SHOP $59, amazon.com
Welcome to The Esquire Endorsem*nt. Heavily researched. Thoroughly vetted. These picks are the best way to spend your hard-earned cash.
I have entirely too many shoes. I can admit it. Which means when I shuffle into the living room like a proud toddler to show my wife a new pair, I’m generally greeted with a mixture of indifference and confusion. Don’t you already have a pair just like those? It’s a reasonable response.
So, imagine my surprise when I slipped on a pair of offbeat, insulated, convertible mules from The North Face and pulled the same move. She looked up from her laptop, gave me the once-over. Hey, those are different. They’re actually pretty cool. Then she kept working.
A resounding stamp of approval from the spouse! And you know what? She’s right. The ThermoBall Traction mules are pretty cool. They’re slippers, but they’re mules, but they’re also shoes. They’re made for the outdoors, but work just as well in your home or on the sidewalk. They’re a surefire gift, but you might just want to keep them for yourself. And they’re unique enough to earn a spot in your footwear rotation, even if you—like me—have entirely too many shoes. Here’s why.
They’re warm and cozy
My feet are like ice blocks. Even though the rest of me tends to run hot, my feet are reliably frigid. It’s a big part of my long-running, pro-slipper agenda. (The other part being the necessity of keeping a layer of protection between your heels and the floor when you live with a child who owns one or more Legos.) Luckily, the ThermoBall mules deliver the heat. The uppers are filled with TNF’s recycled-polyester ThermoBall insulation—hence the name—and complemented by a fuzzy, fleecy lining that extends all the way to the footbed. Slide your foot inside (you can crush the heel underfoot or pull it up for a more secure fit) and it’s like zipping up a puffer jacket or sleeping bag. Within moments, your toes are toasty and warm. The North Face rates these shoes at just a “1” on its warmness scale, with other insulated slip-ons like the Nuptse rating higher, but in my experience, it’s as effective as you need. Any warmer, in fact, and my feet would start sweating. Speaking of: Even though these can work as slippers, I recommend wearing them with socks. The synthetic lining made my bare feet feel clammy after a while, and some reviewers at The North Face’s site have complained about the faux-furry footbed shedding. With socks on, you avoid both potential problems.
SHOP $59, amazon.com
They can go anywhere
I love the idea of “house shoes” but must admit I get frustrated by “they can only be worn in the house” shoes. This is going to make shoe-free-home enthusiasts balk, but I want to be able to leave my slippers on if I need to do something simple like take out the garbage. Thanks to a more-substantial-than-you-might-expect rubber outsole, the ThermoBall mules can easily make the trip to the curb—or even down the block to grab a cup of coffee. In fact, I’ve worn mine while wandering around the neighborhood and found that they work perfectly well as just… shoes, though I’m not sure I’d choose them for a full-day walking tour of New York or anything like that. And, of course, you could always use them for one of their intended purposes and bring them into the great outdoors. The water-repellent treatment, warm upper coupled with the grippy outsole means they’re perfectly suited to padding around a campsite, even if it’s soggy or snowy.
SHOP $59, amazon.com
They’re just different enough
When I say they’re just different enough, I mean that in two ways. First, there’s the aesthetic angle. If you’re the outdoorsy type—or just really into gorpcore—there’s a decent chance that camp slippers are a known quantity. Old hat, even. But if you’ve yet to try a pair, the ThermoBalls are a fantastic chance to try something new without venturing into costume-y territory. Throw them on with a super-casual outfit and they add a little technical edge while remaining eminently relaxed. Pair them with something sleek and athleisure-y and they maintain most of the vibe without suggesting that you’re on your way to or from the gym (which, let’s be real, you probably aren’t). They’re one of those in-between items where that’s a feature, not a bug. The second way these things are just different enough, though, is that a lot of guys don’t already own something like this. And with the holidays fast approaching, that means they’re a great gift option if you can finagle your father-in-law or cousin or what-have-you. And in the event that some ingrate doesn’t appreciate versatile, comfortable puffer jackets for your feet? Just keep ‘em for yourself.
SHOP $59, amazon.com
