If you’re trying to figure out whether Taos shoes are worth the money, you’re probably in the same spot I was.
I’d never heard of the brand until I started looking for supportive travel shoes, and then it came up everywhere, always from people raving about how their feet felt after a twelve hour day in Europe.
Some of their styles look orthopedic and a bit older, which initially turned me off. But they also have a lot of cute styles that don’t look like comfort shoes, and those are the ones I wanted to try.
I spent the past month wearing three pairs on neighborhood stroller walks, errands with a toddler on my hip, and longer walks where I could find out how they feel after the first mile.
I have flat feet that roll inward, a bunion, and I blister easily, so I’m a hard sell on any shoe that claims to be comfortable. This Taos shoes review is my honest take on the three pairs I tried.
Disclosure: Taos sent me these shoes to test, but all opinions are my own.
Pros
- The footbeds are incredibly soft and silky
- Arch support and cushioning in every pair
- Good quality leather and clean stitching across all three
- All three fit true to size
- Cute styles you’d wear even if you didn’t need the support
Cons
- All three needed breaking in before a long walking day
- Wide options sometimes depend on the color
- They’re expensive, and a six month warranty is short for the price
- Minor glue separation on one pair around the buckle after a month
What is Taos?
Taos Footwear has been around since 2005. Its name was inspired by Taos, New Mexico, but the shoes are designed in Southern California and made overseas, including in Spain and Portugal.
What they’re known for is support. Every pair is built around a footbed with arch support molded in, and in many styles, including the sneakers and boots, that footbed is removable so you can swap in your own orthotics.
Their whole design approach is built around holding your foot in place. There’s a sculpted heel cup and support along the outside edge of the foot, which Taos says helps reduce overpronation. That’s why Taos comes up so often in conversations about sore feet and long travel days.
They make sandals, sneakers, boots, flats, and wool clogs, and most styles fall between $150 and $200, though you can find some pairs closer to $100.
Taos Shoes Review: My Experience With Taos Shoes
For this review, I chose one everyday sandal (On The Double), one I could walk all day in (Trulie), and one sneaker that could go with everything (Plim Soul Lux), since that covers most of how I travel. And all three looked like shoes I’d actually want to wear on a trip.
I’ve worn all three extensively over the past month, and the longer walks told me a lot about which ones I’d actually want to travel with. Here’s what I thought of each pair.
On The Double Sandals
The On The Double Sandals remind me a lot of Birkenstocks, just with a back strap, which is a win in my mind since it’s something I always wished Birkenstocks had for more stability.
The smooth caramel leather goes with everything, which is partially why I’ve worn them the most out of the three shoes I tested from Taos.
The footbed is the softest I’ve ever worn. It feels like butter, and it’s still supportive rather than mushy like most soft shoes.
The straps look like they can be adjusted by a pair of buckles, but it’s actually Velcro. The Velcro is loud when you pull it apart, but on the upside, I can get these on and off one handed while holding my son.
The stretchy strap at the back has enough give that my heel stays comfortable, with no rubbing. They also have the best tread of the three shoes.
Now for some downsides. As mentioned above, those big gold buckles don’t actually do anything, and in person they look shiny and a little cheap next to how nice the leather is. The ankle strap is thicker than I’d like, and on my longest walk it rubbed a blister onto the inside of my right ankle bone.
The glue on the inside of the strap near the buckle also started slightly coming apart after one month. It doesn’t show from the outside and it hasn’t gotten worse, but a month is early for that at this price.
I’d recommend ordering your normal size in these. I wear a size US women’s 10.5 (EU 41), and they fit great and even have a little more room than the Trulie. They’re a little heavier than the Trulie but still cushioned enough that I’d pack them for a trip and 10,000+ step days. Just break them in before a big day and pay attention to how tight that ankle strap sits.
Trulie Sandals
The Trulie Sandals are the most supportive sandals I’ve worn to date, especially for someone with flat feet who deals with overpronation.
They have a higher platform than the On The Double sandals (about half an inch), the heel sits in a deeper cup, and my foot feels held in place. The footbed is just as soft as the On The Double style, but it curves more under the arch for more support.
I will say that the extra height takes getting used to, since your heel sits higher than your toes and puts more pressure on them. It took a few wears before it stopped bothering me.
The straps also cross right over my pinky toes, and I did get a blister there on a longer walking day while I was still breaking them in. Once I wore them more, I didn’t have an issue with blisters, but just something to note that it’s worth properly breaking these in before a trip.
I do like that the straps have two adjustment points to get a better fit, and they have a gap that lands right over the bunion on my left foot, so it has room instead of getting squished, which is always nice.
I really like the bronze color I ordered. It’s neutral enough to go with most of my wardrobe, and the woven straps give it a gladiator sandal look that feels right for Italy or Greece.
All that texture looks too busy with patterns, though, so they’re harder to wear with a printed dress or pants. With solids, they look great, and the weave hides dirt better than smooth leather.
These fit true to size, though they run shorter than the On The Double, so my toes sit closer to the end of the shoe. They have some wide widths available as well, but it depends on the color. The bronze only comes in a regular width.
Between the deep heel cup, the cushioning, and the arch support, these are the sandals I’d pack for long walking days abroad.
Plim Soul Lux Sneakers
The Plim Soul Lux is a clean white sneaker with arch support, which is hard to find. The insole is removable, and when you take it out, you can see the arch built right into it, even though the shoe looks flat from the outside. There’s padding around the back of the heel too, which is a nice touch for a simple white sneaker.
These needed the most breaking in out of the shoes I tried. They were very stiff the first few times I wore them, but a month later they’ve loosened up a lot, so the leather does soften and shape to your foot.
They fit true to size, and the regular width is fine for my average-width feet; though, they do look a little long and narrow once they’re on. These also come in a wide width.
Other pros include high-quality leather, clean stitching, and subtle branding to keep them sleeker. The white is bright, so they stand out against darker outfits more than I’m used to. A month in, the only dirt that’s noticeable is a little on the laces.
One thing to note is that there’s barely any tread on the bottom, though that’s part of why they look sleek instead of sporty. Also, leather is never going to be as breathable as canvas or knit, so these will feel warm on hotter days.
If you want this look in something more breathable, Taos makes a canvas version of the Plim Soul as well, but canvas does stain more easily and looks more casual than leather.
FAQs About Taos Shoes
Yes, though they all need breaking in first. All three pairs have arch support, cushioning, and handle long walks well.
Both of my blisters happened on longer walks in shoes I hadn’t worn enough yet, so wear them around the house for a week before a big walking day.
For me, yes. I wear a US women’s 10.5 or EU 41, and that worked well for all three shoes. The Trulie runs a little shorter than the On The Double, so my toes sit closer to the end, but going up a size would’ve been way too big.
Taos designs its shoes in Southern California and makes them overseas, split between Europe and Asia, depending on the style. Since it varies from shoe to shoe, check the product listing if you care where a specific pair was made.
Yes, if there’s a wide width option available. Whether a shoe comes in wide depends on the color, not the style.
The Plim Soul Lux comes in wide in most colors. The Trulie comes in wide in some colors, but not the bronze I tried. The On The Double only comes in regular, but it was the roomiest of the sandals I tried, so it might work for wide feet.
Yes. The leather is stiff at first but softens as it shapes to your foot. The Trulie takes a little longer because your heel sits higher than your toes, which puts extra pressure on your toes until you get used to it. Give any Taos pair a week of easy wear before you ask more of them.
I don’t have plantar fasciitis, so I can only tell you how the shoes are built. The arch support is strong, the heel cups are deep, especially in the Trulie, and the insoles come out for the sneakers and boots if you want to put in custom orthotics.
Those are the things people with plantar fasciitis are usually told to look for, but talk to your podiatrist before spending close to $200.
The three I tried ran from $170 to $200, which gets you good quality leather, a cork and foam footbed or cushioned insert with arch support built in, and European manufacturing for a lot of them. Whether that’s worth it comes down to how much you want that level of support in a well-made shoe.
Yes, for six months from the date you buy them, covering defects in how the shoe was made or the materials used. If they inspect a pair and agree there’s a defect, they’ll repair it, replace it, or give you credit.
It doesn’t cover normal wear and tear or damage from misuse or repairs done elsewhere. If you bought from a retailer rather than from Taos directly, they ask you to go through that store first.
Six months is short for shoes at this price, so keep your receipt. If something comes apart early, that’s exactly what the warranty is there for.
Final Thoughts: Are Taos Shoes Worth It?
After a month in three different pairs, my answer is yes, as long as you know what you’re paying for.
Taos puts serious support into cute shoes, which most brands can’t pull off. The footbeds are the best part, unbelievably soft while still holding your foot where it should be.
With flat feet that roll inward, I’ve had a hard time finding that at any price. With most pairs in the $150-$200 range, though, this only makes sense if support is something you’re actually shopping for.
My one worry is the bit of glue separation on one pair after a month. It hasn’t gotten worse, but shoes this expensive should last longer than cheap ones by enough to justify the difference, and the warranty only runs six months.
Would I buy Taos with my own money? For the support my feet need, yes. The footbeds are that good. I’d just go in expecting to break them in first.
Mimi McFadden
Mimi started The Atlas Heart in 2013 to write about her travels abroad. 13 years and 45+ countries later, she accidentally became a packing expert. Now she helps women figure out what to pack, what to wear, and which gear is actually worth it. Outside of travel, you’ll find her hiking with her son, reading in her chaise lounge, and winning 3-point contests against her husband.
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