Posts Tagged New Balance
New Balance 851 Multisport Shoes
If you’re going to pack light it’s important to utilize double-duty travel gear, so we like to review items that do more than one thing well. These New Balance shoes have treated me well on multiple trips where I wasn’t going to do any heavy-duty hiking in the mountains. For jogs, long walks on a path, and pounding the pavement in a big city, this one pair of shoes will leave your feet feeling good at the end of the day.
I’ve long been a fan of New Balance shoes because the company doesn’t pretend everyone’s feet are the same width. Most of their models come not just in multiple sizes, but multiple widths as well. For this 851 multisport model, I slipped into an extra-wide version and it fit perfectly.
If you look at the specs for this shoe on the New Balance site, you’ll see lots of capital letters and trademark signs that basically add up to this: there’s a lot of support built in. You’ve got lots of cushioning, stability control, and mid-sole support.
These sneakers also feature a water-resistant suede/mesh upper that worked well when I got caught in a couple showers. I also liked the comfy cushioned tongue, the laces that stay tied, and the fabric hook on the back for slipping them on or off.
These New Balance shoes are extremely comfortable and at 12.5 ounces, are not a big burden to pack. When I headed out for a trip to Chile this week where I would mostly be visiting wineries, biking, and walking around Santiago, these are the shoes I packed for getting around during the day.
The New Balance multisport 851 shoes list for $80, but you can get them at a discounted price at the Shop New Balance site or at Endless.com at the link below. (The men’s version model number is listed as MO851 and the women’s version as WO851.)
New Balance Men’s Mo851 Sneaker at Endless.com
New Balance Women’s Wo851 Multisport Shoe
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on August 18th, 2010
Lightweight New Balance WT100 Travel Sneakers
As we’ve said before on this gear blog, shoes create the most wrenching packing decisions. They add bulk and weight and can easily mean the difference between a small carry on bag and a suitcase you have to check. Those who plan to visit the gym or go for a run while traveling have an extra tough time making it work.
These WT100 sneakers from New Balance could be the answer for a lot of people. They’re unbelievably lightweight (6 ounces) and the whole upper is a mesh material that allows them to pack flat. You can easily stuff them into a spare corner of your bag or lay them flat on top of your clothes just as you’re zipping your suitcase shut.
Of course you give up something when you give up the bulk, in this case a thick shock-absorbing sole. There’s still some foam there, but noticeably less than with conventional styles. These are more like running slippers than shoes, for people who are going for that “running barefoot” feel. They’re pitched as trail running shoes, which makes more sense than pounding the pavement. They’d be ideal for running on the beach. If the main reason you’re bringing sneakers is just to use the hotel gym or ride a bicycle though, these are fine. There’s not much shock to absorb if you’re just using the Stairmaster, lifting weights, or pedaling.
The comfort level is high with these shoes and although the bottom is thinner, the support is good. I’ve only been using them for about six weeks, so I can’t say how they’ll hold up in the long run, but so far so good. I especially like the laces on these. With a shape that’s more like a DNA strand than a normal shoe lace, they never come untied while I’m on the move. The mesh material covering most of the upper breathes easily so sweat evaporates quickly.
These lightweight New Balance sneakers usually sell for $75, which seems out of whack with the limited amount of materials used, but it does follow an outdoor gear trend: the high-tech lightweight stuff often costs more than what’s heavier. These WT100s come in six colors, but curiously in only one width. New Balance is known for providing different widths for different feet, so maybe they’re waiting to see how well this shoe does first before expanding. Fortunately the stretchy mesh upper makes this less of an issue for wider feat than more structured designs—they fit okay on my wider foot. Models are available for both men and women.
New Balance Women’s WT100 Trail Shoe at Endless.com
See more styles at NewBalance.com
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on May 5th, 2010
New Balance 820 Shoe/Sandal Hybrid for Women
We say it all the time here at Practical Travel Gear: we dig items that can pull double duty. Certainly a lot of the shoes my colleagues and I have reviewed on this site can go from sightseeing to dinner or from water sports to land sports. The New Balance 820 falls into the latter category, for sure.
This hybrid is more shoe than sandal — which makes sense since the venerable New Balance company is known for its running shoes. It’s designed for the boating, kayaking or canoeing enthusiast who might want more coverage than sandals can offer. (The marketing materials say the style might be used for “water running,” which I did not know was a sport.)
A few features that I think are cool: The H2Flow technology, that allows for quick water drainage through little holes (“ports) between the midsole and the upper; the quick-pull laces that have their own “garage” they tuck into so they don’t flop around; and a “hook and loop” (aka Velcro) tab on the heel for fast-and-easy hanging to dry.
I wore these shoes on my houseboating trip to Utah’s Lake Powell this summer, where I appreciated the excellent rubber grip on the soles, while I was hauling gear across pavement and over docks from our car to the houseboat. My feet sweated a bit in the heat, but it wasn’t an unusual amount of ick.
I also wore them once we parked our houseboat at our shoreline camping spot, but found that too much sand just got in the shoe for me to want to keep them on while hanging out at our campsite; when I’d rinse them out for a boat ride or a trip to the marina, I found them very comfortable and quick-drying.
Two concerns: I don’t feel as if there is a lot of arch support, so I certainly wouldn’t plan any big runs in them. And the inserts don’t seem to want to stay in — they keep popping out when I take off the shoes.
Get the women’s New Balance SW820 at Amazon
Posted by Kara in Adventure Gear on September 15th, 2009
