← Back to reviews

WEAR & CARRY · MONTH TEST

I Wore Crocs Every Day for a Month. I Get It Now.

I never really understood Crocs. Then I started wearing a pair. And now I get it.

They've always been one of those shoes that I knew people loved, but I couldn't quite figure out why. They're not exactly stylish. They're not trying to look like a traditional shoe. And for years, I mostly associated them with dads doing yard work, and kids who somehow convinced their parents that wearing plastic shoes everywhere was a good idea.

They're surprisingly comfortable

The first thing you notice about Crocs is how light they are.

There's almost nothing to them. You can slip them on without thinking about it, and the Croslite material has enough cushioning that walking around in them feels surprisingly good.

After wearing them for a few days, I started reaching for them without even thinking about it.

Running outside for something? Crocs. Taking the garbage out? Crocs. Grilling? Crocs. Working in the garage? Crocs. Going to the store because I need one thing and somehow coming home with $80 worth of stuff? Crocs.

That's really the appeal. They're incredibly easy.

They became my "I'm just going outside" shoes

I think this is where Crocs really clicked for me.

There are a million times during the day when putting on a real pair of shoes feels like more effort than the activity deserves.

You don't want to put on socks. You don't want to tie your shoes. You're not going anywhere fancy. You just need to walk outside for five minutes.

Crocs are perfect for that. They're essentially the footwear equivalent of sweatpants.

And once you have a pair sitting by the door, they become incredibly hard to ignore.

The backyard test

A month of wearing Crocs also gave me a pretty good idea of where they work best.

They're fantastic around the house. They're great for mowing the lawn, grabbing something from the garage, washing the car, grilling, taking the dog outside, or doing random yard work.

They're also surprisingly good around water. You don't have to worry about getting them wet, and they dry quickly. If you hose them off because you stepped in mud, grass clippings or something you don't want to identify, that's basically the end of the cleanup process.

Just rinse them off. Try doing that with your favorite pair of sneakers.

They're not perfect

As much as I now understand the Crocs obsession, I'm not going to pretend they're perfect.

The biggest issue is support. They're comfortable, but they're not what I'd choose for a long day of walking or anything that requires serious foot support. I wouldn't replace a good pair of walking shoes or work boots with Crocs.

They're also not particularly secure unless you put the heel strap into place. With the strap up, they're basically glorified slides. That's perfect for some situations, but not so great if you're moving quickly or doing anything where you need the shoe to stay firmly attached to your foot.

The classic Crocs also aren't exactly winning any beauty contests. Although I have to admit something happened during this experiment.

I stopped caring.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped caring what they looked like

This might be the biggest surprise. At the beginning, I was very aware that I was wearing Crocs. By the end of the month, I wasn't.

That's probably because their entire appeal is functionality. They're not trying to be a great-looking sneaker. They're trying to be incredibly convenient, comfortable shoes that you can wear almost anywhere around the house.

And they succeed at that. Eventually, you stop thinking about what they look like because you're too busy appreciating the fact that you didn't have to put on socks.

The best thing about them is how little you have to think about them

That's ultimately what I took away from a month with Crocs. They're not special because they're technically amazing shoes. They're special because they're stupidly convenient.

There's something satisfying about having a pair of shoes that you don't have to baby. You can get them dirty, get them wet, hose them off and put them back by the door.

They don't require much thought. And sometimes that's exactly what you want from everyday gear.

So, do I get it now?

Yep. I went into this thinking Crocs were one of those products people liked because they were comfortable enough to overcome their questionable appearance. After a month, I think that's only half the story.

They're comfortable, but more importantly, they're easy. They're the shoes you grab when you don't want to think about what shoes you're going to wear. And once you have a pair, you'll probably find yourself wearing them a lot more than you expected.

Would I wear Crocs to a nice dinner? Absolutely not. Would I wear them for a 10-mile hike? Also no. But for the endless little things that make up everyday life, they're ridiculously good.

I didn't expect to become a Crocs person. Apparently, I am now a Crocs person.