Like little clouds for your feet, all warm, dry and cosy. Traction Mule’s are the perfect post-riding treat for tired tootsies. Now, as funky and fashionable as they may be, they’re also chock full of some of TNF’s best and brightest tech. Double whammy! Let us break it down for ya, from the bottom up…

What would be the point of putting on these lovely little foot gloves and finding your feet sodden as soon as you step on the first soggy surface? Absolutely nowt, that’s what. The Traction Mule’s have a rubberised sole unit, for traction and durability on both wet and dry surfaces, a nice touch considering you’ll likely be surrounded by snow, ice or spilled booze. And for our eco-conscious friends out there, this underlayer is also made of up to 20% recycled rubber, noice.

Moving up you’ll find a bit of underfoot cushioning. Don’t get the wrong impression here, they’re not quite cut out for long distance running and full blown arch support, but they offer a little more shock absorption than a regular slipper or slider.

The upper layer is where more of The North Face’s nerdy tech starts to show its face, the Traction Mule’s use TNF’s proprietary insulation, Thermoball Eco.

“Like little clouds for your feet, all warm, dry and cosy. Traction Mule’s are the perfect post-riding treat for tired tootsies”

Developed in conjunction with Primaloft, Thermoball Eco is a sustainable and synthetic alternative to down. Traditionally, down insulation is the warmest option, but it doesn’t retain its function when wet, which is where synthetic insulation steps into the picture, but the downside of synthetic insulation is that it isn’t quite as warm.

As an alternative mash up, TNF released Thermoball which is a best of both worlds approach that’s touted to have revolutionised the insulation world (it’s a thing apparently). The fibres cluster together, trap heat and are able to compress like down insulation, but still retain their original properties during wet or soggy weather. It’s a win-win.

The outer layer is P.E.T recycled ripstop fabric that’s coated with a DWR (durable water repellency) finish to help water bead off and not soak into the internal layers. It all seems a bit much for a glorified slipper, right? But hey, if you’re gonna wear something on your feet, it might as well be the best at what it does.

“You don’t have to be a snowboarder to enjoy these, but we’ve never once been on a trip to the mountains without someone whipping out a pair of these and making the rest of the crew jealous”

We were initially sceptical about these, and to be fair you can be too. But after a freezing mid-winter trip to Russia many moons ago where a friend pulled a pair of these out of their bag and proceeded to wax poetic about how great they were we took the plunge out of sheer jealousy, and we’ve never looked back.

Pros:

• Thermoball insulation will continue to trap heat even when wet
• Durable underlayer that grips on ice and snow

Cons:

• They’re not to everyone’s *ahem* fashion taste

Buy The North Face Thermoball V Traction Winter Mule: £65 at Blue Tomato UK 

Buy The North Face Thermoball V Traction Winter Mule: €70 at Blue Tomato EU