Review: Kuru Draft Footwear

The Location

Traveling around with Nigerian-based NGO, C.H.I.E.F, we were visiting tiny communities and villages along the Lekki Peninsula which separates Lagos Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean.

On a visit to one particular fishing village along the lagoon, I slipped into my Kuru Drafts to see how they’d hold up. With a terrain spotting various fishy-smelling gutters and pungently stinky runoffs as well as mushy wetlands and swamps, completely covering one’s feet when navigating environments like fishing villages is a must.

And the last thing you want is your shoe to be left behind as you leap across backed up drainage, causing an undesirable fall.

What Worked

The Draft is a lot more lightweight than it looks. I immediately noticed the Draft’s glove-like quality once I slipped it on. It wraps around your foot as if welded on.

Next, I vigorously shook my right foot to see if the slip-on shoe would indeed slip-off, and it held on for dear life.

As I moved around the village, walking around the jetty, surrounding vegetation, and on wet soil, its padded soles made me feel like I was practically gliding over various types of ground: from dry beach sands to concrete and wet mud, without paying close attention to where I was walking; usually a no-no in unfamiliar territory.

What Didn’t

Like many hiking shoes, Kuru soles run half a size smaller so if you wear a women’s size 9, you’ll need to buy size 9.5 or even 10, depending on the shape of your feet. While this isn’t a huge issue, potential buyers need to read the fine print when ordering their shoes so they don’t get sizes too small.

Also, in hot and humid locations such as sub-Saharan Africa, donning Kurus all day, no matter how comfortable they are, will make your feet warm and after a long time, borderline uncomfortable due to the heat. So full-covering Kurus are best for more moderate climates.

Final Grade: A-

The very fact that I vigorously shook my foot and the shoe didn’t slip off was more than enough to give Kuru an A+ for its design. Coupled with the super comfort and support it provides, Kuru makes some solid soles.

I can easily see myself running around in these shoes: from daily grocery store runs and city treks to longer travel stints.

The Draft comes in four color styles: Black, Blue, Orange, and Java/Olive. Check out more detailed specifications on Kuru Draft slip-ons.

Price: $89.97 | Visit Website