About a month ago, my husband and I went on a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida (see my blog post here). Knowing that I was going to be on my feet and walking around 99% of the time, I went in search of a comfortable pair of sneakers that I would still want to wear after the trip and that would be available in the elusive size 4.
I started by browsing all the well-known sneaker brands – Adidas, Nike, Puma, New Balance, etc. – but nothing really stood out to me. Feeling defeated and stressed that I was running out of time, I browsed the sites one more time with my husband. As I scrolled past the Nike Zoom Rival Waffle 2019, he said “I like the look of that one.” Considering I usually can’t wrestle an opinion about fashion/beauty out of him, that comment was saying a lot.
At first, I just looked at them from side to side, front to back. They were brighter, bolder, and cooler than what I normally gravitate to. Ultimately, I decided to go with cool, and ordered them. I was tempted by the bright colors and the flexible, bendy look of the mesh upper.
Wowee were they tight! I ordered the sneakers in my usual size 4, and they were at least one size too small. *Cue the rising stress levels, with days left until my trip.* To make matters worse, size 5 of the sneakers was completely sold out everywhere. Luckily, I found a remarkably similar style, the Nike Zoom Rival XC 2019, which is basically the same sneaker but with removable spikes on the bottom, available in size 5 from Road Runner Sports.
The sneakers in size 5 fit perfectly with your average socks. I wore them walking around the Universal Studios theme parks all day long. While they are as flexible and bendy as you would think, one recommendation I would make is to wear socks that go over your ankle bone. I wore socks that came up to right under my ankle bone, and the backs of the shoes did rub a bit by the end of the first day. Once I wore higher socks, the shoes were perfectly comfortable.
I hope some of you find this review helpful if you’re looking for a comfortable sneaker for travel or just for your day to day.
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Thanks for reading!