A List of the Best "One Shoe" Recommendations from 3 Years of Tests and Traveler Notes
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Posted By: Hija Chang on August 18, 2024 A little over a year ago I posted a list of the best travel shoes I’d found at the time, during my search for a good pair of shoes. Since then I’ve been keeping notes about shoes that travelers constantly praise and recommend and kept them divided up by category. You can find pictures and longer descriptions/comparisons in this updated writeup: Best Shoes for Travel by Category, but the list below summarizes every travel shoe that’s arguably one of the best and a quick snippet as to why. If you’re on the shoe hunt this will put some good options on your radar and help you find a shoe specific to your needs and purpose – plus this question gets asked so much in the sub, having it in one place feels right. Also, looking forward to hearing experiences with these shoes and clutch shoes that are missing so I can update in another…2 years? On the article I’ll add an “also recommended” for great shoes I forgot that anyone else recommends here. **My Favorite Shoes for Travel - (**The One I continually come back to...) · Altama OTB Maritime / Urban Assault: The best all-around travel shoe ever (for me). Literally ran, swam, and hiked with no issues. Look great as well. · Lems Boulder Boots: Somehow so insanely comfortable, its tough leaving them at home · Sperry Topsiders: Extremely versatile, convenient for the Southeast Asian “leave your shoes outside” culture…and wet boat rides · Scarpa Mojito: For minimalist travels that alternate between city and trail, these shoes are clutch and comfortable – also consider the Scarpa Margarita · Xero Z-Trail: A great addition to your shoe setup as you can hike, run, and be active in them. Great for SE Asia and Central America where shoes can get miserable in the heat · New Balance Minimus: My favorite true athletic shoe for travel and running long distances on the road. ------------ Most Comfortable Walking Shoes for Travel · Lems Boulder Boots: Extremely comfortable minimalist boot, perfect for day hikes when you're not carrying much · Solomon X 3D Trail Runner: A pure trail shoe that’s comfortable for miles of walking or running · Allbirds Tree Skipper or Wool Runner: Light, breathable, comfy · Clark’s Desert Boot: Classic look, durable, and well tested ------------ Multi-purpose, Minimalist Shoes · Altama OTB Maritime: Runs, swims, hikes, still has a classic look · Scarpa Mojito: Looks like a shoe, walks and performs like a boot · Forsake Phil Chukka: An even better looking shoe, performs very well on hikes and through lots of walkign ------------ Stylish & Fashionable Shoes · Sperry Top-Siders: Casual yet versatile, great around water · Vivobarefoot Gobi II: The desert boot redesigned. More minimalist. More packable · G.H. Bass & Co Monte Driver and Mario Drive: Classy loafers with soles durable and comfortable enough for lots of walking · Indosole Prahu: The boat shoe redesigned with a breathable canvas upper and car tire soles ------------ Hiking Shoes for Travel · Lems Boulder Boots: Yes…recommended again. For day hikes, not for heavy-weighted, multi-day trekking. · Danner Jag: Retro hiking boot remakes that work for all-around wear, and perform well too · Lowa Renegade GTX Low: A subdued looking but full function hiking shoe · Xero Denver: A minimalist, packable hiking boot. Similar to the Lems Boulder boot, but beefier - car tire sole, weather-resistant canvas, and heat-reflective insole. · GORUCK MACV-1 Gen 2: Lightest boot I’ve ever worn. Comfy and tough takes some time to break in but worth it. · Palladium Pama: Cheap, comfortable, versatile · Scarpa Mojito: Recommending again as a dedicated hiking shoe as this is where it excels. · Timberland Earthkeepers: Heavier and bulkier than other options but very comfortable and versatile – good for a single shoe + sandal setup ------------ Solid Trainers and Athletic Shoes for Travel · GORUCK I/O Trainers: Tough Cross trainers, similar in design and function to the Altama OTBs · New Balance Minimus: My favorite true running shoe. Comortable sole with just enough cushion, low profile, and extremely packable. · Merrel Trail Glove: A more durable and trail focused minimalist running/hiking shoe. Very lightweight and packable. · Brooks Ghost 12: Everyone who runs, walks, or hikes in these raves about the comfort and keeps returning to them. · Vessi Waterproof Sneakers: Less for running and more for life in general. Waterproof yet breathable, super lightweight, great alternative to Allbirds Water Friendly Travel Shoes · Vibram 5 Fingers: Excellent as an extra shoe. I’ve run, hiked, snorkeled, and surfed in these (as a reef shoe). Small size and packable nature make them an easy extra shoe without overpacking · Altama OTB Maritime: Yup, recommend again – drainage ports and quick-drying nature make them great for getting wet · Versi Waterproof Sneakers: Yup, recommending again. Biggest sell is the waterproof design · Sperry Top Siders: Yup, recommending again. Originally deck shoes for boats, for getting wet and traction on wet surfaces. ------------ Best Sandals for Travel · Xero Z-Trails: Excellent minimalist andventure sandal. I’ve run and hiked hundreds of miles in them. · Lunas Oso and Mono: Minimalist running/adventure sandal alternative if you prefer between the toe lacing · Indosoles ESSNTLS Flip Flops and Slides: Awesome sandals that mold to your feet and have the durability of recycled car tire soles. Highly recommend them · Chacos Z-Cloud: A great a adventure sandal that’s not too minimalist · Tevas Hurricane: The other great non-minimalist adventure sandal options · Havaiianas: These sandals are comfortable and ubiquitous (you can find them in pretty much every country) so they’re a good option to hunt down when you’ve lost your flops. Honestly, the durability is lacking, but these are still a good go-to if you can’t find anything better. · Other Solid Sandal Options: Olukai Ohanas and Welos, Rainbow sandals - solid, durable, and comfortable, but slow drying ------------ Other classic shoes · Vans C&L Era 59: Excellent shoe for wardrobe versatility · Converse Chuck Taylors: The GOAT ------------ Essential Shoe Accessories · Wool Ankle Socks: Darn tough tactical series delivers the best I've found · Shoe Bag: REI stuff sacks or heavy duty, oversized Ziploc bags - to separate the grim when packing · Foot Powder or body powder · Denture Cleaner Tablets: For quickly cleaning the funk out of shoes. Drop them in, soak for 15 in a bucket or sink. Rinse. Let dry **EDIT** The Lem's Primal 2**:** Proclaimed as "The Best 'One Shoe' Ever!" Adidas Ultraboosts Vans UltraRange and UltraRange 3D: Breathable, old school skater upper with a comfy midsole and durable outer designed for trekking and adventuring Johnston and Murphy Waterproof sneakers Vivobarefoot Primus Swimrun FG Mesh Arcteryx Aerios FL GTX Mid Astral Loyaks Allbirds Wool Runners Shammas All Browns: Minimalist leather sandal, inspired by "barefoot runners" Abeo Dundee **EDIT 2** A few have asked for links out to all of the shoes or links to pics. I'll update with both, but below is the quicker option - pasted hyperlinks for each shoe to exactly where they're at in the article - with pics and description. Avoided doing this before because i didn't want to drop a spammy post. I'll update the list above with links directly to sites when I get a chance - as this way takes about 2 minutes to update quickly. Hope its useful -------------------- https://www.reddit.com/r/onebag/comments/f... 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Hija Chang
Management, See Moss Interactive Bellarmine University class of 2021 Member Since January 2011 |
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