Boot shafts can be designed for comfort by providing expansion in the shaft of a boot. Portions of a shaft can be replaced, augmented, or associated with a more deformable and elastically resilient material or materials. When effectively associated or integrated, the elastic material can allow for temporary expansion of the shaft to ease passage of the heel and foot through the shaft and into the shoe box. A long thin resilient feature can provide expansion and ease of passage of a foot down the boot shaft while also potentially minimizing conspicuous departure from conventional stylings. Such features can also be physically obscured with straps (which may rotate, for example). Such features may be curved or angled to visually in fit with and even be camouflaged by surrounding decorative ornamentation on the shaft of such a boot.

Boot shafts can be designed for comfort by providing expansion in the shaft of a boot. Portions of a shaft can be replaced, augmented, or associated with a more deformable and elastically resilient material or materials. When effectively associated or integrated, the elastic material can allow for temporary expansion of the shaft to ease passage of the heel and foot through the shaft and into the shoe box. A long thin resilient feature can provide expansion and ease of passage of a foot down the boot shaft while also potentially minimizing conspicuous departure from conventional stylings. Such features can also be physically obscured with straps (which may rotate, for example). Such features may be curved or angled to visually in fit with and even be camouflaged by surrounding decorative ornamentation on the shaft of such a boot.

A footwear article includes (a) an upper having a tongue opening at a front thereof; (b) a gusseted tongue including a tongue panel positioned over the tongue opening and a pair of gussets attaching laterally opposite sides of the tongue panel to the upper; (c) a pair of tongue fasteners configured to selectively fasten and unfasten corresponding sides of the tongue panel to and from the upper; (d) a first lacing system on the upper and arranged for guiding lacing over the gusseted tongue and tongue fasteners when the sides of the tongue are fastened to the upper; and (e) a second lacing system on the tongue panel and arranged for guiding the lacing across the tongue panel clear of the tongue fasteners when the sides of the tongue panel are unfastened from the upper.

A boot comprises: an outsole and a polymeric upper affixed to the outsole. The upper comprises an upper body and a gusset, which comprises a relaxed position and an expanded position, wherein the gusset moves from the relaxed position to the expanded position to accommodate a wearer's leg upon donning of the boot.

A shoe with a sole, upper, and shaft, whose upper and shaft contain a number of modifications to increase flexibility of the shoe but maintain protection for the wearer of the shoe. These modifications fall into the general categories of notch and aperture. The upper also has a number of protrusions into the shaft to increase protection in the protrusion areas. The location, shape, and size of these notches, apertures, and protrusions are important for optimizing the flexibility and protective qualities of the shoe.

A shoe with a sole, upper, and shaft, whose upper and shaft contain a number of modifications to increase flexibility of the shoe but maintain protection for the wearer of the shoe. These modifications fall into the general categories of notch and aperture. The upper also has a number of protrusions into the shaft to increase protection in the protrusion areas. The location, shape, and size of these notches, apertures, and protrusions are important for optimizing the flexibility and protective qualities of the shoe.

Devices that facilitate offsetting of weight of heard borne equipment such as helmets and other devices associated with helmets are provided. Through the use of pivots and an arm assembly that distributes weight from a person's head to his or her torso, additional and heavier objects can be carried on a person's head without causing undesirable levels of discomfort.

A footwear comprises a sock, an insert that can be inserted inside the sock and attached to an inner surface of the sock, and a sole that can be attached to an outer surface of the sock. The insert has substantially a shape of a foot of a wearer and the sole has substantially the same shape as the shape of the insert. Both the insert and the sole can be attached to a foot portion of the sock via an adhesive, stitching, or both. The sock can be of different lengths to cover the wearer's ankles, calves, or thighs.

Footwear for covering a foot of a wearer includes an outsole configured for supporting the foot of the wearer, an upper secured to the outsole and configured for covering the foot of the wearer, an insole located above the outsole within the upper, a midsole located above the outsole and below the insole and first and second laterally adjacent shanks located above the outsole and below the insole. The first shank angles forward and outward from the heel portion to a lateral side of the middle portion and the second shank angles forward and outward from the heel portion to a medial side of the middle portion to form an acute angle therebetween and provide balance and torsional stability for sides of the wearer's foot

A warp knit element for an article of footwear includes a plurality of cell structures that extend from a sole structure to a lacing region of an upper.