Travelers have contributed many ideas about shoes and about packing light. I haven't noticed my particular dilemma being mentioned. I need supportive footware, but large, bulky, stiff shoes (size 13 or 14) take up nearly half the space in a carry-on bag. Sometimes I've taken a chance for a week or two and had only one pair (worn on the plane) plus shower shoes or slippers. On a longer trip, especially if there will be off-pavement walking, I like to have a spare pair in case the main ones get soaked. I have a new idea that I'll be trying over the next couple of weeks. It turns out that my new RS Veloce shoulder bag, with the expansion zipper unzipped, will hold my spare shoes very nicely. So I'll take the shoes onto the plane that way, leaving my main carry-on with plenty of room for everything else but not expanded or bulging beyond carry-on size. When traveling other than by air, expanding the main bag may allow enough room for shoes and all. This should work, but it seems like an awkward solution. Does anyone have other ideas or experience?
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11507 posts
Charles my ex hubby had massive feet, size 13 or 14 too. I used to roll clothes to shove in them, wrapped in a thin plastic bag. Each shoe held a t shirt or two/three pairs of his socks..
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8312 posts
Join the Big Boy Club. I wear a size 15. I've found a back pack to be great to take extra shoes in. I'll also carry my laptop in it. But after a 2 week trip, I ended up wearing my Topsiders all the time and didn't even wear the second pair. I don't know that 2 pairs of shoes are always required if the shoes you wear are the proper shoes for your experiences.
Posted by
Genesee, ID
1840 posts
I've used the same pair of shoes on several forty-five day journeys. I take one pair of shoes. That's it, no thongs, sandals, etc. One. And it gets very tiring, but traveling light is traveling light.
Posted by
San Jose, CA
1994 posts
I just travel with the pair I'm wearing, mostly because of the weight of shoes. You mention worrying about them getting soaked. When I travel in winter, I just bring an extra pair of insoles. That's worked fine for me when shoes got wet.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Size 12's here. I almost always travel with just one pair of shoes - the ones I wear on the plane are the ones I wear for the whole trip. But on the occasions when I have packed other shoes, they weren't empty. Stuff them with clothes (socks and underwear), so they don't end up using that much extra space. Depending on the airline, beware the weight of the shoes. If your airline has strict weight limits for carry-on (as airlines within Turkey did), you may have to check your "carry-on" bag.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
I usually put my socks and underwear in my spare shoes. I place them vertically, heels in the bottom corners of my convertible carry-on. They help give the bag some structure. I then roll my pants, shirts, sweater and fit them in between the shoes (two layers deep). When I'm done the top third of the bag is usually empty. I use that space to store my rainshell, civita bag, liquids or anything else I may want to get to conveniently.
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
I like to have shoes to change into at the end of the day. I discovered that Crocs are light in weight and fill the bill for wearing as slippers or spare shoes for a little walking. I fill them with socks/underwear so they don't waste space in my luggage.