Just bought my first Chaco sandals!

[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!

[Reesha]

Congrats on the Chacos! I've had mine for 5 years now and I LOVE them. They do have a tendency to get stinky when all kinds of stuff gets embedded in the grid on the top of the sole, so I give them a good soak in a warm water and oxyclean solution once per month. Sometimes I use an old toothbrush to get the soles clean.

Have fun wearing them EVERYWHERE. You will want to

[KnottedYet]

When my Chacos get stinky I throw them in the washer with a pair of jeans.

That's also what I do before I send them to Chaco to be resoled. (well, actually, now they are sent to Wolverine World Wide to be resoled since Merrell bought Chaco)

[Reesha]

Haha, yeah I could do that, but the sound of thu-thunking sandals in the wash is unnerving to me I'll have to try it.

[Blueberry]

When my Chacos get stinky I throw them in the washer with a pair of jeans.

That's also what I do before I send them to Chaco to be resoled. (well, actually, now they are sent to Wolverine World Wide to be resoled since Merrell bought Chaco)

Merrell bought Chaco

I really wish Chaco had stayed in the US and independently owned

[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.

[Jessicabuurman]

Great to hear about CHaco!
In my Opinion, You can get them resoled, too.

[Trek420]

Great to hear about CHaco!
In my Opinion, You can get them resoled, too.

It helps to send some chocolate to the Chaco elves in the package (wrapped securely) when you send them back.

Speaking of resoled the other thing we're getting into is Patagonia wornwear. Great prices, products and good for the environment.