Pity the foot. Does any body part suffer more in the pursuit of style?
It doesn’t have to be that way. Just ask the crew at Lems Shoes, makers of footwear that manages to look great while prioritizing the support and comfort of your feet. Lems offers two styles that are perfect for the Airstream life.
The Mariner is a 21st century update of the familiar boatshoe. Lems’ version (available for both men and women) features a full-grain leather upper and an insole made of newly designed open-cell leather. The result is a shoe that keeps your feet fresh and cushioned all day long.
When it’s time to hit the trail, bust out a pair of Lems Boulder Boots, also available for women and men. The 1200-denier nylon and nu-buck leather exterior is water-resistant, and the foot-friendly design ensures that you’ll get tired of hiking long before your feet give up. Boulder Boots pack down to the size of a balled-up puffer jacket, making them easy to stash in any Airstream.
Both the Mariner and Boulder Boot incorporate Lems’ foot-first design elements. Unlike most shoes, which are stiff and taper towards the toes, Lems are extremely flexible and cut to fit the true shape of the human foot, thus allowing room for toes to wiggle and spread. This is about more than just making your piggies comfortable. Today’s narrow shoes contribute to all sorts of painful conditions.
Lems’ “zero-drop” platform eliminates the elevated heel. The result is reduced lower back strain and a healthier mid-foot to forefoot strike.
Lems Shoes are a perfect illustration of the saying “necessity is the mother of invention.” Well, in this case, necessity, passion, and determination were the parents. Lems founder Andrew Rademacher spent years trying to find a shoe that met his need for flexibility and ease of movement. Exasperated, he decided his only option was to make his own. That, of course, required learning how shoes are made.
Andrew began his education by purchasing and literally dissecting hundreds of pieces of footwear. Three years later, having mastered the rest of the footwear business—from pattern making to digital commerce—Andrew debuted his first shoe, “The Primal.”
The rest is ahhh-inducing history. Today, Boulder, Colorado-based, family-owned Lems Shoes offers a full line of footwear and gear dedicated to creating a world with more happy feet and fewer barking dogs.
Airstream searches every corner of the outdoor world to find the coolest gear to feature in Airstream's A-List. When we find cool products, we like to showcase them here and often create affiliate relationships. Airstream may get a commission and benefit financially by items purchased through the A-List.
Image credit: Anthony Kerrigan
