To think Converse boots are everything but practical??

[Gerz]

I told DS I would buy him some "weekend" shoes - gave him a budget of £40 and he's asked for Converse boots.

I can get some for £26 but I can't help thinking they are flimsy as hell!! They're certainly not going to protect against rain are they? or am I being an oldie?

He's 11 btw.

I wear Converse all year round and haven't had any issues with them although I'll admit if it's really, really wet or snowing I'll wear DMs instead. At 11 he's not going to be splashing in puddles? I think it's really going to depend on what he's going to do in them at the weekend.

i think they're perfectly decent weekend shoes for summer, spring and autumn. not great in winter, or for hiking or whatever but fine around town.

He'll just be wearing them for walking around town, he's not a really active kid and if by some miracle of god someone gets him playing sports, he has some astro trainers to wear

I suppose I better order them then.

Dont get white/cream! My DH is as dirty as a child and they looked okay for about a week then they went grey and wouldnt clean :)

I would have thought they wouldnt be good for rain too, but he wore them in all weather with no probs

Lived in them as a teenager, as did many of my friends, each pair replaced with an identical pair when they finally fell apart.

What casual (so non-leather) shoes do protect against rain? Most trainers don't.

If you had an 11 yr old girl she would be asking for brightly-coloured ballet pumps with soles like a thin sheet of cardboard (or more converse).

I wear for in the town, and they are fine unless of course there is really heavy rain. But I've got the cheap 8 pound copies from sainsbury's.

Let him buy them, tell him he'll have to keep them clean.

Similar dilemma here although ds doesn't want Converse as he likes climbing and sole not so grippy - thought I'd found some outdoorsy style trainers but out of stock when I try to order .

Coverse are brilliant because you wear them until they fall apart. In the mean time you pop them in the wash and stick in some new laces and they come out like new