Tropic: The Ultimate Travel Shoe for Summer Wandering
The Tropic sneaker might just be the Swiss Army knife of shoes. Nowadays, most sneakers are precision-designed and fine-tuned for a specific purpose — cross-training, running, basketball, tennis, etc. The designers behind Tropic, however, seem determined to let their customers have it all. In fact, they describe their sneaker as having “four-in-one versatility.”
How does that work? Well, for starters, you can use them as water shoes when you go kayaking or even for scrambling over a rocky beach to go for a swim. Afterwards, you’ll marvel at their fast-drying capabilities as you walk or bike to your next destination.
The 3D materials that allow water to pass through the sneakers and help them dry quickly can also be thanked for the shoes’ extreme comfortability. The Tropic design team partnered with COSMO Fabric for their anti-odor, anti-bacterial, and fast-drying mesh. On top of that, COSMO has also been known to make its textiles and composites in an environmentally responsible, vegan-friendly way.
The Tropic sneakers have a few other comfort tricks in store. For one, they all come with an EVA-cushioned insole that allows water to drain out very quickly. This insole is also removable, so you can switch it out and use your own special ones if you need arch support or extra heel cushioning. The shoes are equipped with an elastic heel grip so you can pull them on easily and still get a snug fit.
The all-important outsole was built for comfort, with the design team focusing on the foot’s natural motion and providing the needed flexibility accordingly. The outsole also boasts a full rubber pad with anti-slip grip and a nonmarking surface.
Whether you wear your Tropics to an outdoor concert or to hike a forest trail, chances are that they’ll get muddy at some point. No problem, though: the sneakers are completely washable, so just toss them in the machine and then let them air-dry. After that, they should be looking good as new!
Tropics have come to life via a mega-successful crowdfunding campaign, and right now you can pre-order a pair in one of four different colorways: black with a tan sole, khaki, sea blue with an orange sole, and light gray with a pale orange sole (an all-black version is currently in the works). Each colorway comes with a set of elastic laces that match the inside of the shoes and a pair of old-school laces that match their uppers.
Tropic is currently based in Madrid, Spain, and they anticipate that people will enjoy wearing their sneakers as they travel. Indeed, the shoes only weigh seven ounces, and since they do the job of four shoes, you stand to save some serious packing space (which you can then use to fill with goodies from your trip).
One of the presale options includes ordering a pair of the sneakers with a matching “Breeze Bag.” This bag can be used to carry your shoes or as a mini backpack for travels. You can even stuff it with a sweatshirt to make a handy beach pillow.
