Slinks Shoes Review: The Answer To My Shoe Prayers

Product Reviews By

The bane of my nomadic travel existence has been the inability to carry more shoes.

With limited suitcase space, my shoes are constantly vying with other clothing and essentials for an available spot. And hence I carry only 1 pair of sneakers, and 1 pair of thongs (flip flops). And that’s it.

I know, I know. I’m a savage.

Then I heard about Slinks through a friend’s blog and thought perhaps my prayers had been answered. Could I really have one pair of shoes that acted as three?

What are Slinks?

Slinks are ingenious interchangeable sandals. This forward-thinking fashion concept involves selecting your favourite coloured sandal base and then mix-and-match a number of sandal uppers to finish it off.

You can pick casual uppers or dressy ones. There are so many different styles that it may be hard to just choose a few.

What I got

The day finally arrived, and my package showed up beautifully wrapped. It was like Christmas.

My first set of Slinks they sent was the Luxury set. It included a beautiful bronze base and three uppers – Lily of the Incas, Miss T and a Katie Rose

A second set included the black base with a Cecilia and Lalay upper. 

I found the first base size slightly on the small side so went up a size with the second set. The thick black strap on Cecilia also made a huge difference in stability and comfort - a pretty important travel consideration. 

How Do You Wear Them?

The best part about the shoe has to be the design ingenuity. The ability to have 3 or 4 or 10 shoes in one.

You simply choose a base.

Then chose as many uppers as you like.

These uppers can range from a simple T-bone strap to sparkling studded crystals. Each features a press button that closes around the toe post at the front of the shoe and laces through the side loops. 

Once looped, they are worn just like regular sandals.

What I like:

  • Three shoes in one – A shoe for every occasion. For walking on the beach, for attending a party or a gala event on a cruise, for hanging out with friends or touring the streets of Rome.
  • Light to carry – the base of any shoe is the heaviest part so requiring only one base means these are much lighter to carry.
  • Compact – the base is quite flat and takes up very little space in your suitcase.
  • Packaging – the gift set is a great idea for any special occasion. Oh, and it’s super pretty too.
  • Compliments – people I meet love these sandals. No one has ever noticed they are the same shoe base and are utterly amazed when I explain how they work. 

What I don’t like:

There are relatively few drawbacks that I could complain about. The only things that come to mind are:

  • The base is quite rigid. If you hope to scale a mountain these aren’t hiking boots and if you want to challenge your husband in basketball then these aren’t going to cut it. But then my normal thongs (flip flops) wouldn’t either. But for all day strolling around town, it works just fine.
  • The uppers with thinner buckles were a little fiddly to do up. The first few times I had to get my husband to do it. But now I have the hang of it. Maybe I was just out of practice not having used buckled sandals for a couple years.

Final Word

For every woman who has tired of wearing the same shoes every day on vacation, or suffered the anxiety of only owning a pair of sandals for that fancy date night, this is the solution. While it has its strengths and weaknesses, Slinks cover a multitude of situations when you’re exploring a new exotic destination. And don’t forget the space saved in you luggage means even room for vacation shopping. And what woman doesn’t love that?

Price: from £65 / set

Where to buy: Slinks

Reader Comments...

"I respond to every comment by direct private email. I look forward to your feedback" -

That's so awesome! If only I was going somewhere warm enough for sandals! My current dilemma revolves around hiking boots, stylish boots, and sneakers when really I only have room for a single pair. :|

Stacy Jessee Oct 4th, 2015

These are amazing!!!

Karen Beddow Oct 4th, 2015

Shoes are always an issue when packing. I once took one pair of boots on a winter trip, which worked fine until I left them near the shower and they got wet. One other pair of shoes, like these that you have written about, would have saved the day. They are cute but I don't know whether I could handle the fiddly clasps.

Paula McInerney Oct 4th, 2015

These are such a great idea! I've just packed my suitcase for a few days away and have one pair of shoes in there that I know I'm only going to wear once for something formal. My flat boots that I'm travelling in will have to do for every other occasion. I'd love to have something more versatile like this!

Claire at Tin Box Traveller Oct 4th, 2015

My wife has these also, and loves them. They come in a beautiful pouch and provide you with lots of different options for a fraction of the space. Simple, but highly effective, concept. You don't need many different bases on uppers to have a vast number of combinations.

Paul ( @luxury__travel ) Oct 4th, 2015

I bought a pair before my trip to Italy this summer. I only bought one base (bronze wedge) and 1 upper (lila of the incas) to try it out before buying more. When the set arrived, I loved the look, but when I put it on, it did feel very rigid. I tested them on a day out in Barcelona, but after 1 hour, blisters started to form on both soles of my feet! I've never had blisters there, and it made it very difficult to do any walking in the next few days. More blisters also appeared around the straps and toe strap.
I put them aside for over a month until my blisters had healed, and tried them on again. No blisters appeared this time, but the straps were still rubbing.
I unfortunately can't wear them longer than a couple of hours. I do love the look and these were the perfect solution to my sandal problem while on holiday, but they weren't the most comfortable to wear.

Lies Oct 4th, 2015

I'm not professional in choosing the boots but I noticed that thing that they are a little different from all the rest one. So, I bought mine here source and they are satisfied me in all ways!

Randy Cano Aug 10th, 2018

Write Your Comment