I reviewed my REI Camp Dreamer slippers a few days ago, but I just took them off after a long day of lounging at home and thought I’d share more of my personal opinion about slippers for camping.
It’s a pretty niche topic, and not one that you really need an opinion on, but these slippers really are the best camping purchase I’ve ever made. Tents, sleeping bags, and lanterns are necessities, but they don’t really inspire the kinds of feelings that these slippers do.
After a 5-hour hike, the last thing I want to be wearing is the boots I hiked in. My day shoes are no good either, and I don’t want to walk around barefoot in cold, wet grass at the campsite. However, if I hadn’t bought camp slippers, I’d have probably been barefoot out of sheer laziness.
Instead, I ditch my boots as fast as I possibly can and then reach for the slippers. Sore feet can really put a damper on my day; of all the aches and pains in the world, sore feet are my least favorite. Putting on camp slippers makes a huge difference for me.
It’s not just comfort and lounging, though. If it were all about comfort, any old set of slippers would have been fine, and I would have felt pretty uneasy about spending $60 on this pair. There’s another aspect of camping that colors every single purchase: being outdoors, in whatever weather decides to hit.
Wet grass, mud, and dirt are all part of the camping experience, and all reasons that normal slippers are a bad choice for lounging at the campground. The tough, easy-to-clean rubber outsoles of these slippers make them perfect for all aspects of camping, and that’s why I’ve been so impressed with them.
They’re a luxury, to be sure. I can’t say that they dramatically changed my camping experience, nor can I say that they’re worth the added effort to bring them backpacking. I’ve gotten by just fine without camping slippers my whole life, and it’s not like I could never go back. It’s just that, when I look at all the camping and backpacking gear I’ve purchased and used the last few years, none of them make me quite as happy as these dumb-looking shoes.