Updated 01-30-18: Finally worn in pouring rain

Product Name: Allbirds Wool Runners

Price: $95

Link: https://www.allbirds.com

We’ve each had our Allbirds Wool Runners for two weeks and have worn them almost everyday in both dry and damp weather, including on our trip to Amsterdam, at the time this review is being written.

PRO/S

• Comfort: The wool shoe body and insoles feel so nice on our feet. (I [Candice] have extremely flat feet [no arches whatsoever] and have a hard time finding comfortable sneakers with enough support and style.) We’ve never had sweaty and smelly feet even after walking in them all day. They do feel like we’re just wearing soft, wool socks, so we’ve worn them sockless multiple times already. They are also very lightweight, so there’s no added strain to our feet. Also, even after a long day of walking or a long plane ride that caused our feet to swell a bit, the Allbirds Wool Runners were still comfortable; we never felt like we had to immediately take them off to let our feet relax.
• Support (soles): The lightweight soles provide enough support to comfortably walk even for long periods of time. (We brought these shoes to Amsterdam and we walked everywhere.)
• Style: The shoes have a minimalist design, without obnoxious branding plastered all over them. They also pair well with everyday casual outfits and even work-appropriate business casual attires. The sleek design also adds some style to our otherwise mundane outfits. They also come in multiple colors.
• Responsibly Sourced: More information can be found here.
• Protection 1.0: Even in the presently chilly and damp weather of Amsterdam and Minnesota, our feet have never gotten cold yet wearing these shoes, with or without socks. During light rain showers, we haven’t felt any moisture seep inside our shoes. We’ve definitely stayed comfortable, warm, and dry wearing them even during chilly temperatures and light rain showers. For heavy rains, see Protection 2.0 below. 
• Maintenance: We haven’t tried doing so yet, but the Allbirds website claims that the shoes are machine washable.

CON/S

• Support (shoe body): Due to the flexibility of the wool, there is not much support from the shoes’ bodies especially when walking on uneven terrain. There have been times when we felt our feet slipping forward or sideways when walking on uneven ground because the material just stretches with and conforms to our feet. We thought our feet were going to poke holes on our shoes and go through them, but fortunately they are still intact. We can’t see ourselves truly going for a run in these shoes due to the instability that the flexible wool material brings.
• Stuckability (not a word, but oh well): Due to the wool’s texture, things on the ground, such as dried leaves, have gotten stuck to our shoes although they’ve been easy to get rid of.
• Shape-shifting: Because I (Candice) often stick up my toes when I walk, I noticed that the front parts of my pair of Allbirds now have slight bumps.
• Shedding: Minimal shedding has occurred on the inside lining of the shoes.
• Protection 2.0: We finally had the chance to test them in heavy rains (we didn’t have a choice) while in Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest. As expected with most shoes, they were soaked. However, they were easy to wash and dry. 

OVERALL – Excellent – These are our favorite shoes right now. None of our other sneakers beat the Allbirds Wool Runners when it comes to comfort, and comfort is top on our list. They are easy to pack, reasonably priced for the level of quality, and easy to pair with most of our outfits, which is great for traveling light. The cons we have listed don’t overshadow how much we love our Allbirds wool runners.

All opinions are our own. This is not a sponsored post.