ChacoMen's Z1 Classic Outdoor Sandal

I bought these for a trip to Europe. I have never owned a pair before this trip. I wore them for a week before we left to make sure they didn’t bother my feet and they did great. Straps are easy to adjust. While in Europe I walked over 110 in 11 days. Switching off between these tennis shoes. I love them!! I have been wearing multiple times a week even to work.

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.

First pair owned. True to size. Super comfy. Durable quality.

We love chacos and have many pairs, they're always great. The shoes are fine but they came with no shoe box and no tags.

Comparing Z1s: Latest vs Older VersionI’ve had Chaco flip-flops (my 2nd one is now in its 10th year – easily one of my favourite pieces of footwear and I’ve gifted these to family as well), and older version Z1 and Z2 bought in the mid-2000s (each lasted about 7 years). I very much liked the Z1s of the past but always felt it cumbersome to wearit due to its weight. With usage, the footbed got harder and my feet felt sorer.This current 2024 version of the Z1, which I’ve used for 6 months, is quite different. It’s much lighter, and the footbed is not only comfortable but super cushiony. It’s almost a pleasure to walk in it. I’ve not gone on any long hard hikes. Only light hikes, rough pebbled roads and mostly city walking, and it is excellent – I much prefer it to the version of 10-15 years ago. I can’t say for sure how it will do on tough hikes, so I’ll leave that review to the pros.The other difference I saw was the strap is much longer on my bigger feet (so needs to be tucked in or it will dangle – minor annoyance). The heel area is also smaller, so it’s a tighter fit around the heel only, possibly an improvement than the older version.I’ll update this review as the years progress to see how it holds up. For now, this gets a full 5-star rating.

When I first started using these, I got a pain in my feet after a day of usage; I was not used to this type. After 3-4 painful wears, my wife pointed out that I was lacing them too hard, I left a space each time and the pain was gone, I can wear them now all day long and it's very comfortable. They have an awesome build.