This post features a collaboration with adidas.
The adidas Terrex Voyager 21 travel shoes are a lightweight yet rugged all-terrain trainer designed to take you pretty much anywhere.
Mine have been working very hard for me over the recent weeks. They were my only off-the-bike shoes during my motorcycle ride to the Sahara Desert (read weekly blog episode 130). I bought them with my adidas blogger collaboration voucher based on the website marketing blurb with that trip specifically in mind, but they had already become a firm favourite for the month or two before that, as they really are a catch-all trainer.
Terrex Voyager 21
As someone who loves trainers and being able to pick from the wide selection available to me, choosing just one pair to pack for a three-week trip is not easy. But on the other hand, when packing for a motorcycle road trip, I have such limited space available, that I have to go with the pair that offers the best compromise between comfort and packability.
Marketed as travel shoes because of their light weight, adidas have taken a bunch of Terrex features including the rugged sole of their trail runners and a breathable upper, to make something designed for exploring all day. I have found them incredibly comfortable, love the grippy sole, and appreciate the generous width around the toes.
Made in-part from recycled materials (the upper is at least 50% recycled), they have a bungee lace system which you set once and never need to touch again, and that open mesh upper made them perfect for hot days (and oh did it get hot!).
The Terrex Voyager shoes look like a pair of trail runners – and they feel like that on the feet, too. Not a smart shoe, but perfect for active people who make moving around an integral part of travelling.
Made for Travel
Having a decent trainer with me in Morocco made all the difference. When I’m riding, I have good quality boots support and protect my feet and ankles (the Sidi Adventure, if you’re interested), and so I’m not going to take something thin and flimsy for when I’m off the bike. Not when exploring on foot is one of my favourite ways to see a new place. I could have packed a pair of hiking boots or shoes instead – well actually I couldn’t, as they are heavier and more bulky, and just wouldn’t fit. These Terrex Voyager trainers with their go-anywhere promise seemed like the perfect middle ground.
I didn’t lose out at all. They performed just as I needed them to. They were perfect for pounding the streets of the medina and souks of Marrakesh, and climbing the dunes of the Sahara Desert, although for the latter that open mesh upper did mean I had a shoe full of sand at all times!
Serious Hiking?
There was no serious hiking on this trip (unless you count the ten miles we walked in Marrakesh on our “day off”) – there wasn’t time for that – although they could have easily copied with a decent hike or two. I could have securely gone for a jog in them too, if I’d wanted. The supportive and grippy sole meant I could happily walk for as long as I wanted, and the mesh upper kept my feet cool.
Of course, being a lightweight open mesh upper, I should mention the Terrex Voyager trainers are not really made for wearing in the rain. Consider these warm climate trainers! Although, while they aren’t waterproof in any way, they dry out super quickly when they get wet. Clearly that wasn’t an issue in Morocco, but I’ve worn them in rain here in the UK plenty of times and things worked out just fine!
Lightweight and Packable
I mentioned in my recent currently loving post that I’d been expecting something that would squish down almost flat, which the Terrex Voyager didn’t really do. But it took maybe two three or four days of them being in and out of my motorcycle panier for them to soften up and the upper to fold reasonably flat to the sole for much better packing – and that was without compromising the look, fit or comfort of the shoes.
After a couple of months of wear, including abusing these in Morocco for three weeks (especially in the sand, which can damage shoes and clothing like nothing else), they are looking pretty good. Cleaning them is very easy – rinse and wipe off.
Here to Stay
I know these will be my motorcycle road trip shoes for a long time to come. And they’ll get plenty of wear between those adventures, too. The light weight but supportive sole, wide toe box and flexible uppers make for a really decent pair of trainers, that are ideal for travel.
The adidas Terrex Voyager 21 travel shoes retail at £85 and are available in black and white or and grey and blue. I ordered my usual size. Find them on the adidas website.
Thanks to adidas for the trainers. I’m excited to be part of the adidas blogger community this year; a (gifted-basis) collaboration ongoing throughout 2023. I’d love it if you took a look at my post about sports bras for hiking, and my Couch to 5k experience next.
What do you think? Comment below...