Chaco Mens Z/1 Classic Outdoor Sandal Review

I love the color scheme and they feel great on my feet. They should last a long time like the other chacos I’ve owned. True to size. Straps are easy to adjust.

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 👍

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.

I highly recommend these sandals for their comfort, style and durability. I live at the beach, and because of chronic plantar fasciitis, I need a sandal or water shoe that has excellent arch support. Hard to find. The New Balance Recharge was a perfect choice. But since they've been discontinued, I gave these Chacos a try. I wasn't disappointed. No two feet are the same, but had good luck with these sandals.