In Review: Adidas Lite Racer Adapt 5.0

It’s that time of year again – all those Back to School sales are starting up. So, you’re probably thinking about getting the kids some new sneakers for the school year, but you know what? Us adults can take advantage of those sales too, and maybe now that summer is starting to wind down, you’re realizing you need a new pair to replace your worn out ones. Recently, I’ve been spending time with a pair of Adidas Lite Racer Adapt 5.0, and have come away pretty impressed.

What are they?

Aside from being, well, a pair of sneakers, the Adidas Lite Racer Adapt 5.0 follow on a trend of shoes that are easy to put on and take off. In the past, I’ve avoided shoes like these, as I’ve found the sockliner approach of these slip-on styles to either be too binding in the toebox, or just way too loose. Adidas states that these are inspired by running shoes, and I can see that.

While I felt I had plenty of room to be able to wiggle my toes, the main part of the upper did a good job of holding onto my foot, keep the the shoe steady. Now, did I take these out for a morning run? No, I didn’t (I’ve got dedicated running shoes for that). However, I did have a rather tight connecting flight I needed to make a few weeks back, so there was some, shall we say, energetic movement ensuring I got to that second flight. Throughout all of that, the shoes stayed in place, and kept me moving just like I needed them to.

What’s it like wearing them?

In a word? Comfortable. The mesh on the Adidas Lite Racer Adapt 5.0 allows your feet to breathe, while again allowing some movement of your toes while you’re stationary. With that travel I did, these were the shoes I brought, and they worked great, especially for warm weather. They were light, so I didn’t feel they wore me out, and the easier off/on made it a cinch for heading out to go do something. In fact, that’s been great as well even just going out to run errands. Pop them on and you’re out the door quickly.

And while they’re slip-ons, you do feel like you’ve got some structure around your foot. Maybe not everyone likes that, but I appreciate the feel of that sort of extra layer of protection for your feet. The extra-cushioned heel also helps absorb the shock from walking around, so these should be great if you’re finding yourself on the move all day, every day. I’m not quite in that camp, but I found these great for all-day wear on that mini-vacation I had a few weeks back, for both travel and just day-to-day wear.

Another great thing about these

While shoes can end up creating a lot of waste – given that we wear athletic shoes out and toss them, unlike dress shoes that can be resoled – there is an eco-friendly focus that these shoes actually have. Here’s what Adidas says about that:

These wide fit adidas shoes are crafted with a Cloudfoam midsole and cushioned sockliner for a light and springy feel. They’re inspired by running shoes, but work just as well for juggling daily tasks as they do for jogging. Made with a series of recycled materials, this upper features at least 50% recycled content. This product represents just one of our solutions to help end plastic waste.

So, they’re serious about making things better. Now we just need a solution where we can send our old shoes in to them so they can inject them back into the recycling, and then we’d be getting somewhere!

Where can I get a pair?

Undoubtedly, you’ll find these a number of spots, given how prevalent Adidas shoes are. However, we’re zeroing in on Famous Footwear for the pickup, as they’ve got the pricing right, they’ve got a lot of varieties available (11 color combinations, in sizing from 6.5 – 14), all ready to ship out to you if you order online, or probably at your local Famous Footwear store. Coming in at $69.99, the Adidas Lite Racer Adapt 5.0 will be ready to get you through the day back at school, or even for getting through the work day or weekend errands. Check out all the versions available over at famousfootwear.com