The Travel Trainer

With the demands of modern living leaving people with little spare time, many jog or cycle to work in an effort to keep fit.

But, as they arrive panting at the office, another problem often arises: where to store their smelly trainers?

A major sportswear company believes it may have the answer with a product that promises to revolutionise the lives of urban joggers.

The Travel Trainer, designed by Reebok, pops easily into a handbag or briefcase and aims to fit in with the lifestyle of today's city-dwelling and travelling population.

Made using advanced fabric technology, the unisex shoes can be folded, rolled and packed away to a third of their size, enabling them to be taken anywhere. Originally developed in Japan and sold from vending machines, they soon became the latest must-have item in the fashion-conscious Far East.

They come in five colour schemes: red/ white, green/ orange, white/green, orange/chocolate and navy/red - with uppers made of 3-D Ultralight, a fabric created by Reebok. They weigh only 108 grammes each.

Drawstring lacing holds them over the foot and the soles are rubber, giving the shoes their foldability.

Reebok spent an estimated £2million developing the product, which was launched as an exclusive limited-edition item in the UK yesterday. At £45 a pair, the company says it believes the trainers will be an instant best-seller. They are being sold in Footpatrol, Zoltar and Size? stores.

However, Dr Joanna Kingman, a lecturer in bio- mechanics at Portsmouth University's sport science department, expressed concerns about the trainers' suitability for running. The soles are only 0.5cm thick at the thinnest end, compared with 2cm on most trainers.

Dr Kingman said: "The shock absorption property of a trainer is very important because, if it does not have this, then running in the shoe could lead to injury".

A spokesman for Reebok said: "We are confident these shoes will revolutionisethe trainer market. The reaction-from retailers so far has been amazing, and we are sure they will be a big hit with trendy Britons.

"These days people are travelling more - whether it's round the country or on more exotic trips - and these shoes fold down to the size of a rolled-up sock, making them perfect to fit into a suitcase or small bag.

"The Travel Trainer is the first truly revolutionary idea to hit the sports shoe market in years." As a regular jogger, I was keen to try the new Travel Trainers to see if they would prove a sportswear musthave. Sadly, they didn't live up to expectations, writes Nilufer Atik.

The shoes, which come in a small cylinder-shaped bag, were already folded up into a ball five inches long, and I was dubious as to whether they would fit.

Once unravelled, their size was not a problem - however, their appearance and comfort were. The whiteandred trainers were shapeless when worn, while the drawstrings holding them onto my feet soon began to hurt.

Walking was uncomfortable, and the soles did not provide much support.

After a few minutes attempting short sprints in Hyde Park, my feet began to ache - and every bit of gravel I stepped on felt like broken glass.

I was desperate to get the flimsy things off from beginning to end.