March 2020

Best Travel Shoes: Xero Shoes

Shoes are a critical component to traveling. It is easy to clock many miles of walking while traveling, even if you do not think you will. Shoes can also take up the most real estate in your luggage in both weight and size, making shoes one of the first cuts to carry on packing. As a rule of thumb, there is a two shoe max – no exceptions – pack one the lighter pair and wear the heavier pair during travel. The goal though is to get away with only one pair of shoes to give as much room in my backpack as possible.

Comfortable shoes cannot be taken for granted when traveling and we have found those with Xero Shoes. These are lightweight, barefoot style, and out of the box comfort- no need to break them in. I have extensively worn the TerraFlex Trail Shoe (New Zealand), Trail Sandal (Galapagos), and Mika Boots (Chamonix) for various trips. For less adventurous trips, Xero also make casual shoes that I look forward to trying out.

I found Xero Shoes while researching gear for our Galapagos trip. Since flip flops are not the recommended shoe to choice (can lose easily during water landings off boat), I wanted to find a Teva styled shoe without the price tag or bulk. I was also intent on bringing one pair of shoes only, so it had to be versatile. I wanted a shoe I would re-wear after this trip and not despise the look just to appreciate the utility. It needed to be functional on land for hiking and water resistant as well as lightweight and attractive.

That’s when I found Xero’s Trail Sandal. The shoe is insanely light – Kevin even questioning if these shoes would stand up to our needs of several miles of walking a day, hiking, sharp lava rocks, and water landing. The hundreds of reviews said these tiny shoes would do the trick. These shoes were incredible, achieving everything we wanted out of a shoe, super comfortable and supportive. The Xero Trail Sandals were the perfect lightweight and multifunctional choice for land and water activities. Xero proved their worth, utility, and value.

Since the Xero Trail Sandals performed so well in Galapagos, we when right back to Xero to find a shoe for our New Zealand adventure. The TerraFlex Trail Shoes have grip, traction, and protection all in a compact lightweight fashion. Right out of the box, these shoes were wearable and did not need to be broken it.

These shoes works for every activity on our two week trip discovering New Zealand. We did so much walking and hiking, these shoes easily hit over 70 miles of walking just from this trip.

The most recent Xero shoe to my collection need to withstand wintertime in the French Alps. Thankfully, Xero continues to expand their catalog, including a winter boot that touted comfort and warmth. I purchased Xero’s Mika boots that offered both those things as well as style.

It was no surprise that these boots did incredibly well as the only shoe I packed for this trip.

I was not a believer at first, but it is possible to find on shoe to meet the needs of your trip that is lightweight, comfortable, and look nice as well. Do not overburden your luggage with multiple pairs of shoes and certainly do not waste the space with heavy or uncomfortable shoes. It is just not worth it when there are some great alternatives out there.