6.5 Reasons People Love the ​ShoeSling®

Sitting at an airport in Denver one day, Luann noticed several people traveling with dirty, dangling shoes tied by the laces to their backpacks or carry-on luggage. That observation called to mind how big a pain managing multiple pairs of shoes was – as well as how unnecessary that pain seemed to be.

When she returned home, she got to work developing the ShoeSling® – the answer to the problem she observed in Denver. After several iterations, it was brought to market and has become a product people love.

Here’s why.

1. The ShoeSling is sturdy, yet flexible

One of the most common reasons that people use the ShoeSling is to keep athletic shoes together. Soccer cleats, football cleats, dance or cheer shoes…if you or your kids play sports, you know the which-shoes-do-I-need-today drill all too well.

You also know how disgusting those shoes can get. Between muddy fields and sweaty feet, sports shoes are likely to take a pounding.

As a mom, Luann had this in mind when she created the ShoeSling. Made of 100% flexible sports-grade polyester, the ShoeSling is as tough as you need it to be.

BUT, it’s also doesn’t require any special washing instructions. Throw it in the wash with the rest of your gear and it’ll get clean. Couldn’t be easier.

2. The ShoeSling has antimicrobial technology

Stinky feet, well….stink!!!

We won’t share which one of us had the stinky feet, but the thought of odor reduction was an important part of designing the ShoeSling. So, we chose a fabric with antimicrobial technology.

The antimicrobial technology serves two purposes, really:

1. Reduce stinky smells
2. Reduce – or even kill – the bacteria that inevitably ends up on feet and shoes. This is particularly important right now, when everyone is trying to be as clean as possible to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Practically, this means you can throw dirty, stinky shoes into the ShoeSling without having to worry about the dirt and stink getting into your gym bags or your SUV! Then, when you get home, throw the ShoeSling in the wash and it’ll be all good.

3. The ShoeSling is customizable

While parents of athletes love the ShoeSling, so do coaches. We’ve heard from coaches that one of the biggest pains they have to deal with (especially for middle schoolers!) is that the young athletes show up to practice…missing a shoe.

Where is it? Mom only knows…and sometimes, not even she knows.

Fortunately, the ShoeSling is customizable for sports teams. We can manufacture the ShoeSling with your team’s logo, so that you can include a ShoeSling as part of your uniform fees. Then, not only will your athletes be less likely to have to have the “coach, I forgot my shoe” conversation, you’ll also have a cool piece of swag that sets your team apart.

• Interested in purchasing the ShoeSling for your team? Contact us for more information about having the ShoeSling customized for your team!

4. The ShoeSling makes it harder to lose your shoes

It was LuAnn’s observation of travelers in an airport tying shoes together via their shoelaces – and one person even missing a shoe – that prompted the idea of the ShoeSling.

A little reflection and some conversations with friends hearkened memories of kids losing their shoes, missing cleats, and the constant, nagging reminder: “Do you have everything? Are you sure? What about your change of shoes?”

Clearly, keeping shoes together was a problem for more than just travelers.

So, three unique features were introduced that make it harder to lose shoes:

1. Two Pockets
2. The Handle
3. The Nametag

Two Pockets

Every pair of shoes has, well, two shoes, right? So, there’s one pocket for each shoe. Simply slip one shoe in each pocket and the shoes are covered. Easy peasy.

The Handle

Two pockets is a great start, but how is that an improvement over keeping track of two separate shoes?

Enter, the handle.

The two pockets are connected by a flexible handle that effectively turns the ShoeSling into a single product. So, the two pockets become one unit.

Why does this matter?

First of all, this reduces the number of things to keep track of: instead of keeping track of two shoes, the pair is tracked as a single unit. Because shoes are bulky, it’s really obvious when you pick up a ShoeSling if a shoe is missing. So, it’s much less likely that a shoe is lost or forgotten.

But that’s not the only way the handle helps.

The handle also helps because an empty ShoeSling laid flat is essentially the depth of fabric. Because, well, it’s just fabric.

That means a ShoeSling can be slipped through a loop on a backpack or a carry bag handle before both shoes are inserted. Then, once you insert the shoes, the fabric no longer fits through the loop/handle on your bag.

The ShoeSling is effectively attached to your bag as an external compartment, making it virtually impossible to lose your shoes (unless you lose your whole bag in which case, you’ve got a bigger problem…). Just think of all the space you’ve freed up in your bag for other important necessities!!

Of course, you could also use our optional carabiner if you intend to move the ShoeSling between different bags.

The Nametag

The final way the ShoeSling makes it harder to lose your shoes is by having a nametag with space to write your (or your kids’!) name. If you’ve ever seen the lost and found at your kid’s school, you know why this is important.

5. The ShoeSling has fabric pockets

While transporting athletic shoes is one of the most common uses of the ShoeSling, it was born out of a need experienced while traveling.

Prior to Covid-19, most road warriors used airlines to travel for business. When traveling, many business travelers have nice, expensive dress shoes in addition to whatever comfortable shoes they may use when not in the office.

With that in mind, we designed the pockets with fabric in order to prevent scuffing on nice shoes. This way, you can feel comfortable putting those Allen Edmonds or Louboutin heels in the ShoeSling without worrying about ruining them.

6. The ShoeSling comes in a variety of sizes and colors

We think that nearly every shoe should be stored in a ShoeSling – especially when traveling. We also know one size fits all doesn’t work, so we’ve designed three sizes: Small, Medium, and Large.

Putting all of your family’s shoes in a ShoeSling could get confusing if each ShoeSling looked the same, so we’ve also made it in different colors. This way, it’s easier to tell which ShoeSling is for which kid and what sport.

For example, you might want to use the black ShoeSling for dress shoes, the yellow one for your golf cleats, and the titanium one for running shoes (more colors coming soon!). If your student athlete plays multiple sports, color coding becomes even more important.

6.5 The ShoeSling is made in the USA!

Quality is a top priority for us, so we wanted to make sure we found the best manufacturers around. The fabric for the ShoeSling is manufactured in a textile mill in North Carolina and our cut and sew facilities are in Michigan.

Want to try the ShoeSling for yourself? We’re offering 10% off your first order (plus a free carabiner) when you sign up for our email list (don’t worry, we don’t spam!)

The ShoeSling was born from an observation that that managing multiple pairs of shoes can be a huge pain. Give it a whirl and you’ll see that it no longer has to be.