 This Product
Olukai Moloa | |||||
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| Awards |  Our Favorite Shoe/Slipper Hybrid | Best Overall Slippers |  Luxurious Comfort and Warmth |  Best Warmth for the Buck | Breathable on a Budget |
| Price | $140 List Check Price at REI | $120 List Check Price at Amazon | $100 List Check Price at Backcountry | $37 List Check Amazon (on sale!) | $29 List Check Amazon (on sale!) |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Grab these slippers if you're looking for a gorgeous pair of slippers made of natural materials | A pair of handsome and gentlemanly slippers are also super plush and toasty for indoor and very light outdoor trips | A classic moccasin look with enhanced warmed care of luxurious long shearling lining the inside | These slippers will fit into anyone's budget and offer excellent warmth and a lot of style | Grab these bargain slippers for everyday indoor use for a bump up in warmth over just socks |
| Rating Categories | Olukai Moloa | UGG Ascot | L.L.Bean Wicked Good... | Zigzagger Moccasin | HomeTop Knit Moccasin |
| Comfort (30%) | |||||
| Insulation (25%) | |||||
| Breathability and Moisture Management (15%) | |||||
| Traction (15%) | |||||
| Construction Quality (15%) | |||||
| Specifications | Olukai Moloa | UGG Ascot | L.L.Bean Wicked Good... | Zigzagger Moccasin | HomeTop Knit Moccasin |
| Style | Loafer | Loafer | Moccasin | Moccasin | Moccasin |
| Suitable for Outdoor Wear | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Care Instructions | Removable footbed is machine washable, specific cleaning and care products available from manufacturer | Not washing machine compatible, specific cleaning and care products available from manufacturer | Not washing machine compatible, spot clean | Machine washable | Machine washable |
| Interior Material | Shearling | 17mm UGGplush 80% upcycled wool, 20% TENCEL Lyocell sockliner or 17mm UGGplush 60% upcycled wool, 40% TENCEL Lyocell sockliner | Shearling | Faux fur | Jersey |
| Upper Material | Nubuck leather | Suede | Suede | Microsuede | Polyester knit |
| Outsole Material | Gum rubber | Rubber or TPE | Rubber | Rubber | Rubber |
| Midsole Material | Foam | Foam | Foam | Memory foam | EVA |
| Size Range (Men's) | US 7-16 | US 7-18 | US 7-14 | US 7-15 | US 8-13 |
| Measured Sole Thickness | 14 mm | 18 mm | 23 mm | 21 mm | 25 mm |
| Measured Weight (size 12) | 13.3 oz | 12.7 oz | 12.1 oz | 10.3 oz | 7.2 oz |
| Heat Loss During Freezer Test | 5.7 C | 6.0 C | 8.3 C |
This is a slipper we felt good taking it easy in. The Moloa is an overachiever in the comfort department, offering exceptional coziness for your relaxation time (and beyond — these are capable of going for a neighborhood stroll). The super soft short shearling liner coddles your feet, adding a ton of warmth to ward off any threats of chilly air. Natural fibers make breathability worries a non-issue as the wool footbed lining wicks away moisture and the nubuck leather breathes well. Just don't get these luxury slippers too wet, and make sure you understand the care instructions you'll need to follow for years of happiness wearing them.
The Olukai Moloa feel phenomenal to wear. The soft leather upper is lined inside with a high-quality short-hair shearling. The fit is generous and wide, with no pinching in the footbox, and the back fits comfortably around your heel without being too tight.
The heel collapses so you can wear the Moloas more like slides.
The front of the collar also has two triangles of stretchy material that expand to help you get into the slipper, then contract back down to reduce too much flop in the fit.
The Olukai Moloa includes something not often seen in a slipper: a very built-up insole, complete with arch support and heel cup, which all greatly enhance walkability. No shearling is affixed to the insole/footbed as we see on some slippers, but it does have a soft, felted wool topside. This insole is removable and machine washable.
The Olukai Moloa was warm without being overkill. The heavenly soft short hair shearling, wool footbed, and leather upper earned high scores in our freezer test, right along with other shearling-shod slippers of various styles.
This insulation makes the Moloa quite adept at early morning wanderings in the crisp cold air, looking to catch the sunrise, or simply waiting out a snowstorm while tucked safely indoors. The thick insole and rubber outsole also insulate you from the ground, making them a good option for cold surfaces like bare hardwood floors, concrete, etc.
The Olukai Moloa are toasty, but thanks to the natural materials, the thermoregulation in these beautiful slippers is quite exquisite. Real shearling wicks moisture away from your skin, and the leather's natural pores allows for the upper to breathe. So long as you don't sensationally overheat, this phenomenon should keep your feet feeling balanced, and the natural materials are less prone to getting stinky compared to synthetics.
Be that as it may: don't purposely get the Moloa's severely wet! Their “Aloha” inspired design may make you yearn to take them on a walk on the beach, tempting the waves of the rolling tide, but their natural material construction won't fare well being rained on, let alone submerged in surf. The footbed is removable and machine washable, but the entire slipper is not.
The outsole found on the Olukai Moloa is made of a smooth, natural gum rubber, with no traction pattern.
The bottoms will stick well to most dry surfaces, but could falter on anything wet, like grass, mud, leaves, etc. Given just how much additional support and cushion the insole provides, extended walks outside the house are more than feasible, and if you have a day planned of easy-going wandering from the coffee shop to a string of art openings, you won't feel either underdressed or under-shod. But without any traction pattern to speak of, we don't recommend taking them on a hike.
Quality of materials and construction really is where the Olukai Moloa shines. First are the materials: the upper is made up of a gorgeous supple nubuck leather, with a short hair shearling as the lining, sewn onto the natural gum rubber outsole.
The wonderful details of the upper really make the Moloa stand out: things like the flip-down heel, the elastic bits for getting in and out of the shoe, and reinforced contrast stitching at points of extra stress. The outsole and upper are married with additional leather reinforcement.
If your agenda is filled up with getting a whole lot of nothing done in an open-ended time frame, the Olukai Moloa are custom-made for you. We loved chillin' in these slippers, and they're comfortable, warm yet thermoregulating, and made to last, using high-quality materials and constructed with care. They will set you back more than most other slippers, but deliver on their value as a beautiful pair of walkable indoor/outdoor leather slippers.
