Six months ago, my back did something deeply unpleasant that made it very difficult to bend over, kneel down or honestly do anything. It slipped a disk. I wrote about some of the back-saving gadgets that helped me get through recovery, from lap desks to trekking poles, but one has stayed with me even after healing: the Kizik Lima 2 slip-on shoes. Their hands-free design was a godsend during my recovery, but you don’t have to be in agony to appreciate a pair.
While I have always been concerned more with comfort than style when it comes to shoes, I draw the line at some of the typical hands-free options. The Kiziks don’t look like the slippers my grandad wore around the house, nor like the hideous Croc clogs favored by hospital staff (it’s funny how you notice a person’s shoes when you are lying face down as they inject painful things into your spine). Kiziks look just like normal shoes. With its mesh knit upper and low profile, you could easily confuse the Lima 2 for Allbirds’ trendy Tree Runners.
