As avid travelers and readers of WBTW, you’ll likely be the kind of traveler who appreciates comfort but doesn’t want to give up style. After all, we bring you unusual and creative styles and fashion through our curation process and try to find brands who do a great job at both. After all, who wants to look like a geek while you’re on the road? You want to feel chic but be comfortable too.
Meet Khombu, a new shoe brand we discovered who also doesn’t believe in sacrificing style for warmth and reliability. Their shoes are really great at dealing with all-terrain and all weather. Their mantra is innovative footwear with unique features and benefits that deliver waterproof and water-friendly protection, exceptional performance and comfort. They offer choices for men, women, and for kids as well, making them a great family travel brand choice for footwear. My favorite for women? The Khombu Molineo which I opted to test out because of it’s combination of functionality, and fun vibrant color.
The first thing I noticed about the Khombu Molineo was its fun factor. Sure, tons of brands have running shoes and trainers in wild vibrant and even neon colors, but what I loved was the richness of the purple combined with high quality material that was obvious even before I put them on. The other thing to note about this shoe is its durability and grip, making it a great shoe for hiking trails and hills. It is crafted from black and purple scuba knit, which cuts back on the weight of the shoe. I love the adjustable bungee toggle which makes it easy to tighten as you go. My foot is very narrow so even with medium width shoes, my foot can get a little lost. The Khombu shoes tend to run a little wide, which isn’t a problem for those of us with narrow feet as long as you wear a thicker than average sock or add an inner sole which I do when I wear them.
Want to test them out? Head on over to Amazon to order this vibrantly colored and comfortable gem.
For men, we went with the what they refer to as the Reef Shark 2.0 which comes in a couple of color options. Echoing with what we experienced with the woman’s Molineo shoe, the Reef Shark combines high quality material with comfort. Since they don’t come in half sizes, I’d suggest ordering a half size up from your regular size. We wanted to put these to the test together, so Anthony and I went on a hike up a moderate hill near our house, one which has a combination of grass and dry dirt as we don’t get a lot of wet terrain in the San Francisco Bay Area, at least not recently. The traction was definitely above average (two thumbs up!!) and unlike some of the other outdoor walking shoes in this category, they are very light, which is a nice feature for avid travelers.
This trail walking shoe will also work in less than ideal weather conditions, including water rapids. While the upper is leather, it’s a waterproof leather with a mesh upper for breathability. There’s a perforated cushioned removable insole, a water drainage bottom and like the Molineo, there’s an adjustable bungee lace strap. We love the quick dry materials, one of the features we were thrilled about since it makes for a great buy for adventure travel gurus. You can order the Reef Shark on Amazon and the price is oh so reasonable!
They have something they refer to as All Season’s Technology and K-Guard is part of that all season’s technology, to help protect your shoes when you’re out in the rain. Their shoes feature memory foam insoles so make it oh so comfy for those longer walks, whether it be on rocks, climbing a hill or while sightseeing in a city. Because they focus on being so crafted for all weather outdoor environments, they have included slip resistant outsoles to really deal with those more complex and wet terrains.
Athletes will love their shoe’s breathability and ventilation, which means that you’ll feel good in them for long periods of time, which is especially useful for travelers who can’t bring tons of shoes with them on a trip. Often a few pairs have to serve multiple purposes, which we believe Khombu does very well, especially if you have an adventure trip planned.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
