For years, I’ve been on a quest for the perfect travel shoe. Thus far, I’m convinced that perfect is damn near impossible, but the kicks from shoemaker Blundstone come pretty close.
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Virtually their entire product line is durable and lightweight featuring an understated, minimalist style and convenient. slip-on design. They were kind enough to send us a pair of men’s “Style 566” boots to see how they stack up to the rigors of daily travel.
The description for these boots is full of impressive, technical sounding features like “PORON® XRDTM in the heel strike zone”, “Polyurethane (PU) midsole/thermo urethane (TPU) outsole”, and “highly resistant to hydrolysis”. The bottom line is they’re made for restaurant and industrial workers, meaning they are oil, acid and organic fat resistant, plus the outsole is heat resistant to 284 (F). So they’re purpose built to survive the onslaught of daily life in the kitchen or manufacturing plant.
And all of these same features that are useful to chefs and steel line workers happen to translate quite well to the needs of the modern traveler. They’re lightweight; feature a waterproof leather upper; offer a removable sheepskin footbed for warmth and comfort in virtually any climate; and the ergonomically engineered toe spring reduces long-term wearer fatigue. What’s more: the elastic stretch fabric tabs make for super easy on/off at airport security lines.
For the stylish conscious traveler, the 566’s also have one more thing worth boasting about: the simple, understated design goes with just about any outfit. They’re equally well-suited for a 14-hour red eye flight, a night on the town in London, or a hike up Kilimanjaro.
Pricing + Availability
Available now in Black or Chestnut Brown for around $175 (USD) from a variety of online retailers, including Zappos and Amazon