Chaco Mens Z/1 Classic, Outdoor Sandal, Black 10 M

This is my first pair of Chaco's. Somehow I always overlooked these in the store. I bought this sandal to wear hiking in the Rockies. It was a good choice. They do hold on to your feet at a steep edge. I was descending on terrain I would not normally attempt in sandals. The straps held my feet without slipping and felt secure. I had at first thought I made a mistake wearing these hiking but after reaching the bottom I was confident that they would work for a hike in the mountains. A big advantage wearing these sandals is that your feet stay cool. In hiking boots my feet get hot.The adjustment strap is a bit long but in my case it does not touch the ground. I found it helpful to have the longer strap. I could tighten the strap quickly when climbing and loosen it afterwards for walking on flat ground. I like the snug fit when climbing but prefer a little looser when walking on a flat trail.Walking on a wet surface had the same grip feeling as wearing a hiking boot. The bottom of the sandal does look like a hiking boot sole.I measured the weight of each sandal and oddly one weighs more than the other. The left sandal was 11.2 oz and the right sandal was 14.2oz. This is for size 9.I also purchased the Chaco mega Z cloud and it too had different weighting per sandal. And the right sandal was the heavier one. Must be a manufacturing issue. I don't notice the weight difference when on my feetThe straps didn't cause and irritation at all. I wore them on several short walks before hiking a longer trail. But I have been wearing sandals all day for 6 months or so and that might have prepared my feet for these straps.After about 1 day I started to feel like the heal was too narrow. I ordered the medium width which is my normal width. I stopped at a local shop and tried on a wide version of the same sandal and the heal was wider but it felt too wide, too much sliding around in the heel.. My foot had a bit of movement that I thought was too much. After experiencing steep terrain I am glad I kept the medium width, you need a snug fit to walk a steep incline. Any movement can throw your balance off.The width feeling was due to the cup at the heal of the sandal. Most sandals are shaped at the heal. However these sandals have a heel cup which has a different feel but it is what makes it possible to walk a rocky steep trail while holding your foot stable.The foot arch of the sandal is high. Much more arch than any other sandal I have seen. And my foot does well after walking in them for several hours. I feel the arch is really helpful.Summary, feels like wearing a hiking boot. Highly recommend for trail use or walking in general. I feel confident the straps will not break easily and I should get some indication when they wear out. I have had other high quality sandals look ok but suddenly snap while wearing them. Not great when a few miles out. I typically walk around 5 miles on a walk using these sandals. No issues wearing them. I have walked around 10+ miles in theses sandals and no issues to report yet.After wearing these sandals for a month or so I have found them incredible. I prefer these over any other sandal or shoe for walking. There are nicer looking sandals but not as comfortable or as good of traction as these.

I wanted a pair of good, sturdy, and supportive sandals, and these are definitely all that. They are heavier than I expected, but I’ve gotten used to that, and I’ve really come to appreciate the support I feel under my arches. The more I wear them, the more I get used to them, and the more I am enjoying them. Happy with this purchase 👍

The seller (Backcountry) and Manufacturer (Chacos) were both great and super helpful. This is my first pair of Chacos and the sizing can be confusing (for 1/2 size ppl at least), as well as knowing the style you want. I tend to overthink, especially when buying something that I'll be walking on/in for years. Had I known more, I would have had it all figured out (size/style) before ordering online, but these were a great deal/price, so I jumped at it and then tried to make sure I'd bought the right thing. I'm a 9.5 normally, so I didn't know whether to get a 9 or a 10 since Chacos only comes in whole sizes. Chacos blog says to size up, so I bought the 10. When I got them, they SEEMED a bit large, so I got spooked and went online for advice (probably my mistake, ha). Lots of reviews say to size down (I'm panicking), although some more "scientific" articles/reviews said to use a Brannock device to measure Arch length, as that is the most important factor (more confused). I emailed Chacos support, who told me to ignore their blog and size down (major panic now). I literally boxed them up for return (sadly), but decided to make a trip to my local outdoor store for one last, in-person recommendation. I'm glad I did. I tried on 9s and 10s, in multiple styles (toe loop, no toe loop, classic, VOLV) and measured my arch lenth (turns out it's a 10). The conclusion was that, althought the 9 appeared to fit my overall foot size slightly better (the 10 has some extra footbed at the toe), the 10s felt/feel WAY more comfortable and fit my arch perfectly. I jumped right in (again, maybe not smart) and wore them to two, all-day events last weekend (8 and 10 hours respectively, with LOTS of walking and standing) and they are fantastic. Super comfortable, no blisters, chafing, or any issues (besides dusty feet and a weird tan). FWIW, I didn't realize that most ppl wear them pretty darn loose compared to what I thought I'd wear them, which also helped with what I was concerned would be too much "excess strap" after pulling them tight. Anyway -- moral of the story is to GO TO A STORE WITH A KNOWLEDGABLE SALESPERSON THAT YOU TRUST and get properly sized for Chacos and choose the style you like (toe strap/no strap) best BEFORE ordering online. If it's a place you shop at regularly, they'll be happy to help you (hopefully), or just tell them you are putting them on your birthday/holiday list for someone else to buy so you just need sized correctly (haha). If you get the right style and size, Chacos are excellent.

I see so many Chaco fans in comments. I’ve had them now for a month or so, and honestly? Meh. Arch support isn’t bad but not comfortable for me and I tend to be more flat footed than normal. My feet had to adjust to the low arches, the shoes didn’t adjust to me. And my biggest gripe is the weight. They’re sandals, meant for beach travel and easy to carryon but they literally are heavy as steelbelted tire materials. Erm…. I should also have bought half a size smaller. They fit fine but look half a size larger than they should. I know I sound negative but they’re alright. I wouldn’t buy them unless on deep sale though. They really need to rework the sole material to make them lighter while keeping the same durability, and they should consider alternate weaving methods for the straps that don’t feel so scratchy and likely to cause chafes. Aren’t these just common sense improvements? Why/how does a company last for so long and not improve such glaring faults? Add a bit more arch support and more air channels on insole portion to wick out moisture. Do a bit more quality control to standardize the weight of the shoes so you don’t have reviewers showing weight of the shoes on scales being totally different between right and left. Duh. So many ways these sandals could be improved. It tells me the company is either lazy, greedy or incapable of growth or improvement.