Camper Makes the Most Comfortable Sandals
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I just spent a week in Paris with my mom and sister, and even though I packed four pairs of shoes, I wore my Campersandalsevery single day. I even chose them over my Mephistos. I bought my first Campers in college: red mary-jane “Twins,” the Spanish brand’s deliberately mismatched line. Over the years, I’ve gotten several more: the Gucci-likeKiara slides, Godard-looking mesh Twins sandals, and, most recently, the Koras, a ’90s-esque block-heeled sandal.
Campers are not, admittedly, for everyone. Some styles can be clunky and a little dorky. But they are among the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. Design-wise, they are just “off” enough to look interesting without being gimmicky. They’re much more stylish and therefore more day-to-dinner than othercomfort brands. As Strategist writer Katherine Gillespie puts it, “They serve the purpose of ‘elevated’ sandal for me. Like, for when a Birkenstock won’t do.” And the price point is extremely reasonable: Most sandals hover around $150.
I’m not the only one who swears by Campers. My sister also packed a pair of Camper ballet flats and wore them several times. Strategist editor Lauren Levy has the same flats but in a blue mesh. Strategist senior editor Ailbhe Malone is on her second pair of Oruga sandals after wearing her previous pair for three summers. Gillespie prefers the chunky Brutus. Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo has gingham slides and a pair of sneakers. EvenSolange Knowlesowns a pair: the blobbyKobarahs.
Camper’s leather is “thick and soft,” as Gillespie describes it, making the shoes hardy yet pliable. The company’s rubber soles are grippy and hefty, making them ideal for stomping around for miles on end. (Camper’s slogan is “Walk, Don’t Run” after all.) I wore theBonnie, a heeled fisherman sandal with a pointed toe that is sadly sold out, all over Paris and through Monet’s garden in Giverny. Everywhere I go, the Bonnies elicit compliments. When I tell people they’re Camper, they’re always shocked, thinking they were designer. One thing I think Camper does exceptionally well is heel height — usually around two inches high, which is more than enough lift to make a difference but still so walkable.
For summer adventures and beyond, Campers are unmatched. Case in point: Malone’s sandals took her “from a wedding weekend in Toulouse to endless, mind-numbingly long walks with a stroller and two weeks of traveling slowly east from Budapest to Northern Transylvania.”
Below, some of our favorite styles.
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I am currently testing these. I love how plain yet versatile they are.
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Corsillo is trying these fisherman sandals next. They’re similar to my Bonnies except they don’t have a heel and are square-toed.
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Camper Casi Myra Ballerinas
My sister has these ballet flats in red leather. Levy has them in a blue mesh from last season and is considering getting another pair in black.
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These are the sandals Gillespie has, though they seem to be discontinued. She discovered them through a stylish friend: “She was wearing them with jeans and a summer tee a couple of years ago on the streets of London, and they looked so nice — they’d developed this slight patina, and I liked how the brown underside of the leather webbing showed through a little bit. I honestly assumed they were really expensive designer sandals and was kind of shocked when she revealed they were Campers.”
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Strategist writer Brenley Goertzen has owned these platform loafers since 2021.
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If you’re a size 11, here’s the white version of the Bonnies.
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And if you’re a size ten, these are the Kiaras I have.
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