My Favorite Sneakers for Walking All Day
At the end of March and beginning of April, Korri and I traveled to Seattle for the start of the NCAA gymnastics postseason tournament (a.k.a. regionals). We were there for five days and four nights, and I packed relatively lightly because I knew the majority of the time, we’d be sitting on our butts watching gymnastics. In fact, half of my suitcase was filled with returns I had to make at Madewell, and it was easier to bring them with me to Seattle than return them here (because the one Madewell store in the Boise area is in a super busy area that I actively avoid, LOL).
Besides the gymnastics merch I brought to wear at the meets (tee, sweatshirt, hats), I also packed one sweater, one zip-up fleece jacket, one pair of jeans, one pair of joggers, two pairs of leggings, one crossbody bag (and wallet), one jacket (for rain), and one pair of shoes (waterproof ankle boots—I wore ‘em on the plane). After being on my feet for two days straight, and even though I do find my waterproof ankle boots to be comfortable, my feet were SCREAMING for more support!
Allbirds Tree Runners Review
We spent the day with no gymnastics scheduled with my parents at University Village, a mall near the University of Washington. I returned my Madewell orders and stopped into a bunch of stores we don’t have in Boise, including Allbirds! The store employees were very attentive, and I quickly realized I wasn’t leaving without a pair of sneakers, lol (luckily I had room in my suitcase to bring a pair home!). It definitely felt like everyone who walked in left with a pair of their own!
I tried on two styles, the Tree Runners in hazy burgundy and the Wool Runners in dapple grey. I ended up picking the Tree Runners because I preferred the white soles; the grey wool sneakers have off-white/cream soles. Both were super comfortable! I tried on both my regular size 7 and one size up because the 7 felt tight over the tops of my feet at first, but I learned that they would stretch out a little bit so I stuck with my true size and it’s worked out perfectly so far (they don’t have half sizes and generally recommend sizing down if you’re in between sizes). As soon as we got back to the hotel, I changed into my new sneakers!
I spent the rest of the weekend in my new Allbirds Tree Runners, and they were absolutely fantastic. My feet were so much happier (and the rain held off, too, thankfully!). I also wore them on the flight home. They passed my walking-thousands-of-steps-multiple-days-in-a-row test with flying colors! Since then, they’ve been the sneakers I’ve reached for every time I want to wear sneakers.
If you’re in the market for a comfortable sneaker you can wear walking all day, this is your sneaker. You can bet I’ll be building my future travel outfits around these sneakers so I can bring them on all my trips. I’ve heard such good things about Allbirds from others, and they hold up to the hype!
About the Allbirds Tree Runners
Best For: walking, warmer weather, everyday
Materials: TENCEL™ Lyocell (eucalyptus tree fiber); laces made from recycled plastic bottles
Sizes: Whole sizes, women’s 5-11 (and men’s 8-14)
Colors: 6 classic colors, 7 limited edition colors (hazy burgundy/blizzard sole is limited edition)
Care: Machine wash cold (pull out laces and insoles, wash on delicate), air dry
Price: $105
Read next: Currently: Cherry Blossoms at the University of Washington | April 2022
OUTFIT DETAILS
Barefoot Dreams cardigan / exact style via Nordstrom Rack, Nordstrom, Zappos, Saks, or Amazon
ABLE tee / exact or similar from Everlane
Zella leggings / similar (review here)
Allbirds sneakers / exact or similar by Clarks
Everlane hat / exact style
Minne + George bag / old; similar from Anthropologie or Quince
Le Specs sunglasses / exact via Revolve, Shopbop, or Nordstrom
Dior Lip Glow in rosewood / exact
