What were the best hiking sandals for 2007?

[No Belay]

I'm interested in wearing sandals for portions of my trek and would like to hear from anyone that wore them in 07. Best type, advantages, regrets ect. What kind of mileage can I expect per pair?

Savor Happy!

[hobojoe]

I've hiked aproximately 10-20 trail miles in hippy rainbow sandals

[1/4 moon]

Hiked the last 115 miles in Keens, wish i woulda hiked in em sooner. They show virtually no wear from those 115 miles. Since they are Boating shoes they worked especially well on the wet rocks, traction on mud was a little less than normal trail runners.

[Grandma Dixie]

Never tried em' myself, but a lot of other thru hikers lived by chacos. I saw many pair with over 1000 miles on them that were still kickin.

[Cheesewhiz]

I hiked over 700 miles during my thru-hike in my chacos and have hiked nearly 1000 miles in the same pair. I recently had them re strapped but the soles are still in good shape.

[1/4 moon]

what model of chacos do you all recomend...i've been thinking about picking up a pair

[No Belay]

what model of chacos do you all recomend...i've been thinking about picking up a pair

Evening $.25 moon, I've got a pair of Keen, Chacos and Teva's ordered for evaluation. I had to get the Chaco Z2s but am kinda leary about the big toe loop as I'm afraid it might be a pressure point. The shop didn't have the Z1s in my size but is supposedly ordering some. Hopefully I'll get to try those also. I like the toe box on the Keens as compared to the open toe on the other two but they are defineately heavier.

Savor Happy!

[Cheesewhiz]

I used the Z1's with the old torreno sole. lots of problems in 06 with the new soles. In March I used a pair of seal skins in cold and/or wet weather. From May on, I used a pair of sock liners only during wet weather to protect my foot from chaffing against the strap with sand, grit and such.

[sloopjonboswell]

i was always jealous of the keens, looked like the best bet as far as i saw.

[Dogwood]

I got over 2000 trail miles and who knows how many town miles out of a pair of Keen Venice H2. I had to finally trash them because my slight pronation created uneven sole wear but the comfort, stability, toe bumber, and straps were all still in good shape. They never got funky smelling. I hiked with them on the AT for short mileage days of 12 miles or less w/ pack wts. not exceeding 30 lbs. On warm all-day-rain summer days I would take off my hikers and just walk in the rain wearing them. For sandals, they had better than avg. traction on rock, sand, wet ground, and while fording rivers. If U go to the Keen website U can see the last closely resembles a running shoe. Although U wouldn't normally expect it from a sandal they provide decent arch support. The cupped heel offers protection and helps grip the heel. Their toe protection is another plus and U can see it's quite popular among wearers because other sandal manufacturers have come out with similarly designed sandals w/ toe protection in mind. When properly fitted they also fit the feet quite snugly without a lot of flopping around. The down sides are that they are pricey and heavy for sandals. If U R looking just for a camp or town shoe there R a lot of less expensive and lighter options on the market. If U R looking for true hiking sandals that actually feel comfortable, supportive, and R durable definitely consider a pair of Keens.

[highway]

I'm interested in wearing sandals for portions of my trek and would like to hear from anyone that wore them in 07. Best type, advantages, regrets ect. What kind of mileage can I expect per pair?

Savor Happy!

I'm interested in wearing sandals for portions of my trek and would like to hear from anyone that wore them in 07. Best type, advantages, regrets ect. What kind of mileage can I expect per pair?

Savor Happy!

Mileage/footwear depends on many factors, not the least of which is the weight of the user-the heavier the user the quicker the footwear is consumed. Often it is the foot-bed that goes, long before the sole, too. At my 220 pound weight, a pair of funning shoes lasts about 300 miles, some trail runners slightly more. But for the last 5-6 years i have gone to using Teva Trail Wraptors and I can get as much as 600 miles with one pair. I really like them but it appears Teva might be redesigning them and morphing them into an as yet unknown something else, regrettably. I bought one at Sierra Trading Post half off that I am saving.

My observation between Chacos and Tevas is that Chacos has a much harder, firmer footbed with a hard feel. Those who favor Montrail type footwear would like them. I am different, though because i find them uncomfortable. I prefer a footbed with more cushion, which the Teva has. Plus, the Chacos felt too low at the heel. I have a pair, size 12, stealthy black with toe loop, languishing in my closet. Every now and then I put them on and do a few miles to get used to them but no luck as yet, darn it!.

But, what works for me, or anyone else for that matter, may or may not work for you. There are just far to many differences to factor in. My personal opinion is that trail sandals is the best footwear for hiking three season in.

[whiterockjock]

I like my Chaco Z-1's ( buy a size bigger if arch is still ok, to give you some toe protection up front) with Injinji toes socks and in the wet/cold a pair of Warmer's neoprene booties over the socks. Works great in all weather!

[No Belay]

Mileage/footwear depends on many factors, not the least of which is the weight of the user-the heavier the user the quicker the footwear is consumed. Often it is the foot-bed that goes, long before the sole, too. At my 220 pound weight, a pair of funning shoes lasts about 300 miles, some trail runners slightly more. But for the last 5-6 years i have gone to using Teva Trail Wraptors and I can get as much as 600 miles with one pair. I really like them but it appears Teva might be redesigning them and morphing them into an as yet unknown something else, regrettably. I bought one at Sierra Trading Post half off that I am saving.

My observation between Chacos and Tevas is that Chacos has a much harder, firmer footbed with a hard feel. Those who favor Montrail type footwear would like them. I am different, though because i find them uncomfortable. I prefer a footbed with more cushion, which the Teva has. Plus, the Chacos felt too low at the heel. I have a pair, size 12, stealthy black with toe loop, languishing in my closet. Every now and then I put them on and do a few miles to get used to them but no luck as yet, darn it!.

But, what works for me, or anyone else for that matter, may or may not work for you. There are just far to many differences to factor in. My personal opinion is that trail sandals is the best footwear for hiking three season in.

Highway, Thanks for the info and the sale notice at Sierra. Just bought a pair of Wraptors @ Sierra for $6o including shipping by using the keycode "SPUH57" at checkout. Thanks, you saved me some serious bucks.

Never used this stupid thing before but it might apply here.

[highway]

Highway, Thanks for the info and the sale notice at Sierra. Just bought a pair of Wraptors @ Sierra for $6o including shipping by using the keycode "SPUH57" at checkout. Thanks, you saved me some serious bucks.

Never used this stupid thing before but it might apply here.

Remember that, comfortable or not, they should be broken in before you do any serious mileage. A slow amble with few miles and it likely will not matter much, but when the miles or speed increases it will. It is the bottom of your feet which will begin to mold to the footbed of the sandal and, when broken in, become like an expensive pair of custom orthotics, molded to fit your feet. This is my observation from using them for a long time. I just checked and they still have 8 pairs in my size...HHHmmmmm...

[Yahtzee]

I used the Z1's with the old torreno sole. lots of problems in 06 with the new soles. In March I used a pair of seal skins in cold and/or wet weather. From May on, I used a pair of sock liners only during wet weather to protect my foot from chaffing against the strap with sand, grit and such.

True dat. I tried the new Chaco soles on and just walking around the outfitter felt weird. I bought 3 pair of the old Z1's last year for 40 bucks a pop. A little heavier, but still my favorite piece of hiking equipment.

FWIW, I don't think you can expect an entire thruhike from a pair of Chacos, but my experience with 3 pair over 2 long hikes is that you can count on between 1200-1700 miles per pair. I bought my first pair in Hot Springs and wore them exclusively to NH. Then on and off in ME. By the end both the sole and straps were on their last legs.

[karadactyl]

I met a guy in NH who hiked the whole trail in Keen's. He was on his third pair and recommended anything with a good sole, good cushioning, that straps securely to the feet, and has a toe covering.

Stoneage and Triple Deuce hiked the whole thing in Tevas and no socks; I don't remember them ever having totally busted toes, just supremely filthy feet. Definitely would save on the difficulty of soaked through boots/socks.