We were playing a party game that tends to make players think creatively: Each player names one thing they would like to have with them if they were stranded on a desert island. Friends came up with answers like, “I’d grab anything in the way of food, “My mobile, of course,” and “The mystery novel I haven’t finished reading.”
One running buddy said he would grab his briefcase, so his boss can’t complain that he missed his work deadlines.
Me? I would grab my new Crosskix 2.0 shoes because in a tough spot like a desert island, who knows what surprises I might run into if I tried exploring my new home-away-from-home in an ordinary pair of shoes?
Not Your Ordinary Shoe
I like to tell people who say that my shoes remind them of Crocs that they’re not all wet. After all, the Crosskix is a shoe that’s fabricated of EVA materials, so like Crocs, they’re practically indestructible. I tend to take an eclectic approach to my leisure time activities and when I learned that I could engage in all sorts of water sports, run and hike in Crosskix, my ears perked up.
I chose a pair of sexy Forest Sun Crosskix and immediately realised that looks can be deceiving: these shoes are so much lighter than they look, I could immediately see the potential for travelling with these all-purpose athletic shoes because they wouldn’t add much to the weight of my luggage.
Features
At the heart of the Crosskix shoe is a manufacturing process that uses mould-injection techniques to shape the shoe into its reptile-inspired design. I can plunge into water without a care because these kicks are engineered to be completely submersible, and as soon as I emerge from the water, I can literally feel the water rush out of them because the channels are designed to expel it fast.
They’re not expensive – expect to pay about HK$510 (S$90). Given topographical challenges this shoe is designed to face (trail, water rubble, concrete and everything in-between), I worried that these shoes would be a problem to clean.
Au contraire! I wish all of my athletic shoes stayed this pristine after rinsing them off in a flash and setting them out to dry. The Velcro instep strap offers a snug fit, and my feet adore staying perpetually ventilated.
Benefits
Given the obvious nature of a shoe that’s been made to serve so many purposes, I didn’t expect to find that there were other benefits to be had from buying and wearing Crosskix, but was I wrong! First, they look sexy and sporty and because they’re cleverly fashioned, people stop me and ask about them.
I “auditioned” them in all sorts of environments to rid myself of the scepticism I initially felt about whether this footwear would perform well when pushed to extremes. They didn’t disappoint. If you don’t have time to change your shoes after a brisk run in them, don’t bother.
My Crosskix are equally at home in casual environments that have nothing to do with athletics – but you could get kicked out of formal affairs with dress codes. Not that I tried, you understand.
Runner’s Boon
- Made of the highest grade of EVA material, Crosskix are soft, light and really comfortable.
- Avoid insidious foot infections wearing them because water doesn’t pool inside these shoes.
- Feet stay cool and make effortless transitions between sports and social occasions
- Perfect for athletes like me to who tend to sweat and are on a perpetual search for breathability.
- Love all of the colours! It was hard for me to make a choice.
- This shoe is Crocs on steroids because they perform on so many terrains effortlessly.
Runner’s Bane
- If your feet are acutely sensitive to feeling and reacting to the trail under the foot bed, these may be a little uncomfortable to wear than other all-terrain shoes.
- Tighten the strap too much and your foot could get numb because the EVA constricts feet tightly.
- If you wear them without socks while running, you may wind up with a blister like the one I rubbed into my instep. The Crosskix is best worn with a thin pair of socks for ultimate comfort.
- I can’t recommend them for overly-long trail runs because the foot bed may not be adequate to protect your feet from projectiles that pop up over long distances.
- Fellow Crosskix wearers informed me that they prefer a more adjustable bridge to allow for foot girth variances.
I Love My Crosskix
How could I not love a shoe that’s so buoyant it literally floats on water thanks to the ultra-soft EVA fabric that also features a non-scuff outsole? Multiple drains and vents covering the shoe are so evenly disbursed across the surface, your feet couldn’t stay waterlogged if they tried.
In my humble opinion the Crosskix will deliver on wear and durability every time — just as long as you don’t get crazy and insist on wearing them for multi-mile treks and events. Given the diversity of places that I consider appropriate for donning these shoes, I enthusiastically recommend them if you’re seeking a shoe that goes just about everywhere but a formal affair.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what’s the one thing you would want to have in hand as you waited to be found?
The Crosskix Inc V-2.0 footwear is available at the online store from about S$90.
