The Russ Report: Why It's Pointless to Pack a Ton of Sneakers While Traveling

Sneakerheads tend to pack way too many sneakers while traveling and that's the worst thing you can do.

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OKLAHOMA CITY— I don’t remember exactly how many pairs of sneakers I brought to the 2002 NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia, but it was a lot. I was the editor of SLAM then and traveled to the game from NYC via Amtrak, which meant I was only limited by how much I could actually carry.

Nevermind that I’d double my sneaker stash on the first day of the weekend, or that I’d have to actually have some pairs shipped back, I couldn’t risk having to wear the same pair on two different days, or even to two different events. God forbid.



Now that it’s a lot easier to travel with multiple pairs of sneakers I don’t want to do it anymore.



 

Even then it was excessive. One morning I met an adidas rep for breakfast in the players’ hotel, and was sure to wear the latest adidas—which happened to be Kobe Bryant’s toaster-like KOBETWOs. As I walked over to him, he looked down at my feet, looked back up, and said wonderingly “you WORE those?”

A few minutes later we both watched Kwame Brown—then a rookie signed to adidas—wander by. He was wearing AND1s. (He had apparently forgotten his sneakers and had to borrow a pair, which didn’t bode well for his endorsement future.)

This was normal for me for much of the early 2000s, especially when it came to trips to All-Star games or other events that involved multiple parties and/or equilateral sneaker company involvement. The need to be prepared for any eventuality—and wear a different pair to everything—led to lots of checked bags and clothing stuffed around (or maybe even in) multiple pairs of sneakers.

1.

Those pre-Shrine days meant lots of big duffels and stuffed-to-the-gills rollers. Sneakers like those KOBETWOs, which defied any attempts to squish them in, made things even more difficult—a pair of those and a pair of Foams could fill an entire carry-on by themselves.

Now that it’s a lot easier to travel with multiple pairs of sneakers—thanks to the aforementioned Shrine and Flud, among others—I don’t want to do it anymore.

So I don’t.

A two-and-a-half week trip to Asia and Australia in 2013 saw me bring three pairs of footwear, period, including a pair of actual shoes. That’s about my max these days, no matter the destination or event. Instead of trying to brand-match for everything (or build entire outfits around different pairs of shoes) one non-competing brand can serve duty for multiple events.

A weekend trip often happens with just the sneakers on my feet, unless I throw in a pair of running shoes on the off-chance I can squeeze in some treadmill time. In fact, that’s exactly what I did on the trip I’m on now.

2.

If you are someone who packs more sneakers than anything else and nearly misses flights due to agonizing over which pairs to bring, I highly recommend trying the minimalist approach at least once. Just go with what you’ve got on your feet—or use the opportunity to break in a new pair.

It might sound crazy, but look, most people face life this way every single day and they manage somehow. Plus there’s an added bonus, as waking up knowing exactly what pair you’re going to wear that day (because you have no choice) is oddly liberating.

Maybe it will bring about a change in your sneaker habits entirely. And if it doesn’t? Just consider it a vacation from sneakers, too.

Russ Bengtson is a senior editor at Complex. 'The Russ Report' appears every Friday and you can read previous columns here.​