As you may have discovered by now, I love nothing more than escaping into the wilderness and exploring the great outdoors. If you’ve read my other blog posts, you know how much I love the adidas Terrex line of women’s walking boots and hiking shoes. I have never encountered a pair of walking shoes that fit like a glove (or should I say socks!) and they have never given me a blister from the first moment you stepped into them. They are real dreams.
That’s why I wish my husband would get a good pair of walking shoes too. Let me explain more…
Why my husband needs a new pair of walking shoes
My husband has been wearing his old, cheap, crappy walking shoes for longer than I can remember. I asked him to put them in our boot room because on top of everything else they absolutely stunk. They had zero support, the insoles had moved, and he didn’t even bother to tie them in, preferring to slip them on and off like slippers. I’m sure they were probably as comfortable as a pair of slippers, but they were not good for his feet and certainly not good for my nose!
If he had his way I’m almost certain he would hang on to them until they were full of holes and fell off his feet, but something happened during one of our dog walks that made him Evaluated his life decisions, or at least his shoe decisions.
I noticed that he kept stopping to fiddle with his shoes. Not going to lie, I found this extremely annoying as I wanted to pick up the pace and keep walking. I asked him what he was doing and he said he kept getting rocks in his shoes. I then mentioned rather proudly that I didn’t have this problem as I wore decent walking shoes that supported my feet and tied properly. Just then, he had an idea. It was a very simple thing to do, but he found having these little rocks in his shoes so irritating and uncomfortable that he decided he needed a new pair of walking shoes. That’s when I recommended adidas Terrex to him.
Now, lucky for him, I’m an adidas blogger, which means I can pretty much pick from them. Having had my own experience with the Terrex (I actually have 2 pairs now and love them), I knew this was the choice for him. I sent him a few different options and this is the one he chose…
Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 hiking shoes
When my husband was looking at the men’s walking shoes I picked out for him, the thing that struck him the most was that the adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 had an integrated sock-like collar. It makes the shoe look like a high-waisted boot, but because the collar is elastic, it fits snugly around the upper ankle, reducing the risk of rubbing and allowing for more supportive movement in that area. This tight fit also means that the sock essentially acts as a shin guard, preventing any pebbles, grit, etc. from getting into the shoe. Bingo!
Terrex shoes use Continental™ rubber grip, which is the same Continental™ that makes car tires, and it’s very, very grippy. If it keeps your car on the road in any condition, it’s sure to take care of you when you’re on foot. This is great news as my husband often takes the dog for walks in the forest behind our garden and the walks involve a lot of going up and down hills, all of which are muddy, slippery and hide a lot. roots, so grip is a necessary feature.
So what makes a shoe so comfortable? Well, in addition to the sock-like collar I’ve already mentioned, this shoe also features BOOST midsole cushioning, which is Adidas’ trademark magic ingredient – a form of granules that are compressed and molded to fit the shoe’s specific Fit. This results in a 20% increase in energy return with each step, but basically all you need to know is that it’s like walking on a lovely soft, bouncy mat. For my husband, this means he can wear a pair of shoes that are indeed as comfortable as slippers, but he can rest easy knowing they will support his feet properly as well.
My husband chose a classic black (matches everything and requires less cleaning!), but adidas certainly doesn’t just do “black”, they call it Core Black/Core Black/Grey Six. The adidas Terrex Freehiker 2 is also available in two other colorways: Pulse Olive/Flax Green/Impact Orange and Blissful Lilac/Beam Orange/Pulse Magenta.
So what does the husband think of his new shoes?
It’s obvious he loves them! It would have been nice if he had listened to me earlier, right? Like me, he was impressed with their immediate comfort. In the past, whenever we purchased walking shoes or trail running sneakers, there would come a time when we had to wear them. They were comfortable from the start.
But enough of that, here’s what he had to say about them…
“For years I would get tangled up in pieces of my shoes while walking in the woods and have to stop and try to get them out. So the concept of walking sneakers with a comfortable sock-style lip was very appealing! Following the advice from the Adidas website, I chose a pair of black shoes and went half a size up. They were a little tricky to get on, which is to be expected with this style – especially when they’re new, but the fit was great and it felt great right away. Comfortable. On a 5-mile walk that included a lot of woodland paths without a twig or grain of sand near my feet, the comfort of a brand new shoe was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. I felt very comfortable with them. Satisfied, they will now be my go-to shoes for many walks.
So I think the lesson we have learned here is to always make sure you have a pair of walking shoes that are comfortable for work, feel comfortable and support your feet in the best possible way, but most importantly you should always listen to your wife suggestion!
*Products given by Adidas
About the author
Becky Stafferton is a full-time content creator, online publisher, and blogging coach. She continually strives to promote a realistic, sustainable and positive image of how to live a healthy life. When she’s not writing, you can find her running around in muddy puddles, making lists, making good old moaning sounds, talking to her dog in a funny voice, renovating her house in the country, and teaching others how to Make money with your blog.
