I recently had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for work – but one of the stipulations was that I could only bring what would fit in my personal item on the plane (the bag that fits under the seat in front of you). I’m no stranger to packing light and knew that I could pull together enough mix-and-match outfits out of just a few wardrobe pieces, but I found myself scanning my shoe options and coming up empty-handed. Whatever shoe I chose would have to be my sole shoe for the entire trip (pun intended). I knew I’d want to wear dresses and skirts with tights, so my white sneakers were out of the question. Even though I’ve successfully traveled with heeled boots in the past, I’ve only ever done so in tandem with a pair of flats to give my feet a break. Knowing I needed to turn on the charm at the vendor booth ruled out anything that could possibly be painful, so my black and brown-heeled boots were out as well.
If you’ve been a follower for a while, you know I’m fond of a good Chelsea boot (I’ve been wearing the pair seen here since 2015). It’s a versatile, practical boot – it pairs just as well with skinny or wide jeans as it does with skirts and dresses. Those boots have held up despite their age and amount of use, but there’s one big issue when it comes to traveling with them: they nearly always set off the metal detector at the airport security checkpoint. Since I try to avoid wasting time waiting at the airport in an effort to maximize my time traveling, avoiding those moments of hassle is crucial.
This post is sponsored by Nisolo and contains gifted product and affiliate links; I may be compensated by the brand if you make a purchase after clicking on my links - at no additional cost to you. As always, any products shared are ones I have or would purchase, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Though my wardrobe is a bit larger than it once was, I still like to avoid duplicates of items whenever possible. Each addition to my closet needs to be different enough from other items to warrant the space it occupies, which is why the Everyday Chelsea Boot from Nisolo caught my eye: The boot shaft is on the shorter side, and the elastic side panels are a V-shape, rather than the typical U-shape found in a Chelsea boot. The toe skews more almond than round giving the shoe a more elegant feel; yet the tread is a sturdy, shock-absorbing rubber sole saver. On the boot I selected, the sole is a beautiful brown vegetable-tanned leather, although Nisolo sells the same boot in a black rubber sole. The best part? These boots have a memory foam insole, a big departure from all of my other boots.
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These boots checked all of my boxes in theory, but I really wanted to put them to the test. To do so, I took Nisolo at their word and wore the Everyday Chelsea Boot, well, every day.
The boots arrived only a few days prior to the start of my trip, and I was very concerned about having enough time to break them in. I own a few other pairs of shoes from Nisolo, and due to the construction and quality of the leather, a somewhat significant break-in period is often required. I doubled down on socks and wore the brand-new boots around my house at just about all waking hours. Each night after showering, I examined my feet for blisters with bandages at the ready – but there were none. Yes, I could feel a little rubbing at the toes, as expected due to the narrow toe box, but by morning my feet felt as good as new.
I slipped into the boots early in the morning on the first day of the trip, stuffing my compression socks ponte pants, and cotton crew socks into the boots. By the end of the second leg of our flight, a five-hour journey, my ankles and feet had swollen considerably (consider yourself lucky if this is an issue you don’t experience – “chunky-ankies”, as I call them, can be pretty uncomfortable). But the elastic gusset aided in easing the discomfort, and I fared far better than I would have in a zippered boot.
After a couple of hours of walking and dragging our big suitcases of merchandise across the city, my feet had relaxed back down to their normal size. We spent the afternoon exploring the city on foot, walking up and down some of San Francisco’s notorious hills (which I was easily able to conquer, thanks to the grooved tread). By the end of the day, I felt incredibly grateful for the cushioned arch support, and for having full foot coverage to protect me from city grime.
The second day was our biggest day in terms of walking – by the time my head hit the pillow that night, I’d logged 5.6 miles. It rained a bit that morning, but I never felt unstable or at risk of slipping; the boots kept my feet warm and secure. Finally, I noticed my feet starting to feel a little fatigued, but I think that would be the case no matter what shoes I wore.
The following two days involved walking to and from the festival, and lots of standing in place. To keep healthy circulation while on my feet, I found it helpful to “draw” the alphabet with my foot. Still, despite unending hours of wear, I never had any blisters. What I did notice, unfortunately, is that the rubber tread began to separate from the sole at the very tip of each boot, which was unlike any issue I’ve ever had with the brand’s products in the past. I made a mental note to contact Nisolo’s customer service team when I returned home and was mindful of where I stepped for the rest of the trip.
The final day of the trip was purely travel – I was at the airport before sunrise, and home long after sunset. Again I opted for compression socks, and spent the bulk of my layover walking to reduce swelling. By the time I arrived home, I’d walked over fifteen miles in the boots in five days; excluding the issue at the toe, though, you could hardly tell they’d been worn at all.
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After returning home I reached out to Nisolo’s customer service team regarding the separation at the toe from my personal email account, wanting to ensure any response I received wouldn’t be influenced by this partnership. Even though my message only asked what I could use to reattach the rubber sole saver, customer service immediately responded offering to replace the pair. Not only that, they noted that they had already contacted the factory partner to inform them of the issue, and they’d begun to proactively make design improvements for this style. The pair I wore all over San Francisco is currently in transit back to Nisolo, and a replacement pair is already on the way. I do believe the pair I received was a lemon, but if I somehow experience the same issue with the replacement, I’ll update this post (2022 Update: I’m pleased to say the soles are in great shape in my new pair!). I’ve always been impressed with the CX team at Nisolo, and I remain so as a result of their response to this situation.
Considering ordering the Everyday Chelsea Boot? You’ve got a green light from me! But I want to share just a few more notes before you hit checkout:
Sizing | I took my regular Nisolo boot size of 8 to account for socks (I’m a 7.5 in their other shoes). They felt tight in the almond-shaped toebox initially, but after just a few hours of wear around my house, the leather relaxed and I felt no more discomfort.
Care | Nisolo recommends using this product to condition their leather products; I already had a similar product on hand and opted to use it to treat the boots prior to wear as it also is weatherproofing. I expect the rubber sole saver to eventually fully wear down, but this inevitable replacement can be easily handled at your local shoe repair shop (in Charlotte, Dean’s Shoe Repair has been a godsend) as the sole itself is made from leather.
Styling | I kept things simple on this trip by primarily wearing tights with dresses/skirts, but the boots look great with jeans, too. There’s enough room to tuck in a skinny jean if you wish, but my favorite way to pair them with denim is by choosing a looser pair and cuffing them at the ankle (the shorter boot shaft keeps the proportions in check). Toss on a cute chunky sweater or a tee and blazer, and you’re good to go!
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Is there a pair of shoes you reach for most frequently when traveling?
