Reviewer Information

• Name: Cora Hussey
• Age: 24
• Gender: Female
• Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
• Weight: 150 lb (70 kg)
• Email address: cahhmc "at" yahoo "dot" com
• Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
• Date: June 12, 2004

Basic Product Information

• Manufacturer: Source-Vagabond Systems
• Year of Manufacture: 2003
• URL: http://www.source-vagabond.com/
• Listed weight: Unknown
• Weight after use in this review: 11.5 oz (325 g) each, 23 oz (650 g) per pair
• Size: 42 EU (US Men's 9)
• Currently available only in Men's sizes 40-46 EU (sizes 7-12 US)
• I usually wear a US 9.5 (EU 42.5 or 43), but these fit well and are on the larger side
• MSRP: $90 USD

Product Description and Field Experience

Experience

I have worn the sandals day in and day out for about a half year now. They have encountered a variety of conditions. I have worn them in both wet and dry conditions, sandy and packed, and over day-to-day use. I have worn them all over Southern California and Arizona, mostly around my local scrambling areas in the Angeles National Forest and at the beach. They also became my standard footwear, so I wear them while walking to and from my daily activities around the city. They have seen temperatures from around 50 F to 100 F (10 C to 38 C), and have mostly been used on day hikes and scrambles with day packs weighing around 5 - 15 lb (2 - 7 kg). I have not backpacked with significant weight with these sandals, but they have seen some serious scrambling and traversing in many conditions.

As another note, I have found sandals hard to compare. They are pretty personal in fit, closure type, adjustment type, and comfort. But, (a) I have used a lot of pairs of sandals, (b) I am pretty picky about my sandals, and so far the Zambezis have performed very well. Over my life, I have tried half a dozen different sandals from an equally diverse number of brands, and so when I compare rubbers and fit and comfort, it is against these previous sandal experiences.

Overall Impressions

First of all, let me make one thing clear. I knew nothing about these sandals when I bought them. At the time, their website was unhelpful, and no retailer in my area carried them. However, six months ago I could no longer ignore the fact my older and much more well-known brand (in the USA, at least) of cinch-strap sandals finally needed a resoling. Honestly, if you had asked me then, I would have said I would be writing this review on those other sandals, as they had served me well.

But, I found the Zambezi sandals on sale online for a pittance and purchased them on a whim for interim use while I got my trusty other sandals re-soled. And, to put it shortly, my old pair have not yet returned to my feet. The Zambezi sandals, on the other hand -- from a company I had never even heard of -- blew my hair back. They're a solid pair of sandals!

Opinions by Feature

For each advertised point on the web page, I will present it word-for-word in italics and then present what it refers to on the sandal in more normal non-marketing terms. I will also present pictures, more description, and my opinions from field use.

• "Unique Wet-Cross Non-Velcro strap system (patent pending) secures foot with one tug"

  This refers to the Z-type strap which can be tightened with a ladderlock buckle. The buckle is on the outside of each ankle, and tightens across the ankle, at an angle over the top of the foot, and more directly across the toes. It tightens easily, stays put, and the buckles have held up to my abuse with flying colors so far. The picture to the left shows the Wet-Cross system. When I pull on the strap at the bottom right of the picture, the single strap tightens from the toe, over the top of my foot, over my ankle, and to the buckle. The middle strap (the one that goes over my foot) is under the other two. I've found that this allows me to tighten the toe more by hand, and it stays because the toe strap sits on the middle strap and holds the tension that way.

• "Non-slip rubber sole sticky in wet conditions with 3 times the abrasion resistance of competitor sandals" and
  "Bottom sole: Super sticky A.R.T2 rubber compound"

  I have found the sole to be reasonably sticky. I would certainly not put it in the realm of climbing shoe rubber stickiness (which is what the terms 'super sticky' implies to me), but compared to my other sandal experiences, it is quite sticky for how hard it is. To my knowledge, it has not marked any surface that I've walked on. I have found the treads to work especially well in sand and on sandy rock, which I have been most impressed with. The traction on wet rock is also actually pretty good compared to most sandals. The A.R.T2 rubber itself feels pretty hard, so I was dubious that it would be sticky in wet conditions, but it has been.

  One might also notice the green dot in the middle of the red stripe. According to their website and included hang tags, Source guarantees their sandals until the spot wears off. I am not sure what happens to the guarantee (can they be resoled, perhaps?) when the green dot wears off. The website provides an estimate of two years until the dot wears off.

• "Additional lateral support ensures stability"

  I am not exactly sure what this refers to, but perhaps it has to do with the fact that the sole attempts to be ergonomic. The arch is pronounced, and the heel has a cup. However, it might refer to the fact that a piece of webbing and padding runs down the lateral side of the foot. This I have liked a lot, since some sandals I have used let my foot squirt out of the lateral side of the sandal and I have trouble keeping my foot on the sandal while traversing or the like. Not so here. The picture to the left shows the strap and padding on the lateral side of my foot. I really like this feature.

• "Rubber inserts on the foot bed for exceptional long lasting grip and ventilation with antimicrobial agent that ensures no sandal stink" and
  "Top-sole inserts: Hi grip A.R.T1 rubber compound with antimicrobial agent" and
  "Mid sole: Impact absorbing molded EVA with antimicrobial agent"

  The picture on the left shows these A.R.T1 inserts. They are the black pads on the top of the midsole (the heel A.R.T1 pad has a red SOURCE in the middle). These rubber pads are fairly useful. Their consistency is somewhat like that of neoprene, but much harder. For me, these pads add a great deal of both comfort and stability. My other favorite sandals have a strap that goes over my big toe (which I like a lot for stability). On these Zambezis, the A.R.T1 pad under my big toe seems to do almost as well as the strap in terms of stability, but without the discomfort. It simply gives my toe something soft to stick to when it needs to. My heel also sticks really well with the big patch of A.R.T1 rubber under it, however, sometimes it squirts out under the lateral strap discussed above on steeper traverses.

  The one thing that worries me is that the tiny bumps and ridges on the A.R.T1 pads have already begun to wear away. You can probably see the smooth area of worn away ridges in the middle pad opposite the arch. The softness of the rubber makes the sandals very comfortable, but I worry about the durability.

  The light gray areas of the top sole are the EVA molded midsole, I believe. It is soft and comfortable, but has not been scratched at all from bushwhacking, rock hopping, and tons of other abrasive conditions. The EVA feels nice on my feet because it has adequate arch support and ridges for support. One thing I do not like is that the ridges in the EVA collect dirt, which can also be seen in the picture above even though I just cleaned the sandals a few weeks ago. On the plus side, the sandals have yet to smell, and I have smelly feet! The lack of smell is probably also because all the ridges let air in and my feet have yet to feel clammy, even in warmer weather. Another disadvantage is that the midsole does not curve up enough to protect my toes very much. Instead, my toes sort of hang out and fend for themselves. Fortunately, over many years of sandal wearing I have learned to try not to bash my toes everywhere, and so the relatively flat molding has not been much of a problem (especially since almost all the other pairs of sandals I've used have been flat too).

• "Polypropylene tubular webbings" and
  "Straps: Soft and Fast-Drying" and
  "Pads: Sweat management Drilex lining, high-grade 3mm PE close cell and durable 2tone PES fabric"

  The pictures to the left show the straps and pads. One thing I like is that the straps are 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, and they do not dig into my feet like thinner straps on some other sandals of mine do. One thing I do not like as much is that the color strap that I chose seems to be only in the heel strap, when I expected to have a bit more color. But, I've never been very aesthetically concerned about my gear, so it does not bother me much. You can see that the padding is only on the heel and toe straps, and across the lateral side of the foot connecting toe and heel.

  Here is a lateral view. The back of the heel strap has a pull tab which I never use. You can clearly see the bottom ridged sole and the EVA midsole separation in this picture and the picture above. Unfortunately, the heel and toe straps are anchored to the sandal. The toe strap can adjust via hook-and-loop (see the picture below) but the heel strap cannot. The Wet-Cross attachments, however, can slide toward or away from the heel along the pink and blue strap.

  Here is a close-up of the toe pads head on. The two pads rest over each other, and are somewhat held in place by hook-and-loop. The hook and loop is not really enough to keep closed all on its own, but it does a great job of preventing the pads from sliding around on one another when the Wet-Cross straps are tightened. The skin-side of the pads is a very soft and almost fuzzy kind of fabric, and the outside is a rough crosshatch type of fabric. In-between is stiff foam.

  Overall, the strapping system makes these sandals great, in my opinion. Combined with the Wet-Cross system above which I really like, the pads and wide webbing add a lot of comfort. The fuzzy pad lining has not pilled up or torn. The foam was thin to begin with, but has not felt compressed or overtaxed. And the fabrics on the pads have not gummed or grimed up, even though I've walked through some dirty and muddy places. Somehow, the pads add a lot of comfort without bringing all the things I don't like about sandal padding (usually they end up being nothing but stinky muck collectors). I have never gotten a single blister or hot spot from these sandals. In fact, I often put the sandals on over my trashed and sometimes blistered feet on a backpacking trip, and they feel oh-so-nice. (And, the padding does not even absorb that ooze!) However, the padding does collect pointy barbed plant seeds such as foxtails and wild oats. Not in excessive amounts, but enough to commit me for ten minutes to pulling them out after a day of heavy bushwhacking in such foliage.

  When wet, the sandals take about three hours to dry while wearing them around in the sun, but they feel fine when wet. However, the straps (like most other sandal straps I've used) have a little bit of give in them when wet. And, I like my sandals tight when hopping and scrambling. Combine these two items, and I can't quite tighten them enough when wet. It is a minor point, and probably just means I should size down for my next pair.

Putting Them On

Putting them on is easy. I loosen the ladderlock buckle (usually it was loose from the last time I took them off), slide my foot under all the straps, and pull the end of the strap to tighten the buckle again. After wearing my previous sandals with cinch-type closures, I told myself I would never go back to hook-and-loop closures on sandals again -- I personally think the cinch-closure is much simpler, easier, and more durable since hook and loop tends to get fuzzy toward the end of the lives of the sandals.

The Company

Although usually not an item to comment on, I have also been quite impressed with the company ethics and concentration. The sandals did not have a (somewhat wasteful) shoe box, rather, they came in a zipper fabric bag which I now store my juggling balls in. Their information on their website advertises their ecological concerns, and how they work with materials to use every bit possible. Unfortunately, Source-Vagabond Systems is rather hard to find in the USA, and is sometimes labeled as Cima Sports, their distributor, rather than as Source or Source-Vagabond. I had trouble finding any information at all about the company, or about other retailers after purchasing my sandals. Hopefully this will not be an issue when the time comes to re-sole or maintain them, but the sandals have been awesome so far and thus I am optimistic.

Summary

The Zambezi sandals have been trustworthy companions. I initially bought them to use as a spare pair, but they have shone and performed above and beyond my expectations. They are by far the most comfortable sandals I have worn, and their traction is nothing to be sniffed at either. They have given me the convenience of a cinch-style adjustment with lots of great cushioning and performance.

Upsides for me:

• Cinch-style strap design feels secure
• Soles have good traction on wet or dry rock, and great traction in sandy areas
• Foot-layer rubber pads prevent foot slippage
• Super comfortable

• Dirt collects in channels on top of midsole
• My low-volume feet flop a tiny bit when webbing stretches
• Distribution in the USA is limited and confusing

Read more reviews of Source-Vagabond gear
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Reviews > Footwear > Sandals > Source Zambezi Sandals > Owner Review by Cora Hussey