Just bought my first Chaco sandals!

[emily_in_nc]

I went to REI today with my 20% members coupon today, determined to try Keen Newports, but one look at them and I knew they would be too wide for my A-width feet (despite the fact that my Keen Commuter sandals are a great fit). I really, really needed some super comfy walking sandals for Belize that would also be easy to get sand out of, and ultimately decided that any closed-toe and more covered-up sandals would make de-sanding very difficult.

Decided to try a couple of pair of Chacos because I remembered it was a beloved brand of Knot's. First style I tried was too wide, straps too loose, etc. Second style was a charm. Absolutely LOVE that I can tighten down the inner straps around my narrow, low-profile foot, and the outer thong part can stay a bit loose. Love the color ("Caribbean", perfect for Belize). Love, love the feel of the footbed, the arch support, the cushy heel. These shoes rock! I think I am really going to enjoy them!

Here are the ones I got:
http://www.rei.com/product/812031/ch...sandals-womens

[Irulan]

You can get them resoled, too.

One thing to be mindful of. I have several pairs, wear them on river trips. Your feet can get nasty raw spots when sand gets inbetween the sole of your foot and the bed of the sanda. Just be mindful of that.

[jessmarimba]

Also chiming in - it does take awhile to "wear in" the soles enough that they don't rub the soles of your feet (or maybe you wear in your feet, I'm not sure).

Also, if you got the ones with the two super-skinny woven straps, they rub a little bit more when wet than the wider strap ones.

That said, I have two pairs of their normal sandals (one wide strap with the toe loop that are 10 years old, one pair of the super-skinny two-strap with toe loop that are, oh, 5 years old?) and one pair of the flip flops. I love them. I can actually cinch them tight enough to fit. Plus once you've worn them awhile, they stay adjusted even if you don't cinch the strap (so you can slip 'em on and off).

I hope you enjoy them!!

[Blueberry]

Welcome to the Chaco cult

I've not counted how many I have - probably too many! Wish I could wear the flips - but my feet are too wide...

Those look perfect for Belize...

[KnottedYet]

If you find the straps slipping too easily (tightening at the front while walking is the painful one I notice) you can stand in water next time you're at the beach and floss some sand into the channels inside the sole.

(pull the straps in and out and drag some sand in there)

The sand increases the friction on those little boogers and they won't slip tighter on you any more.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for all the tips! Last year on our trips to Belize I had to change among several different pairs of sandals/thongs every time we went out walking around b/c each one rubbed me in a different place, so I am sure these will also take some breaking in, and I can certainly deal with that. But they are so much more comfy out of the box than most sandals I have now or have had in the past, I'm optimistic. They at least seem far more promising to walk in than most of what I have now.

I'll always be a multiple-sandal gal, tho, because I like them to at least kinda go with whatever I happen to be wearing that day. So, I'll still have my brown leather Tevas, a few pairs of simple thongs (I have some leather Patagonia ones I got on the cheap at STP that are really comfy), and trail runners for the more rugged stuff. Also have some little slip-on neoprene water shoes. I will probably need a decent-size duffle bag just for shoes!

[Irulan]

Also chiming in - it does take awhile to "wear in" the soles enough that they don't rub the soles of your feet (or maybe you wear in your feet, I'm not sure).

Also, if you got the ones with the two super-skinny woven straps, they rub a little bit more when wet than the wider strap ones.

That said, I have two pairs of their normal sandals (one wide strap with the toe loop that are 10 years old, one pair of the super-skinny two-strap with toe loop that are, oh, 5 years old?) and one pair of the flip flops. I love them. I can actually cinch them tight enough to fit. Plus once you've worn them awhile, they stay adjusted even if you don't cinch the strap (so you can slip 'em on and off).

I hope you enjoy them!!

I've found that when you are in the sand.water day after day, at least for me, there's no such thing as wearing in but everyone's feet are different.

[KnottedYet]

I was very happy with every repair Chaco did to my sandals. (I've got a pair that is nearly 15 years old and still going strong.)

Wolverine World Wide has done 2 repairs for me. One was less than stellar, but it was an extenuating circumstance with a very abused sandal.

Dave Page Cobbler was one of the authorized repair guys for the original Chaco, and I wouldn't hesitate to send a lifted sandal to him for repair. He did lifts for Chaco in the old days. http://davepagecobbler.com/

[badgercat]

I was very happy with every repair Chaco did to my sandals. (I've got a pair that is nearly 15 years old and still going strong.)

Wolverine World Wide has done 2 repairs for me. One was less than stellar, but it was an extenuating circumstance with a very abused sandal.

Dave Page Cobbler was one of the authorized repair guys for the original Chaco, and I wouldn't hesitate to send a lifted sandal to him for repair. He did lifts for Chaco in the old days. http://davepagecobbler.com/

I'm really glad to hear you've had good experiences with the W.W.W. incarnation of Chaco. I know that if my sandals were more "typical" there probably wouldn't have been a problem in the first place... I just felt like my situation was handled badly. If they knew they couldn't do it right, they shouldn't have done it... or, they at least shouldn't have tried to pretend like nothing was wrong when it didn't turn out well.

I'll keep Dave Page in mind for future needs.

ETA: of course, I'm very grateful that I'm getting new sandals out of the deal. The ultimate resolution is good... I just wish I hadn't had to go through the heartache first! Now, I'll try to stop hijacking... let's go back to celebrating Emily's new shoes.