Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Chaco Z2 Sandals > Marie-Noelle Augendre > Initial Report

Chaco Z/2 Sandals - Initial Report
May 16,2005

Reviewer information

Product information

	The Chaco Z/2 Sandals arrived in a nice shoe box, illustrated with several drawings of  the sandals, and the instructions to fit both Z/1 and Z/2 sandals printed on the flap. The sandals were simply put in the box, and came with a Z-Card leaflet (sheet of paper folding between two cards, the size of a credit card) in 5 languages (English, French, German, Spanish and Japan).

First impressions 1) They're nice! Well, look like exactly what I chose on the Chaco website: same look and color. Precisely what I expected! The upper sole is smooth with a kind of checkered design all over its surface; light blue and green webbing strap and, of course, the well-known Vibram sole. The leaflet is not dedicated to the Z/2 model (Z/1, Flip, Dipthong and Zong models are featured too), but it provides all the required information for the user to get a good fit, take care and clean the sandals, and have them resoled and repaired (which I hope won't be necessary during the test period).

	2) Hum, not very light... That was my very first thought as I took them of the box, so I put them straight on my kitchen scale: 27.1 oz (780 g) is certainly not very light, compared to other sandals I've used. On the other hand, the Vibram sole could be enough of an asset  to compensate for the additional weight... This I'll have to see in the field.

3) How does it work? Well, it looks a bit more sophisticated than the other sandals I've used before. Let's see: there is only one webbing strap, that : starts from inside the ankle cross over to the outside of the foot and go through the sole exit outside of the big toe joint skirt around the toe and go inside the sole again exit from the sole beside the big toe cross backward over the feet and inside the sole for the third (and last) time exit from the sole around the middle of the foot to go through the closing buckle No hook-and-loop in this design, which features only one classic plastic buckle.

	4) The very first outing I put them on that first evening to go to the pictures (10 minutes walking). I had to fight them a bit to reach an approximate fit. Of course, the logical order must be followed, in order to bring the remaining slack back to the buckle; but it's easier said than done: for me, at least, it's not intuitive at first sight. Moreover, during the performance, my feet began to swell; I quickly gave up to make the required adjustments in the darkness of the auditorium, and waited for the end of the session before setting it right again. Obviously, it will take me a little time to become entirely confident with the system.

Testing plan

Features I will specifically look for:

1) Fit and comfort:

I expect these shoes to be very comfortable when hiking, without rubbing or hot spots, and with great breathability. I hope they’ll provide good enough protection on the trail, as I tend to bump on rocks and roots quite often when I don’t pay attention. Their open design should be an asset in regard to the many bits and pieces that forever tend to get into hikers shoes; I expect gravel, pebble, pine needles and so on will find their own way back to the trail, and I won’t have to take off the shoes very often to get rid of them. The sandals will get wet a number of times, when crossing streams or splashing about; I hope they’ll stay comfortable and dry quickly, without bringing any injury to my feet. I noticed the arch shank is said to provide “extra support and stability”, and hope this will be enough to prevent any fatigue due to the lack of a customized insole.

2) Walking ability:

As their primary usage will be hiking and backpacking, I expect these shoes to provide good traction on whatever ground I might encounter during my outings; these comprise dirt, mud, slippery rocks, etc. Well, I don’t expect snow, nor ice, however ! I’m very curious to try the “lively ground feel” and the “energy transfer from heel to toe”, and see in which way it differs from other sandals I’ve used in the past.

3) Durability:

I’ll expect the shoes to bear with the whole six-month test period without any major failure. During this time, I’ll be sure to pay attention to any possible wearing sign: seam loosening, fabric ripping, outsole wearing out, etc.

4) Maintenance:

During the whole testing period, I’ll be looking after the sandals with respect to the instruction provided in the leaflet: machine-wash them in a mesh bag on a regular basis and air dry. In the mean time, I hope they’ll remain unstained and odorless, and won’t show any excessive wearing signs.

Chaco recommends  to use a diluted solution or Armor-All to keep the straps sliding smoothly in the sole; if I don't find this particular brand in France, I'm confident I could find some similar product; however, I've already been warned against possible skin irritations, something I'll be sure to monitor closely.

Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Chaco Z2 Sandals > Marie-Noelle Augendre > Initial Report