Sandals

What sandals would people recommend to use for all around hiking and walking in? Looking for something with straps and material that can easily dry up after walking through streams/water.

Keenes work pretty well. They are fairly rugged and cover the toes, important I think for the obvious protection but also for allowing less pebbles to come in and get under your foot. They get really stinky though, like all Keene shoes, and are a little ugly.

I like chacos. They're a fairly simple design.

Keen's are burly and they don't let as much debris in but on the other side of that coin they seem to keep everything in. Chaco's are equally burly but can irritate the skin. I like Chaco flops as well, but I generally like flops as opposed to the wrap-around deals. Just got a pair of the Sanuk recycled beer-coozie dealios and they are super comfy and cheap-ish. Salomon used the make a shoe that was like the keens but they had mesh that really did a good job at keeping stuff out.

Just rock the flops!

I have a pair of the Keen Water Sandals that I use. For the most part I am pretty happy with them. I do a fair amount of backpacking in wet areas. The Keens are good because you can just slosh out any debris that gets in there and they still offer pretty good foot protection. I also like them because you can wear a neoprene sock if the water is cold. They also stay on your foot if you get stuck in quicksand. I have done a 40 mile hike where you're pretty much in a muddy stream and quick sand the whole way.

Their traction is really poor in my opinion. They tend to be more slippery than other types of footwear I have worn, even if I am not on a wet surface.

I used the Vibram Five Fingers for a while, but they will fill up with sand that gets annoying and you can't slosh it out.

I have a pair of Chaco sandals that I use if on good trails. I don't like them if doing river crossings on dirt trails, your feet get covered in sand and grit. I also don't like them off trail because they don't offer foot protection. In Arizona everything bites, has stingers, and/or has serious thorns and is pissed off. I do climbing approaches a lot in my Chacos, but only if the trails are good.

John...

Chacos are super heavy. I love my Tevas though.

+1 for tevas!

My thought and experience. I love my chacos and use to wear the for approaches in the red all the time. I was at a cliff though and was involved helping carry someone on a litter out from a fall. Really haven't approached in chacos since. will bring them to the cliff with me though. It can be hard to carry a litter with normal shoes let alone chacos. Just my 2 cents.

Yeah, I'll add that whilst I've hiked 8-10 mile routes in chacos before, I had substantial regular time in them before hand so my feet toughened up to any hot spots that were there. I still use them for short stuff and by the end of summer will probably be doing long hikes in them again, but currently my feet are soft after a winter of sock wearing. I have used them for river and stream crossings before though, and being just rubber and webbing, they dry very quickly. They are, however, heavy. The chaco flops are much lighter. I really like those but often forget to take them cragging.

Thanks for all the advice. I primarily wanted to get a pair for going through the Narrows in Zion and future walks/hikes that end up getting shoes wet. I hate the feeling of wet closed toe shoes/my approach shoes with socks on. I already have flip flops which I've used plenty of times through water/creeks but got tired of them slipping easily and needing to use my toes to pinch them to keep them on.

Hey Jan!

I wore these for years, for everything: approaches, rivers, trekking through morraine fields to glaciers, ~5 mile trail runs. Usually without socks, to escape the clammy-toe feel.

David Lyons wrote:Hey Jan! I wore these for years, for everything: approaches, rivers, trekking through morraine fields to glaciers, ~5 mile trail runs. Usually without socks, to escape the clammy-toe feel.

tevas
much cheaper than chacos, very simple design, not as heavy/clunky as chacos, but they can get smelly. fix this by wearing socks with them

Keens are made for the narrows, except for all those damn cobbles.

+1 on the Keens. I found them comfortable and sticky (jtree scrambling) for a sandal. True it is harder to get the pebbles out but they knock off easy when you want them to. Never stink and if a concern; rinse 'em. Great protection, good airflow and sticky as an approach shoe.

Rainbows! don't dry as fast as a rubber shoe, but they are the most comfortable shit around. They're my normal approach shoe.

I have tried Keens and Chacos, both were to heavy or bulky for me. I have been using Luna's for a few years now and they blow other sandals out of the water.

They are light, comfy like flip flops, but perform like a shoe for running and hiking. You can fold them up back-to-back and tuck them into the wasteband of your harness. While tucked into your harness it gives you extra back support at hanging belays, but are almost unnoticeable while climbing.

These are my favorites, super light @ 5.6oz, and comfy enough for several mile approaches or walkoffs.
lunasandals.com/collections…

+1 for Luna's. They have different sole thicknesses to choose from. I have the venado but the mono might be perfect for you. I love that it feels like you're barefoot, but protects your feet. Anywhere another sandal type footwear would work I think these work better. People run marathons and do thru hikes in em. Plus, wearing minimalist sandals only helps strengthen feet for climbing!

Good luck in the search!

Patrick Gillespie wrote:Rainbows! don't dry as fast as a rubber shoe, but they are the most comfortable shit around. They're my normal approach shoe.

Another vote for Chacos.