Crocs Classic Lined Clogs Review: The Best Budget Slipper For Women (2023)

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The Crocs Classic Lined Clogs were rated the best affordable slippers in my larger tested review of the best slippers for women. Keep reading for all the reasons why this slip-on style is so versatile and comfy.

A good pair of slippers is the perfect antidote for cold toes and sore feet in all seasons. And if they’re also cute and easy to care for, then you’ve hit the jackpot. The Crocs Classic Lined Clogs are my pick for the best value slippers because they’re a versatile indoor-outdoor shoe that excels at comfort, stability, easy maintenance and price.

While there were lots of fashionable and functional slippers among the 13 pairs I tested, this style proved to be a standout, whether you need a cozy house slipper for winter, a breathable slip-on for cool mornings in summer or a supportive shoe that can work for a quick grocery run or to drop your kids off at school.

Best Affordable Slippers

Crocs: A Well-Priced, Versatile Shoe

Crocs Classic Lined Clog

A Comfy Slipper That Relieves Sore Feet

Wearing restrictive heels, flats and even running shoes can leave arches sore and toes feeling crunched. The Crocs Classic Lined Clogs have a contoured footbed and overall silhouette that follows and accommodates the natural shape of the foot. During testing, they helped relieve my cramping arches when they were fatigued after standing all day, and they allowed my toes—which are too often stuffed into narrow-toed heels or ballet flats—room to spread out.These slippers are also made of Crocs’ proprietary Croslite foam, which is an extremely lightweight closed-cell resin that absorbs shock when walking. This shoe weighs 6.8 ounces—which was on the lighter end of all the styles I tested (the lightest was 5.7 ounces)—making it a welcome transition from heavy rubber sneakers or leather boots. The entire footbed is lined in a flexible, fuzzy polyester, which proved to be highly breathable when coupled with Crocs’ naturally ventilated construction, with holes placed across the bridge. The drawback to the poly lining, though, is that it’s not super warm when coupled with the heel-less design; so if you want a slipper primarily for warmth, you may want to choose another.

Indoor-Outdoor Flexibility And Good Support

Most slipper styles fall into two camps: They either have a full heel collar, or they are a scuff style with no back. The Crocs Classic Lined Clogs were one of only two styles I tested that offered a convertible back, with this particular style having a pivoting heel strap. Dr. Madhuri Mehta, a board-certified foot and ankle surgeon at Gotham Footcare, loves this Crocs style so much that she wears them at home: “They have a heel strap that’s convertible, so they can provide a secure fit, or the strap can be flipped up so they’re easy to slide on and off quickly,” she says. I also found that the heel strap offered a high degree of stability, so that my toes didn’t have to work hard to grip the base of the shoe to keep it on, as was the case with many scuff styles.

Two other huge pluses to this slipper are that the sole is extremely durable, and it offered traction that functioned just as well at home on wood floors and area rugs as it did outside—on dog walks, quick trips to the grocery store or while driving around town. One thing I didn’t love, though, was that while the sole was supportive and durable, it wasn’t particularly cushiony, and there were times I would’ve preferred more springiness in the sole.

Easy Care and On-Trend

In some ways, a great pair of slippers is like a little kid’s stuffed animal—they are well loved and worn, and can even get a little stinky, so the ability to clean them is huge. If you wear your slippers without socks, there is a good chance that over time they will smell. I loved that the Crocs Classic Lined Clogs could be cleaned with mild soap and a damp rag, and that they could also be machine-washed. I washed my pair by putting each shoe in a separate mesh laundry bag and washing with cold water on a delicate cycle. I then air-dried them overnight, and in the morning they looked brand-new. A note of caution, though: You cannot use heat on these shoes or they will shrink, so definitely don’t put them in the dryer or leave them out in direct sunlight.This slipper is also offered in more colorways than any of the others I tested, so you can choose from a wide variety of neutrals and pastels. Overall from an aesthetic perspective, these are a trendy, cute version of a “sensible shoe.” They’re also the only slippers I tested that I felt were truly socially acceptable to wear out in public.

My Expertise

During my 20-year tenure as a magazine writer and editor, I’ve tested a variety of personal care products, from hair straighteners to clothing steamers, and I’ve written about fashion at length. In my professional and personal life, I’ve also worn a lot of stylish yet exceedingly uncomfortable shoes, so I can really appreciate a pair of comfy, snuggly slippers at the end of the day. When I began working on the best slippers story, I scoured endless consumer reviews and sought out expert advice from Mehta as well as Dr. Alisha Reed, a self-care expert and pharmacist, and Chyrstyn Fentroy, a principal dancer for the Boston Ballet. I then tested 13 popular slipper styles to separate the amazing from the just okay.

How Does This Slipper Compare To Others?

The Crocs Classic Lined Clogs nail it on comfort, stability, easy care and all-season versatility. It’s the slipper you want for lightweight, breathable comfort in the house, and durability and stability everywhere—even outdoors while running errands. If you’ve got sweaty feet, the Crocs Classic Lined Clogs offer coziness without being suffocating. My pick for best slippers overall, the L.L.Bean Wicked Good Moccasins, were a standout for being the warmest slippers I tested and for their all-around comfort. The moccasins are ideal for cold weather and cold floors, for sporting around the house the entire holiday season and for any time your feet need a snuggly respite from uncomfortable, restrictive shoes.

How I Tested The Best Slippers

To assess each pair of slippers for this story, I considered criteria including their overall comfort, warmth, arch support and cushioning, stability, traction and maintenance. To determine if the shoes maintained a supportive structure or collapsed easily, I did a squeeze test with my fingers. I assessed heel stability by looking at the shoes’ design and the presence of a heel collar. I determined if they had good breathability and provided warmth while allowing feet to move without becoming sweaty. I weighed each shoe to ascertain if it had the potential to be uncomfortable or heavy. I wore them on hardwood floors, bathroom tiles, carpeting and on pavement to determine grip. I spot cleaned the Crocs Classic Lined Clogs with mild dish soap and a damp towel to remove scuffs and dirt, and I washed them in the washing machine and let them air-dry to gauge how they would fare and whether they would retain their structure and functionality.

How Do You Wash These?

For small scuffs, you can spot clean the foam exterior with a mild dish soap and damp rag. You can also wash them on your washing machine’s gentle cycle. Then let them air-dry away from heat. Never set them in direct sunlight or put them in the dryer, or they might shrink.

Is It Better To Wear Slippers At Home Instead of Going Barefoot?

Yes, says Mehta, because going barefoot can put pressure on your metatarsal bones and provoke plantar fasciitis. Also, as you get older, the structure of your foot can change. “As you age, you may lose the natural fat pad that is on your heel and ball of your feet, so you may be more comfortable with additional cushioning,” Mehta says.

Do Support And Cushioning Really Matter In Slippers?

In many cases, yes, experts say, though it depends on both foot shape and personal preference. “In general, most foams—like EVA or polyurethane—that are put into certain slippers are important because they decrease ground reactive forces on the feet and tend to be more comfortable and accommodating,” says Mehta. If you have a flat foot, she says, medial arch support in a slipper will prevent arches from collapsing inward. If you have high arches, you may put extra pressure on your heel or at the ball of your foot. In that case you will want medial arch support as well as added cushioning at the heel and forefoot for comfort.