We wanted to find the world’s most supportive travel shoe. We were asking the wrong question

For at least the last six years, I have been on a crucial mission to find a single pair of shoes that goes everywhere I do. I want a city-friendly shoe that can hack it on trails and doesn’t get me turned away from nice restaurants. I want to travel with just a single pair of soles, without also racking up heel pain, arch pain, bunions, and ankle fatigue as if we are playing Ailment Bingo.

Finally, I may have found the answer—and it is not at all what I was expecting.

So far this year, I have compared footwear from a number of brands who supplied samples specifically for this story. I also compared these shoes with past experiences with travel-focused footwear from other brands I’ve tested or purchased myself in the past, including many I’ve been road-testing on and off for years. These include many popular brands like Hoka, Oboz, Danner, Chaco, Teva, Birkenstock, Red Wing, Forsake, OluKai, and Glerups, among others. All of these brands have fantastic options for practical and comfortable footwear; none were the single do-it-all, out-of-the-box-comfy pair I was seeking.

Then I got an email from Vivobarefoot, which was selling exactly the opposite of the supportive footwear I was looking for. I was extremely skeptical. I have read enough conflicting articles about how to manage foot pain to know that the arch support versus ‘barefoot’ shoes argument is deeply controversial. But my insole had ceased to work for me and even short distances had become painful, so I was willing to try almost anything. I was eager to find a solution that enabled me to enjoy walking again.

Under the guidance of Vivo’s head coach, Ben Le Vesconte, I tried on nearly every pair of shoes in the store, including men’s sizes, until we found a few that fit. I walked away with four new models: the Primus Trail III, a waterproof trail running shoe; the Sensus, a leather, ultra-minimalist city shoe; the Tracker Forest ESC, a hiking boot with a Michelin sole; and the Gobi Premium, an everyday sneaker with suede uppers made almost entirely from natural materials.

Shortly thereafter, Xero Shoes set me up with the Z-Trail EV, a barefoot outdoor sandal; and the Ridgeway Mesh Low, a stylish hiking shoe.

Four months and perhaps hundreds of miles later, I have been very surprised to find that the Sensus, Gobi, and Z-Trail are almost exclusively what I wear. My feet now go on strike whenever I try to wear traditional, ‘supportive’ shoes, which restrict my feet more than I ever realized they do. There is definitely a learning curve, a sort-of inverse breaking-in period to strengthen your feet and get used to having so much wiggle room. But it has been worth it.

As it turns out, I have been in denial about my shoe size for years. You may be, too, as the vast majority of shoes just simply aren’t shaped like real feet. Try putting a foot sole-to-sole with one of your shoes to see what I mean. Which footprint is wider?

While none of these shoes have been the single do-everything shoe I’d been hoping for, they are all so lightweight, flexible, foldable, and packable that I can bring two or three pairs in the space I usually need for one.

The Primus is the closest I’ve gotten to an ‘everything shoe’, as it’s waterproof and has some traction for trails. I have not yet graduated to using barefoot shoes for runs or long hikes, as I still need to build strength in my feet before I can do so safely (Vivo also cautions against quitting support cold-turkey). The Primus are also an excellent easy-on, easy-off transit shoe thanks to the pull-cord lacing, and the black style can pass for stylish depending on your taste. I brought them to the Eras Tour in Hamburg as a pair of back-up shoes in case it rained, and I ended up wearing them nearly all night long.

The Sensus has become my go-to transit shoe. I reached this conclusion after spending over 100 hours on trains during the testing period. It feels more secure than a slip-on yet is as buttery-soft as a pair of slippers; I have never felt an urge to kick them off after a long train ride. It is worth noting that this is the most minimalist of the shoes in this article, so you will really feel the ground beneath your feet. I occasionally borrow the foam insoles from another pair of Vivos to provide a few millimeters of extra cushion, which was fantastic in the early days of getting used to making smaller strides with less heel-to-pavement impact than I’d have in a beefier shoe.

The Z-Trail has become my default summer shoe, paired with everything from jeans to dresses (your mileage may vary; my sense of style is decidedly ‘hiker chic’) and I can’t remember the last time I traveled without them in my bag or on my feet. They’re secure enough for short, moderate hikes and all-day city adventuring. These shoes, too, have been to the Eras Tour (I never thought I would be the sort of person who would go to the same concert twice; oops, I am), and were great for both the long walk to and from the venue and nearly four hours of standing in between.

For everything else in everyday life, I reach for the Gobi. It’s a brilliant everyday city shoe that blends right in in London, where I live, where it seems almost everyone has agreed to wear exclusively white footwear. A close friend has an identical pair in men’s sizing and we often show up to drinks or dinner (accidentally) twinning. That it’s a sustainable option with 98 percent of the shoe is made from natural materials is a major bonus, but far from its only selling point. It’s also comfortable, stylish, and practical, full-stop.

There is no perfect shoe that will replace physical therapy, if you need it, and hopefully, we don’t have to tell you to go to the doctor and take care of your body. But in my experience, this has been a great first step at addressing the heart—or, perhaps, sole—of my travel footwear woes.

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None of the brands mentioned in this article reviewed or approved this article, and Adventure.com receives no commission or commercial incentive for the publication of this review.

A note on sustainable consumerism: Adventure.com acknowledges that the most sustainable pair of footwear is the pair you already own (and the second-most sustainable pair is secondhand). While we don’t endorse buying things for the sake of it, we do try to highlight more sustainable options in our gear reviews so our readers can make more conscious and informed decisions.

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