When people typically think of Chacos any more they either think about the tons of college kids that wear them around campus, or a really outdoorsy hipster. I was truly stand offish at first from getting a pair of Chaco sandals because I didn't want to be like every girl on campus that just wore them around campus and that was it. Never using them for their true purpose. I slowly had my mind changed.
I used to be one of those people who didn't care about what was on my feet when hiking the trails at my local state park. I know the trails by heart enough to wear cheap flip flops when I was in my teens when I hiked. When I turned seventeen I started having problems wearing cheap flip flops with my high arch. That's when my dad and step mom got me a pair of Nike memory foam flip flops. I loved those things to death to the point when I finally threw them away in 2016 they had huge holes in the foot beds and memory foam had disappeared. That's when I got my second pair of Nike memory foam flip flops but I was not impressed with these as much. Within a year they had worn out.
I wear through shoes pretty easily. I get a pair, wear them everywhere, and wait until they wear out to get another pair. I'm a person who hates wearing regular shoes in the summer, and as soon as spring hits I have some sort of flip flop or sandal on. So when the last pair of Nike flip flops were worn I wanted to get a pair of sandals/flip flops that would last me a long time.
I had heard about Chacos from a friend from high school. He wore his Chaco sandals while at the canoe livery when he was in and out of the river hoisting canoes out and putting them on the trailer. Those pair of Chacos lasted him four years before they started to really look worse for wear. During my senior year of college one of my environmental friends had a pair on. I was talking to her about it and she was telling me how she had a high arch and the sandals actually supported it. So I looked into them more. I found myself at an outdoor store trying them on, and was impressed by the fit but not by the price. A hundred dollars for a pair of sandals was not appealing to me at the time.
As time went on I was still skeptical about the Chaco brand, but kept my eyes peeled for a pair that was cheaper. Then one day at Cabelas in their bargain cove there it was. A pair of Chaco sandals, the only pair in the bargain cove, in my size. It was fate. They were marked down to fifty dollars, and my boyfriend told me that I should just get them because I've been thinking about a pair of Chacos any way.
That was almost two years ago. Since then they have been with me EVERYWHERE. When I was an outdoor educator they were a great shoe for when you were off duty and wanted out of the hiking shoes you've been wearing all day. The one camp I worked at a lot of the outdoor educators would wear Chacos in the evenings at the camp fire with the kids. They also were great for in the dorm at the outdoor school because no matter how many times those girls would sweep that floor it was still disgusting.
They've been on every camping trip with me since I've bought them. I've used them as shower shoes. They are great for just walking around camp while eating breakfast, or having a camp fire. I've used them to leisurely stroll from shop to shop. Heck I've taken little hikes in them as well.
They have been on my feet every time I step into a boat or kayak since I've bought them. They are always in and out of the water when out and about in a boat. I use them to go wading in my local rivers, and have even used them to go wading in the streams of the Great Smoky Mountains. I've learned how to have sure footing in a river over the years, but the tread is amazing for those slick spots as well. They've been an amazing water shoe, and even a hiking shoe when not wanting to put on your hiking boots for little hikes.
How are the holding up you may ask? They look brand new still. The straps have not frayed, the tread is still there, and the foot bed still looks like new. I've been so impressed with these shoes that when we found another pair discounted at Cabelas in my boyfriend's size we ended up getting him those. He had Columbia sandals before that, and they didn't seem to fit as well. They always wanted to catch the ground when he walked, and he started to get discouraged with them when it kept happening. With Chacos he's got a great fit and wears them when he can. We even wore our Chacos a lot on our last Tennessee trip.
I have been very happy to join the Chaco Nation, and am impressed by the company itself. They have a repair shop where you can send your Chacos in to get straps or soles replaced for anywhere from ten to twenty dollars. If you want to get another pair they always have pairs on sale. Even places like REI and Cabelas have pairs on sale most times.
The only complaint I will ever have about my Chacos is that if you were in the water and you get out and have a walk to your car sometimes the heal strap rubs you raw. I had a kid at my summer camp that it happened to when we would go to the stream and hike back. But that is the only thing I have to complain about these shoes.
Other than that I am very happy with my Chaco sandals, and will wear this pair out until there is nothing left. Here's to the many more adventures in my Chacos, and to the adventures you will have in yours.
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