Felted Wool House Shoes

gryphon1911

Hall of Famer
Location
Central Ohio, USA
Name
Andrew
So, as I’ve gotten older, my feet are more susceptible to the cold. I’m also diabetic, so that factors in as well. We have hard wood floors and I just can’t run around the house in the cold winter months barefoot anymore.

I currently have a pair of Dearfoams, and they do the job. However, they are loose, worn out and while my feet stay warm, they can tend to sweat a bit. This makes them prone to foot odor.

I did some research and it seems the perfect thing for me is a felted wool house shoe.

Anyone have any experience with this kind of house shoe?

I ordered a pair from Amazon, free returns or exchange, so very low risk to me of getting something I don’t like.

They seem to be very popular in Europe, more so than here in the states.

Feel free to not only give your thoughts on the felted wool types but any other kind you think are worthy of consideration.

Thanks in advance.
 
I had to resort to house shoes a few years back due to too much damage to my feet from a life time of martial arts. And I also noticed on the approach to 50 my feet did not deal well with the cold. The felted wool shoes are where I landed. Very comfortable and they do the job keeping my feet warm.
 
I had to resort to house shoes a few years back due to too much damage to my feet from a life time of martial arts. And I also noticed on the approach to 50 my feet did not deal well with the cold. The felted wool shoes are where I landed. Very comfortable and they do the job keeping my feet warm.
I'm probably in a similar situation.

I'm not one to endorse companies or products. But... both Gleups and Haflinger are wonderful. I can't imagine going back to anything other than felted wool.
I've seen both of those names as well as Giesswein during my research. I stayed away from Haflinger only because of the middle stitch design and reviews that it irritated/annoyed some peoples feet.

I landed on these because I could get them on amazon and free returns if they are the wrong size:
 
Screenshot_2021-01-15 Hobos Mens Twin Gusset Canvas Shoe in Blue - Size 8 UK - Blue Amazon co ...png


I use these canvas shoes as everyday slippers around the house. They're cheap, comfortable and tough enough for occasional trips outdoors with the trash etc. I get through a pair every couple of years, but a replacement pair is only about £7.00 or so at Amazon. The brand name of my current pair is "Hobos".

Stylish .... not so much.

-R
 
View attachment 246005

I use these canvas shoes as everyday slippers around the house. They're cheap, comfortable and tough enough for occasional trips outdoors with the trash etc. I get through a pair every couple of years, but a replacement pair is only about £7.00 or so at Amazon. The brand name of my current pair is "Hobos".

Stylish .... not so much.

-R

Style is trumped by function, IMHO. If they work for you, then that is all that matters. :)
 
I just wear socks and a pair of Sketchers slip-ons, currently a pair of Equalizer 4.0 - Triple-Play.

My wife prefers slippers. She tried a pair of Sheepskingoods.com, The Scoot. Nice and warm, but a rigid sole and no padding, not really comfortable for standing.

Now she's trying a pair from softstarshoes.com, the Adult Merino Zen Moccasin. Soft and flexible sole, a little bit of padding and a non slip sole.
 
Buying shoes or slippers on the internet is a bit of an adventure! I don’t envy you the challenge. It’s a bit like a lucky dip!

My mum asked me to buy her a pair of “baffies” on Monday but we are still in lockdown in Scotland so I had to resort to finding a pair on Amazon. She normally takes a half size but her right foot is very swollen due to recent health problems so it’s anyone’s guess what size will now fit.

I spent my day off work on Monday losing my sanity in search of a pair - it’s a minefield. I found my hopes rising in the first review that I’d found the perfect slipper, only to be dashed by the second review and completely crushed by the third followed by another good review. Describing the same slipper - some saying true to size, others saying one, two or three sizes too big/too small, others saying last for years others saying they fell apart on the first day of wearing them. From one slipper to the next, it went on and on.

The pair I finally decided on arrived tonight - I decided to trust the description to choose normal size . Never mind her fingers, if some of the reviews are to be trusted, my mum may need to keep her toes crossed so that they fit.

Sketchers would be my choice - both light/flexible, can be worn in and out the house.
 
So, @gryphon1911, what's your verdict on the Astorias?

, as I’ve gotten older, my feet are more susceptible to the cold. I’m also diabetic, so that factors in as well. We have hard wood floors and I just can’t run around the house in the cold winter months barefoot anymore.

I currently have a pair of Dearfoams, and they do the job. However, they are loose, worn out and while my feet stay warm, they can tend to sweat a bit. This makes them prone to foot odor.

I did some research and it seems the perfect thing for me is a felted wool house shoe.

Anyone have any experience with this kind of house shoe?

I ordered a pair from Amazon, free returns or exchange, so very low risk to me of getting something I don’t like.

They seem to be very popular in Europe, more so than here in the states.

Feel free to not only give your thoughts on the felted wool types but any other kind you think are worthy of consideration.

Thanks in advance.
 
For the record, and it may be a bit late for the original purposes of this post - since I believe you've now gotten a pair of wool Astorias and find them very nice, correct, Andrew? - half a dozen years ago I made a random purchase of a pair of Austrian-made wool slippers by Giesswein - and they have been among the most comfortable bits of footgear I've ever acquired. The model I bought has a thermo rubber outsole and they double as general purpose shoes suitable for almost anything (except possibly extreme Himalayan trekking).

Here's a link to the U.S. Giesswein page with the model I bought: Vent
 
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