How about leather soles - I need your opinions?!?

You should not buy leather shoes at all. Yes, you should feel guilty for it because there are so many vegan options for almost everything nowadays.

Ever notice that we have flat teeth in the back which are used for grinding up plants... and SHARP ones in the front for tearing apart flesh... The fact is that humans are not carnivores (animals which ONLY eat flesh) or herbivores (animals which only eat vegetation), we're OMNIVOROUS (animals that eat both). Are sharks "cruel"? of course not, THEY'RE SHARKS. They eat meat, it's what they do... In other words, since you're human and all, there is nothing cruel about eating and using parts of animals. It's AWESOME that you care so much about animals. There is nothing wrong with being disgusted by how so many animals on the "feed lots" are mistreated. It's an honorable thing to be concerned about. However, there really are many LOCAL farmers who treat their SMALL group of livestock with total dignity and respect and care for them in the most ethical ways. They ensure that they live safe, healthy lives and have a quick, painless death in order to provide food and things that we need to live. In other words, find a local rancher with a small herd or someone who makes local leather goods. It may cost more, but you will know that every time you wear them that they lived a good life and had a purpose. In the long run, supporting local business will also help the environment (by not polluting as many animals, including us) Countries like China and Mexico, etc. have no EPA or environmental standards at all. And if you think that rubber soled shoes are "cruelty free" just remember that rubber comes DIRECTLY from crude oil. You know, like the all of the oil that was spilled by BP or all of the oil that we're fighting for in the middle east? The only true "cruelty free" products are the ones that someone took personal responsibility for... (anything made from petroleum ie oil, gasoline, kerosine, plastic, rubber, latex, spandex, vinyl, nylon, polyester... all the way to the asphalt on the road) IS NOT CRUELTY FREE.

No you shouldn't feel guilty. Animal products and by-products are used in virtually everything. From shoes, to computers, to car/plane/bicycle tires, hair products, make up, deoderants, shampoos, prosthetic limbs, musical instruments, sports equipment, etc.

the leather is already made so donot feel bad about it< odds are that the leather has been curing for years and the animal is long gone< leather soles to your shoes also improve energy by keeping you connected to the magnetic feild of the earth which greatly decreases heath problems< have you ever noticed that people who have fine leather shoes have less health problems?

Asked and answered. It's time to take the answers you got into account and formulate your OWN thoughts about this. Don't just keep asking.

The only way I would be 100% pure vegan is if I lived in the woods and simulate Thoreau's Walden Pond existence. (I tried reading the book in high school, but didn't get through it. I still have my copy and should find it to read again.) Yes, I have leather and wool and angora. I have been vegetarian for seven years and vegan about six months after that. All of the animal products I have and wear were mostly gotten long before I was aware. I still wear them because I was raised to buy things as cheap as possible and keep them for as long as possible. I do have an angora blend sweater that I got from my sister-in-law. She goes through clothes the way I go through groceries, almost. I got it because I liked it. Had I not gotten it it likely wold have gone to a consignment shop. Had the shop not bought it, then to Goodwill where I do a lot of shopping for clothes. I have two pairs of leather loafers, one of which I wore through two pregnancies when my feet grew and/or swelled. (I got them for less than five dollars eight or nine years ago at an outlet mall Speigel [Spiegel?] store that was going out of business. For that matter, the other pair I bought at a consignment shop and they seemed almost new, especially when the dye rubbed off on my white socks, and were less than $5.) I have a leather bomber jacket that was given to me well over fifteen years ago (maybe 13) when I met a guy a local town street fair. He lent it to me and I tried to return in a week or two later and he didn't want it back. I never saw the guy again or even remember his name. I had forgotten about it until a couple of weeks ago when my mother and I were cleaning out my closet. Except that it looks nice with my khakis and khaki skirt (as it's the only brown coat/jacket I have), I think it might be a good candidate for a rummage sale, once it airs out a bit. My wool sweater I got about ten years ago at Old Navy. I was around ten dollars and it's a red argyle sweater vest. I don't wear that one or the angora blend often because they are hand wash and I don't take the time to wash them. (That and the angora one was hiding so I didn't get a change to wear it this winter.) I need new boots as the pair I have I have had for four years. They are cracked so my feet get wet and they no longer keep my feet warm, even with two pairs of socks. I literally need new boots. JC Penny has several pairs for under $20. Not only that, but they have practical heels so that I can actually walk. However, they are all leather. Continuing to wear boots that keep my feet cold and wet is not practical, especially with a four-year-old and a 15-month-old. It's tough enough sloughing around in the winter with two kids and their gear, less fun with cold, wet feet. I also have a wool blazer that I wear in winter in lieu of my winter coat, which is also wool blend. The blazer came from my mother. My mother shops at rummage sales, Goodwill, etc. She also managed rental properties and people would leave things behind. Mostly, she would sell it in rummage sales, the radio call in show, similar to Craigs List, etc. If it was something she thought we could use, she would give it to us. The coat was bought a few years ago at Old Navy when they had a 50% off sale. I hadn't gotten a new winter coat in ten years and it was losing its feathers. The day we purchased it, was in November and a couple of days before we left for my grandmother's funeral by Niagara Falls, NY. Knowing the weather in that time of year, I figured I would need the coat. Ironically, though, it was a warm sunny day and I just wore my suit jacket (I can't remember if I wore my suit pants or my suit skirt) over a long sleeved blouse. Overall, I have to do what is best for my family and me. I've even taken gelcaps as my health to care for my family was more important. My main concern with the gelcap medicine was whether or not it would negatively effect my milk for breastfeeding. However, if you want the leather to support a habit that doesn't need supporting, then it's not necessary. I'm considering the leather boots simply because I need them and because I don't want to pay more than $25. (I've never paid more than $22 for an article of clothing, except for my winter coat, which was $45. (I only buy shoes and other clothes when I need them. Other times, I have been blessed with them, such as cast offs from my SIL, or what I find in trash piles, i.e., when I go through what the university students discard when they move home for the summer, or what I find at rummage sales.)