Travel Product Reviews
Do Allbirds Wool Runner Mizzles Make For a Go-To Travel Shoe?
As a semi-frequent traveler who looks to pack pretty light, Iâm used to taking only one pair of shoes with me on any given trip. Thus, whatever shoes Iâm taking with me need to not only be comfortable but also adapt to different situations â including the possibility of damp weather. Thatâs what attracted me to the Allbirds Wool Runner Mizzles (as I mentioned in my travel product roundup).
When I originally penned this review, travel had come to a halt, leading me to simply test out the shoes around town (including through the snow). Well, with time having passed, Iâve now also been able to use my Allbirds for their intended purpose. So, without further ado, letâs dive into my thoughts on the Allbirds Mizzles, their potential as a travelerâs companion, and how theyâve held up with time.
Allbirds Mizzles
Allbirds Wool Runner Mizzles: Great for Traveling in Wet Weather
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Price
$125 (Wool Runner Mizzle)
Materials
ZQ Merino wool with bio-based water repellent shield
There’s nothing worse than wet socks – which is why the Allbirds Mizzles can be a great shoe to have on your travels. The “Puddle Guard” water-repellant material helps protect your feet from wet weather. Plus, the Allbirds Wool Runner Mizzles are comfy to wear in everyday situations as well.
However, before traveling, you may want to break your shoes in. And, for extra protection, you might want to consider the Runner-Up Mizzles hightops.
Pros
- Water resistant to keep your feet dry
- Comfortable to wear casually
- Savings can be found via sales or the ReRun section
Cons
- Over $100 retail
- Water can still enter from the ankle
- May require “breaking in” before travel
What’s a Mizzle?
When you visit Allbirdsâ site, youâll come across a few different styles of shoes. On top of that, you may notice that there are both their famed Wool Runners alongside Wool Runner Mizzles â so whatâs the difference? While the two shoes may look remarkably similar, Mizzles are made to be water-resistant. Instead of soaking through your shoe and dampening your socks (the worst!), Mizzles are treated with a special coating that causes water to bead and roll away instead.
Incidentally, when I first started looking at Allbirds, I was considering the regular Wool Runners as a light and comfy travel shoe. However, once I discovered the Mizzles option, I decided that made more sense as there have certainly been times Iâve had to deal with rainy days when traveling â and did I mention how much I hate having wet socks? Anyway, with the Runner Mizzles costing an extra $27 ($125 compared to $98), I figured it was worth the extra cost and placed my order.
Coupon codes, shipping, and more
Like any savvy online shopper, before completing my initial Allbirds order, I did a quick Google search looking for coupons or affiliate links. Instead what I found was a page on the Allbirds site explaining why they donât offer any discounts. Hey, I guess thatâs one way of knowing youâre getting the best price!
Well, that was then and this is now. Since that time, Iâve not only seen several sales on Allbirds but have also come across cashback offers, coupon codes, etc. In other words, if you are only seeing the retail price, it no longer hurts to take a look around for a potential discount or wait for a sale. On that note, feel free to use my link and the code AFF-FIRST15 to get 15% off your first order.
On top of that, Allbirds also offers another way to save. The brand now hosts what they call their Rerun Marketplace. Here, you can find used shoes in a variety of styles, with customers able to pick from two different condition levels: âExcellentâ and âVery Good.â My cursory research found that discounts for these pre-owned shoes could amount to as much as $45. Whatâs also kind of cool is that some past limited releases that have been âsold outâ may be available here in select sizes and conditions.
Some more good news is that Allbirds offers standard shipping (5 to 7 business days) for free â although this offer now only applies to orders over $75. Alternatively, you can upgrade to 2-business day shipping for an extra $16 or 1-business day for $25. They also have a 30-day, no-questions-asked return policy that I thankfully didnât need to make use of.
Also worth noting is that some Allbirds models do not have half sizes â including the Wool Runner Mizzle. Therefore, they recommend going up a size when in doubt. Thatâs what I did (going from 8.5 to 9) and definitely think that was the right call.
My Experience with Allbirds Mizzles
Ordering my Allbirds and breaking them in
Backing up to my ordering experience, one thing that I was slightly disappointed about was that there were fewer color options for the Mizzles when compared to the regular Runners. That remains true, although they have recently added many more options for Runner Mizzles. For example, I love the Aurora color (seen in the photo above) and have regularly come across limited release colorways Iâve loved. But Iâm still satisfied with my initial Savannah Night selection.
Something else I didnât mention when discussing my internal debate about upgrading to the Mizzles was the thickness of the shoe. See, for some reason, I have a bad habit of poking holes in the top of my shoes. Despite my best efforts, I guess my toes are just very sharp. ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ Anyway, I read online that the Mizzles featured a thicker layer of fabric than the regular option, which would hopefully prevent a similar fate â after all, whatâs the point of having waterproof shoes if you have holes in them?
After getting the shoes, I think I made the right call going with the thicker option. While Iâm fairly confident that I wonât poke through the toe of the shoe, itâs not so thick that itâs uncomfortable. That said, one thing Iâd definitely recommend is making an effort to break in the shoes a bit before traveling with them. Although the ânew conditionâ shoes fit well, I did feel like the top was pressing down on my foot just a bit. Therefore, I could see this getting really annoying on a plane where your feet might swell. Luckily, after a few wears this was no longer an issue.
My first wears
My inaugural adventure with my Allbirds was a road trip to Chicago we took before the country went on lockdown. At that point, I was still breaking them in, but they held up well to all of the walking we did. Alas, it didnât end up raining while we were there, so I didnât have a chance to check out that functionality at the time.
Well, at long last after originally reviewing my Allbirds, I got to see first hand how the Mizzles performed in bad weather. On our nightly walk following a heavy rain, we encountered a few puddles that I had no problem navigating with my new shoes. Moreover, the following night, we were walking in a light rain (plus some more puddles), yet my feet remained dry. Of course, I was still curious about just how much water the shoes could handle without letting any in. So, what better way to do that than to stick them under the sink? Sure enough, even with the faucet at full blast, no moisture made its way through, which is pretty darn impressive. You can see it for yourself in my video review below:
A snow experiment
While keeping my feet protected from rain is one thing, this past week, I got to see how they held up against frozen precipitation. With temperatures only a few degrees above freezing, I decided to take my Mizzles for a walk, trudging through both snow and slush along the way. The first thing I noticed was that my feet remained warm despite only wearing socks of typical thickness. Even better, while some snowflakes did stick to the shoes from time to time, it was easy to shake or wipe off when needed.
I will say that there were a couple of instances where I feared that water had somehow worked its way into the shoe since I felt a cold spot on the side of my foot. However, it seems that this was just due to some snow or cold water that had stuck to or soaked a spot on my shoes. After a couple of minutes, the cold sensation went away and, upon returning home, I confirmed that my socks were not the slightest bit wet â even though the cuffs of my jeans were. Needless to say, I was pretty impressed with this experience, which surely would have been pretty miserable in most other sneakers.
Runners?
Next, although the Mizzles are comfortable for walking and do seem to do a good job at keeping your feet dry, they may not be right for all activities. Despite being named âRunners,â I would not recommend trying to jog in them as they donât provide the same heel support or cushion you (or at least I) would want for that. However, Allbirds has since released an actual running shoe line called Dashers and now has a water-repellent version of the shoe. I ended up ordering a pair of Dasher Mizzles on sale and, while I do appreciate the grippy soles and design, I did find the toe box on the original model to be on the small side. I believe theyâve since upgraded them, so hopefully thatâs no longer an issue. Â
Worth an upgrade?
Finally, if there were any doubts left that I have about how my Mizzles will hold up to real-world weather conditions I may face when traveling, itâs that water might still make its way into my shoe if I were to step into a deep puddle. If this too concerns you, then you may want to consider their high-top option â the Wool Runner-Up Mizzles. These go for $145 and, upon further reflection, may have been the way to go. In fact, several months after ordering my low-tops, I ended up ordering a pair of Runners-Ups for myself.
Final Thoughts on Allbirds Mizzles
After having my Allbirds Mizzles for years now and taking them through several weather conditions, I do think that they make for a great travel shoe overall. After seeing the way theyâve handled water and snow during some home trials, Iâve relied on them to make precipitation slightly less miserable the next time it happens while on the road.
With that said, to be completely honest, Iâve been more likely to take my Allbirds Runner-Up Mizzles than my low-tops since getting the former. To me, they have all of the same benefits but with a little added âprotectionâ (in fact, Allbirds have released even more protective water-repellent shoes recently). I also found that there was less of a need to break in my Runner-Ups and that theyâre a bit more comfortable for me overall. Thus, that would be my overall pick if you have the extra $20 to spare.
Still, if high tops arenât your style or you want to save a few dollars, I donât think you can go wrong with the regular ones either option. So, if youâre looking for a comfortable shoe with some versatility and style, the Allbirds Mizzles might be worth adding to your travel go-tos.
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Good choice of shoes you have there and also thanks for the review.
Nice shoes, it will be perfect for wet and snowy weather.
This might cost a bit higher but if it works well from protecting your feet from getting wet, I think its worth its price.