Gold star to viva for an excellent suggestion!

Wow. I certainly missed a major thread here. And I am drooling over those bags Vivian posted!

I think your main hurdle is going to be your climate of extremes. Summer shoes will be easier to source -- canvas options will help. Birkenstock copies for casual. Dressier sandals might be harder due to the sweaty feet issue, but at least with open tops you have a chance for some ventilation and also the fit may be easier to finesse. And in cooler weather the perspiration issue won't be as problematic, so a closed vegan shoe should be do-able once you find some styles you like.

But winter boots. Oy. I know they do make good socks for Bogs and Hunters, so that would get you through milder times. But in Winnipeg, if you are spending significant time outdoors, you need a genuine winter boot. The Kamik boots I used to have had no leather -- just a sort of nylon padded fabric with rubber or vinyl bottoms of some kind. They were rated to -40 and were super warm. You do need to size up in an insulated boot of this kind. Mine were not super stylish but they were cuter on than you might imagine.

I applaud you for attempting to follow your beliefs in this. It can be quite difficult, especially in Canada, for all the reasons we've mentioned -- fewer retail options, climate, etc. I really like Angie's suggestion of small steps and Echo's reminder that the perfect is the enemy of the good. Just deciding to take some small step and moving forward is an honourable decision.

Thank you for starting such an interesting thread.

Clearly passions run deep on this topic, and kudos for everyone making such considered choices!

IMHO there is a big difference in quality of pleather out there. My Papillio (Birki) and Teva sandals are comfortable for all-day wear on a hot summer day, while my Unionbay sandals feel uncomfortably slimy in an hour or so.

Just to throw another thought out there, in many cases leather is a by-product of the meat industry or hunting and it is honoring the animal to make the best use of it. For example, there are many deer hunters in my area who only want a rack (set of antlers) for their den. [With Chronic Wasting Disease spreading widely, there is even less interest in venison.] But some hunters are happy to give you the hides if you ask nicely, and it is inexpensive to have them tanned locally.

This thread contains a wealth of resources for non-leather footwear and bags! I'll definitely be referring to it for ideas in the future.

Re the perfect being the enemy of the good: a few years ago I was part of a conversation about buying organic food. I said something about wanting to eat more organic foods but it being very expensive to do so. Another person, whom I very much like and respect, said, "But you can afford to earmark $5 of your weekly grocery budget for organic food."

Baby steps, right?

Vivian - this is exactly what I want, thank you.

To all of you - I didn't expect to see this thread continuing on this morning. I was almost afraid to log after yesterday This is a very profoundly important thing to me and I appreciate those who get that.

anna - thanks for those resources. you always have a wealth of information at your fingertips

How long do worn-out PU shoes, etc. stay in the landfill? Longer or less time than leather? Just wondering to myself, as I'd love to know which is greener. I'd still buy leather shoes for the sake of my feet, but I would factor this in for my other purchases.

...and Lisa, those booties you liked in my post about structure are fabric and waterproof! Look at some of Stuart Weitzman's styles. They used to be a pretty big seller here in Seattle Nordies, given our wet Fall/Winter/Spring period.