. Give you vote, and then please explain why. Is it due to the climate you live in, tradition, etc.


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## Coleman (Mar 18, 2009)

I'm a Utah man (like yourself), and I've started feeling off wearing them period (being land-locked, aside from our dear salt lake). 

I've switched to Blucher Mocs (Bean's), and I do think they are a year-round moc. In a more termperate climate I think Topsiders would be fine as a year-round shoe, just not in Utah.


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## superpacker (Jul 16, 2008)

I have on bean bluchers right now! I completely agree that beans are definitely year-round.


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## Coleman (Mar 18, 2009)

superpacker said:


> I have on bean bluchers right now!


As do I .


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## Cardinals5 (Jun 16, 2009)

I'm seasonal. Boat shoes from about 70 degrees up and blucher mocs, etc., anytime.


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## Valkyrie (Aug 27, 2009)

Revenge of the West! Next door in Colorado, I wear boat shoes all year, though not every day, of course. There are lots of cool bright dry days all winter long where they are just fine with khakis or jeans. My current boat shoe is the Timberland Kia Wah Bay in Chocolate Oiled, which is a tad stouter and lacks the white sole of the Sperry A/O and that may contribute to its year-roundedness.


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## godan (Feb 10, 2010)

Also in Colorado, my Sperrys are among a mix of boat shoes and camp mocs that I wear with jeans year around, weather permitting.


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## At Law (Apr 15, 2008)

I am not a Sperry topsider fan anymore.

The leather is very cheap and will not break in properly.

In addition, I feel like Corky from "Life Goes On" when I wear them.

The Quoddy Camp Moc is a much better looking and performing shoe.


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## mfs (Mar 1, 2009)

I live in San Diego, so I wear them all year :icon_smile:


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## YoungTrad (Jan 29, 2010)

Unless there is snow on the ground, I wear Sperrys all year.


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## raincoat (Oct 31, 2009)

At Law said:


> In addition, I feel like Corky from "Life Goes On" when I wear them.


I think you may have just ruined my favorite shoe for me. Thanks.

Edit: Forgot to answer the OP. I live in Texas and you could certainly wear them all year here. This past year I wore LLB Bluchers in the fall and winter and am wearing the old A/Os now.


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## D&S (Mar 29, 2009)

I wear Sperrys pretty much all year (provided its warm enough to go sockless), but definitely more often in the summer time. Since college, however, pennies have replaced boat shoes as my go-to casual shoe.

In the East and in the South, Sperrys are a natural fit. Probably harder to pull off in fly-over country though.


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## dwebber18 (Jun 5, 2008)

I'd say it depends on climate and where your from. Being from Florida I'll wear them year long. Now that I live in Tennessee I'll still wear them year long, but they don't see much use in winter except for on the occassional nice day.  I've got some Quoddy Canoe mocs on order, and I assume they will see year round heavy use, as I'm a very casual guy and love the laid back style I grew up with in Florida.


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## Nick V (May 8, 2007)

Year long in the house. Late spring, summer, early fall....outdoors.
Northern Jersey


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## Jack1425 (Sep 19, 2008)

Sperry's all year.. My go to pair have been so comfortable they have actually taken on almost slipper status when home lounging. I will be giving blucher mocs a go this fall though...


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## CactusMark (Feb 14, 2007)

LL Bean blucher mocs when it's cold; Topsiders when it's hot.


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## Wes Bourne (Nov 12, 2009)

Nick V said:


> Year long in the house. Late spring, summer, early fall....outdoors.
> Northern Jersey


Late fall, winter and early spring in the house, outdoors the little that's left of the year.  Blame the climate...


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## Taken Aback (Aug 3, 2009)

Fortunately, "Sperry's" or "Top-Siders" need not neccessarily mean A/O's, although some above use the term interchangably. In warmest weather I will wear A/Os, but some of the variants like Mako, Billfish, Lanyard, Neptune and others can accomodate spring and fall as well.

However, it should go without saying that the sole of a boat shoe and ice do not mix.


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## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

365 days a year. No socks. No regrets.


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## Coleman (Mar 18, 2009)

Trip English said:


> 365 days a year. No socks. No regrets.


I would expect no less of the king of the boat shoe :icon_smile_wink:.


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## chacend (Mar 4, 2008)

Trip English said:


> 365 days a year. No socks. No regrets.


I agree, but there have been some cold ankle days this past winter.


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## StevenRocks (May 24, 2005)

I don't wear my boat shoes in the winter. Not even on warm days.


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## Beefeater (Jun 2, 2007)

I live in Texas so when the weather is appropriate I wear them, which is about 10 months out of the year. However 2 months ago, I bought the LLB mocs and the Topsiders have been neglected ever since.


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## S. Kelly (Jan 19, 2008)

I have Sperry Mako lug soles for winter wear, one pair of Mako chukkas with lug soles has seen snow wear. Perfect with Vineyard Vines wide wale cords.


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## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

I live in Cali, so sperry's are year-rounder. I do wear them far less in the Winter though.


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## HistoryDoc (Dec 14, 2006)

I think it depends on where you live and your lifestyle. My father is retired and he sails year round. He wears topsiders year round. I often change into them when I come home from work. I didn't do that when I lived in other parts of the country.


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## P Hudson (Jul 19, 2008)

Its all about seasons and regions. I wear them all year round here in Oz, but am just a tiny bit self-conscious in winter.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

At Law said:


> I am not a Sperry topsider fan anymore.
> 
> The leather is very cheap and will not break in properly.
> 
> ...


+1. LOL, I love the way you characterized the mental picture of the beast in question. I too wear mostly Quoddy's (boat shoes, penny loafers and soon a pair of Maliseet Blucher's) here in NW Indiana but, I have kept a pair of my old Topsider's that are worn primarily as house shoes, on a year round basis!


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## philidor (Nov 19, 2009)

I wear the billfish variety. I personally see no problem with boat shoes year-round unless it is snowing.


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## dek40206 (Jan 7, 2010)

In Louisville; I wore them every day this winter in spite of my wife's mocking. Fell pretty hard one time but I refused to chalk it up to the shoes. The rippled sole wouldn't fail me like that? Wink


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## David V (Sep 19, 2005)

Boat shoes all-year-long!


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## Jack1425 (Sep 19, 2008)

Beefeater said:


> However 2 months ago, I bought the LLB mocs and the Topsiders have been neglected ever since.


Been considering pulling the trigger on the LLB's... They seem great for the price..


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## Epaminondas (Oct 19, 2009)

Unless you live in a warm climate, wearing boat shoes during the winter makes it look like you only have one pair of shoes and must wear them year-round.

Boat shoes with socks looks pretty bad/lame IMHO and even in Atlanta, I wouldn't wear shoes without socks in say November through March - too cold.

That being said, I wear Bean Bluchers in lieu of Top Siders.


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## IlliniFlyer (Sep 20, 2009)

How is it that boat shoes are so popular despite many people not even being near a boat? Don't get me wrong, I just ordered some Sperrys (but for my "hang around the pool" shoe). I understand that the TopSiders and Sebagos both have a New England heritage; I just wonder when it became stylish away from a boat and that region in general.

Also: the Bean Bluchers are not a boat shoe, correct? I'll have to check those out.


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## Nick V (May 8, 2007)

IlliniFlyer said:


> How is it that boat shoes are so popular despite many people not even being near a boat? Don't get me wrong, I just ordered some Sperrys (but for my "hang around the pool" shoe). I understand that the TopSiders and Sebagos both have a New England heritage; I just wonder when it became stylish away from a boat and that region in general.
> 
> Also: the Bean Bluchers are not a boat shoe, correct? I'll have to check those out.


1. Because when you break them in they feel like slippers.
2. They last forever with very little maintenance.
3. They are very versatile in terms of where you can wear them.
4. The older they get, the better they look and feel on your feet.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Epaminondas said:


> ...Boat shoes with socks looks pretty bad/lame IMHO and even in Atlanta, I wouldn't wear shoes without socks in say November through March - too cold.
> 
> ...


 Say what(!)? Geez, before you know it, folks will be saying it's wrong to wear socks(the toed variety) with flip-flops!


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## raincoat (Oct 31, 2009)

Epaminondas said:


> Boat shoes with socks looks pretty bad/lame IMHO . . .


It doesn't always look bad (from am trad men thread):


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
Phew...vindicated! :aportnoy:


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## Georgia (Aug 26, 2007)

Cardinals5 said:


> I'm seasonal. Boat shoes from about 70 degrees up and blucher mocs, etc., anytime.


I'm seasonal as well. I don't wear socks with boat shoes, so I wait for cooperative temperatures.


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## IlliniFlyer (Sep 20, 2009)

Raincoat, those all look hideous to me. Imagine if they weren't wearing socks and how much better they would appear.


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## KRMaley (Mar 28, 2010)

Hello all from Boston, I wear my A/O's all year long. Mostly on the weekends and on the commute to and from work. I would not recommend them in snow or ice however, unless you want to end up on your back!

KM


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## D&S (Mar 29, 2009)

raincoat said:


> It doesn't always look bad (from am trad men thread):


While I personally don't do it, I think that, when done correctly, socks with boat shoes offers even more of the much sought-after GTH look than going sockless, especially if the socks in question are white athletic socks (or other socks that make no pretense of being dressy, only practical and comfortable). The line is a fine one, and it can easily cross over into the realm of dorkiness, but on men of a certain age (definitely over 50) and background, wearing socks with boat shoes does more to flout convention than wearing them without. Wearing boat shoes sockless is not some arcane convention known only to devout followers of trad - "everyone" knows this is how they are supposed to be worn. No one would ever call the above-pictured men sartorial rubes - WFB and GHWB know the "rules." I imagine part of the appeal of wearing boat shoes with socks (besides comfort) is being secure enough to break them (the rules, I mean, not the shoes).


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## ashcroft99 (Dec 12, 2008)

*boat shoes*

Living in historic Annapolis, I feel obliged to wear them all year round...and never with socks! 1 pair sperry, 1 pair sebago, considering the alden


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## raincoat (Oct 31, 2009)

On the boat shoes with socks question:

I think it was noted in a previous thread by somebody who actually sails that many older men (who started sailing decades before I was born) wear white socks with their boat shoes unselfconsciously. It's not a GTH decision or even much of a decision at all. They wear socks with all their shoes, even their boat shoes, for practical reasons. I think it's absurd to suggest that GHWB and WFB were trying to make a statement by wearing socks with their boat shoes. They couldn't care less about "sartorial rules" because they inherited their style of dress and now dress instinctively. 

By the way, I don't wear socks with my boat shoes.


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## Pink and Green (Jul 22, 2009)

During the Fall and Winter, I wear Sperry Blucher Mocs. I switch to Bluepoint Sperry Top-Siders that are now discontinued during Spring and Summer.

I do miss my A/O's from my youth. I figured that my older feet would need the extra support of the Bluepoints, but the Tretorns are working very well.

I may have to return to the A/O. I admit I do not wear them year round with some reluctance...I am...not trad enough. (sniff)


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## D&S (Mar 29, 2009)

raincoat said:


> On the boat shoes with socks question:
> 
> I think it was noted in a previous thread by somebody who actually sails that many older men (who started sailing decades before I was born) wear white socks with their boat shoes unselfconsciously. It's not a GTH decision or even much of a decision at all. They wear socks with all their shoes, even their boat shoes, for practical reasons. I think it's absurd to suggest that GHWB and WFB were trying to make a statement by wearing socks with their boat shoes. They couldn't care less about "sartorial rules" because they inherited their style of dress and now dress instinctively.
> 
> By the way, I don't wear socks with my boat shoes.


I actually do sail, for one. And I didn't imply that it was done to make a statement. My point was exactly that - done for comfort, and to hell with "rules" about going sockless - not out of a desire to make a statement, but out of personal convention.

In the meantime, serious sailing tech has progressed far beyond the AO:

https://www.sperrytopsider.com/stor...0942*M120&productId=7-133240&catId=cat90046DM


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## Cruiser (Jul 21, 2006)

I've always worn boat shoes year round. The only difference between summer and winter is that I wear socks in the winter.










Cruiser


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## Taken Aback (Aug 3, 2009)

D&S said:


> In the meantime, serious sailing tech has progressed far beyond the AO:
> 
> https://www.sperrytopsider.com/stor...0942*M120&productId=7-133240&catId=cat90046DM


While they may be designed with the deck in mind, those are water shoes in style, which are essentially sneakers to me. There's another called the Barracuda which is more sneaker in sole, but tries to keep the boat shoe look:

https://www.sperrytopsider.com/stor...522*M080&productId=7-130180&catId=cat100066DM

Interestingly, the Barracuda retains the full lacing around the heel, which the ASV doesn't. I always thought that was key for a deck shoe.


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## Cool Cal (Jan 19, 2007)

Georgia said:


> I'm seasonal as well. I don't wear socks with boat shoes, so I wait for cooperative temperatures.


This is my feeling too. With no offense to the very trad photos above, wearing them with socks just doesn't feel right.


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## raincoat (Oct 31, 2009)

D&S said:


> I actually do sail, for one. And I didn't imply that it was done to make a statement. My point was exactly that - done for comfort, and to hell with "rules" about going sockless - not out of a desire to make a statement, but out of personal convention.


Yeah I didn't mean for my post to sound as pointed as it did or even really directed at you specifically. Sorry. The "people who actually sail" comment was made because _I_ don't sail and only have second hand accounts. But the point I was trying to make is that if you think of them as as a GTH statement they probably will be one. I think a lot of people just wear socks with boat shoes with no regard for how it looks though.


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## oldschoolprep (Jun 21, 2007)

*Topsider Usage*

I typically wear my traditional Topsiders from mid-March to Thanksgiving sockless and change to Bean mocs or my Gokey boat shoes which I typically wear with socks from November through early-March given the balmy winters we enjoy in Michigan.

However, this year I deviated a bit from this schedule after re-discovering a pair of unworn Kudus and a pair of America's Cup (both made in USA) Sperrys I had misplaced since buying them new in 1985. Plan to wear each sparingly given their endangered species status.


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## NYtoNOLA (Dec 31, 2009)

Usually not much in winter, but definitely in spring, summer, and fall.

When it is colder, I usually wear them with socks (usually argyle or some other patterned dress sock), whereas I usually go sockless in warmer weather.


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## rlfsoccerdad (Mar 28, 2008)

Agreed, not frequently worn in the winter, especially when there is snow out. The siping doesn't give very good traction. However, especially on clear days, it occasionally makes me feel like it is spring and time to get the boat out when I slip on the ole boat shoes. 

In warm weather, they are a useful part of the rotation, especially when I want to at least pretend that I might go sailing later in the day :^).


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