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Hiking in sandals or shoes?

denverco said:
If you are gonna get sandals the only way to go are Chacos. Much better than teva theyre the choice of professional river guides. Very secure and very comfortable. Vibram outsoles too.
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i agree - i hike in chacos. it's like having off-road tire-treads glued to the bottom of your feet - they rock :thumbup:

my wife knits me tabi-style wool socks to go with my chacos :)
 
How the hell are you guys doing this? If I wear sandals to walk anywhere other than a road or inside, I'm constantly having to clear sticks and small stones out from between my foot and the sandal.

Is there some trick I don't know, or do you guys just have tougher feet than I do?
 
I have a set of the "Sport Sandals" type shoes, with closed toe, but straps everywhere else. I think they are Tevas, but really can't remember. They excel in some climates, but are a big pain in others. I did a hike in Panama with them and it was terrible. I had lots of sticks gouging the feet and ended up constantly taking them off to try and remove leaves and dirt. It was just as bad hiking on sandy trails where the sand had a tendency to fill the shoe. They are really great however if the trails are hard dirt or rocky, without debris to harass you. Then they offer excellent traction and a really light touch. The only other downside is that after a few weeks of everyday wear, they started to smell horrible. Apparently this is common, but I wasn't expecting it.

As for Chacos, they are an excellent choice for a traditional sandal.
 
I had an 'episode' last summer with my boots - I forgot to completely cinch them up after a long drive before hiking to our campsite. The hike wasn't too long, but the terrain was rough with lots and lots of roots. by the time we got to our campsite, my feet were toast. Later that night, I hiked (without pack) back to the car and swapped my boots for my Keen Newport H2 sandals. My feet felt instant relief. I cinched the Keens down good and hiked the remainder of the weekend with pack in relative comfort. The Keen sandals saved me from having a terrible weekend.

I wore the Keen Newport sandals on day hikes after that trip, and they worked well. I liked them so much that I bought a pair of Keen Newport Trail shoes. I've worn the Newport Trails on one overnight trip this year, and so far so good. They seem to fit much better than my Danner boots. I think I'll stick with Keen footwear for a while.

Newport Trail; similar construction to the Newport sandal:
newporttrail.jpg
 
My only hiking experience in (hippy) sandals was in the Black Hills over thirty years ago. I got out of the truck to observe a mining operation and promptly ran my toes into a small cactus. So after pulling out the needles it was back to Danners forever. I would be concerned about wearing sandals in snake and scorpion country. Boots no matter what height will offer you more protection.
 
Those keen shoes are pretty nice....... Chacos has shoes too on their website. They look pretty nice.
 
I got a pair of cheap Keen knockoffs with a closed toe and lots of neoprene around the nylon straps for canoe camping. The closed toe gets Very hot in the sun. And, the worst part, the neoprene smells like crap after it gets wet. Maybe the name brand sandals don't have this problem. I wore them for the first time on a 3 day canoe trip. It was the end of day 2 that I realized the awful stench we were all smelling was my shoes. However, they are comfortable for portages and its nice to walk in and out of water. For hiking I wear boots or rugged sneakers.
 
I'm surprised so many of you hike in sandals. you won't catch me doing it unless it's somewhere really close and I could damn near hobble out on my own. I have also finally gotten all my crew into boots for backpacking. Just seems stupid to me. No offense but I like protection from snakes, pointy rocks and sticks, or whatever. I also like that I can burn rubber if need be in an escape.

That said, I wear sandals all the time, and take the backpacking. Chacos. Can't beat em.
 
rcinclair, I have worn my Keen Newport sandals for all day-trip kayaking adventures since I got them. They have never taken on an oder. In fact, when they are dry, they are my default footwear around the house (with socks).

Let it be know that the only time I wear my Keen Newport sandals without socks is when kayaking. Otherwise, always with socks, and heavier ones when hiking. I have never found the sandals/socks combo to be hot, be it temperature-wise or fashion-wise.
 
j williams said:
I found a pair for 49.00 on clearance. The Z1 model. Is this a good one? What is the diferance in widths on them?
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Great price, more than likely the unaweep sole which is good too. They do make a wide which is what I wear (I got 4E feet). Not sure what Chacos wide equates to, but a good indicator is where the buckle is when you have them cinched on your foot. The buckle should NOT be on the top of your foot, but off to the side somewhat. If it lands on the top on the medium width, try on the wides.
 
I wear heavy leather hiking boots with a grippy sole to hike in the mountains, with or without a pack. Many times over the years a twisted ankle has been saved from more serious injury by good ankle support from the boots. Even though I'm careful, I find it impossible to predict how loose dirt and small rocks, or rocks that are loosely packed, are going to support my weight, especially on steep downhill trails. I'd like to get by with lighter footwear but the increased risk of injury isn't worth it.

Joel Stave said:
How the hell are you guys doing this? If I wear sandals to walk anywhere other than a road or inside, I'm constantly having to clear sticks and small stones out from between my foot and the sandal.

Is there some trick I don't know, or do you guys just have tougher feet than I do?
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Yeah, I wondered the same thing.
 
My wife and I own a variety of Keen's and Chaco's; really like them both but my nod goes to the Chaco for trail comfort. My wife prefers her Keen's. Chaco has EXCELLENT customer service BTW. I needed a new strap (it got cut) on one of my well-used sandals. Chaco had me mail the pair to them and they had the sandals back to me the same week. They repaired the sandals the first day they received them! Chaco replaced the straps on both sandals so they would look the same and wear the same. They charged me nothing, not even for postage.
 
Boots. Always. I hate sandals. Never wear them for any reason. Danners are great. I've done quite a bit of hiking in Merrells as well, but I prefer the Danner boots myself. Red Wings steel toe boots for work, and almost everything else.
 
Joel Stave said:
How the hell are you guys doing this? If I wear sandals to walk anywhere other than a road or inside, I'm constantly having to clear sticks and small stones out from between my foot and the sandal.

Is there some trick I don't know, or do you guys just have tougher feet than I do?
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I don't know actually. Ive had a ton of rocks in sandals too. It just doesnt happen in the sandals. Can't really tell you why. The footbeds arent flat they fit really snug. Like I said I wore them down the Black Canyon on a float trip and spent several hours a day and night in the river. No waders just sandals. Hiked through some canyons in them. Even did a bit of bouldering/rock climbing. Super sandals.
 
I hike every weekend and 75% of the time I have Keen Newports on. If there's a lot of slickrock I go to La Sportiva Exuum Ridge, they really grip. I'm looking for some regular hikers to replace my worn out Montrails and can't find any I like.

Win
 
Ok I have been looking at the keens but I also found the Vibram Five Fingers.

sprintsclose-764458.jpg


They look kinda goofy but I think they would be really comortable. Does anyone ave experience with them? They are kinda like sandals.
 
Those are crazy!!!! I guess if you like goin barefoot, those would be sweet for protection.
 
I have Merril light hikers...great! I have an older pair of Timberland's...they are the ones I usually wear, but if I was going someplace rocky, I wouldn't use them, they don't have a heel built in and the soles aren't rugged enough. I also have a pair of tactical type boot from the local police supply shop-they are ok.
I also have the closed toe Keen sandals-they smell NASTY. I think I will probably throw them.
 
j williams said:
I am in need of some new footwear for this summer. I want something to wear w/ shorts. Do any of you hike in sandals? I am looking at either the keen newport sandals cause of the closed toe, or getting the merrell chameleon evo gor tex shoes. Any reccomendations or experiances would be helpfull........
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I use the Keens almost exclusively whenever there's not snow on the ground. I've hiked some very extreme terrain in them and they are amazing.
 
It really depends on where you will be hiking. I spend a lot of time on steep, rocky trails, and sandals just wouldn't cut it there. I would spend all my time getting rocks out of them (I already have to do it a fair amount with full size boots).
 
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