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I’m after some sandals for beach holiday abroad. Comfortable to walk around in when not on the beach but easy to get on and off. Don’t need to be worn in the sea. Definitely no flip flop style, need to stay in place while walking normally and wearable for the odd day oot ‘n aboot. I see Merrell and Birkenstock advertised and they are brands I at least recognise but no idea if they’re actually any good…
Recommendations pls … ta.
Teva Terra Fi are great for hiking and general wear, about heavy as they have a proper sole on them. Three velcro straps so you can get a nice for but only the one on the ankle needs undoong to take them off! They do some simpler, lighter models too.
Birkenstocks are stylish, smell free and comfortable. I’m currently in Spain and, apart from cycling shoes, they are all I’m wearing the whole time I’m away. They last for years and just get more comfy as they get older.
I have a pair of Birkenstock two strap sandles and a pair of old school leather tevas. The Birkenstock are great, very comfortable and stay on although if I was going somewhere properly rough or on a decent off road walk that involved running for a bus, I would wear the tevas
I am an 8.5 but my Birkenstock are a 41 so if you can try on before you buy that might be useful.
I just had them resoled so they are good as new but already broken in, double win
They pass as loungewear or smart casual for me so versatile for a sunny holiday
Another Birkenstock vote. My sandal of choice for decades now: Arizona for general house or light use and Milano with the heel strap for walking around towns/cities/etc
I am an 8.5 but my Birkenstock are a 41 so if you can try on before you buy that might be useful.
Ha, same foot size as me and same Birk size i buy... reassuring as I always wondered if it was just me who had to size down so much
Looks like I need to be quick a a lot of sizes are out of stock. So size down in the Birkenstock is the recommendation?
Teva! Accept no substitutes. I have a pair that I bought in Los Angeles, that are very comfortable, have very little wear on the sole, and when I bought them, they weren’t available in the U.K. as far as I’m aware. They’re 34 years old.
very little wear on the sole, and when I bought them, they weren’t available in the U.K. as far as I’m aware. They’re 34 years old.
Do you ever wear them to have them last that long?
Teva and Merrell are both great. Plastic Birkenstocks are cheaper than proper Birkenstocks and great if you're getting them wet. Ecco also make fantastically comfortable sandals but are more expensive than Merrell and Teva.
Birkenstocks all the way. They last a long time too.
Arizona and Boston here, they do two fittings, narrow and regular - the regular are the ones I get but theyre close to being a wide fitting
i didn’t size down and they fit perfectly and they’re - for a sandal - reasonably stylish. They’re all I wear during the summer.
You can usually find them on sale all over the net.
The Birkinstock website size guide is very good - you measure length and width and it brings up your perfect size
Walking sandals, the cheapest from Decathlon (520gm in 42), I've walked 1000s of km in them over all sorts of terrain. About 800km per pair then walking around at home till they fall off my feet. North Face also good. I try to avoid Chinese but have never found anything as light, comfortable and grippy as Decathlon:
I am an 8.5 but my Birkenstock are a 41 so if you can try on before you buy that might be useful.
I just had them resoled so they are good as new but already broken in, double win
They pass as loungewear or smart casual for me so versatile for a sunny holiday
I've a wide foot and regardless of width I normally a 45 or 46. 44 in Birkenstocks. Try before you buy - it used to be very easy to pick them up at a big discount, not so much these days.
They're not good in water. If you're actually hiking in them or in rivers Teva or similar (but you can get away with wearing Birks to a smart occasion, whereas Teva/merrel/Keen not so much)
Just to be contrarian, I found Birkenstocks to be the least comfortable shoes I've ever had (taking the crown from the Doc Marten shoes I bought for work). I think I have odd shaped feet, which might not help.
I also tried some Xero Aqua Cloud but the adjustment danglers are super annoying and I haven't worked out what to do with them.
A recent joiner of the Birkenstock bandwagon after years or wearing whatever branded / non branded plastic / rubber soled / webbing sandals like North Face, Regatta, Teva, Columbia, Mountain Warehouse whatever.
I got the lowest cost Birkenstock Arizonas (synthetic upper I think?). Initially a little disappointed but now they are wearing in and moulding to my feet I'm considering a second pair...
I've a wide foot and regardless of width I normally a 45 or 46. 44 in Birkenstocks.
Same - because with Birkenstocks you can actually get a wide fitting! Even if they do call it 'regular'.
I'm usually a 43 or 44, depending on brand. In Birkenstocks I take the wider 42 fitting.
OP - note that if you buy from the Birkenstock site, the options are 'regular' or 'narrow'. If you by from a normal shop, they usually only offer one option, which will be marked as 'regular', but it's invariably the 'narrow' fitting.
So best bet, as mentioned above, is to use the size guide on their site and measure up.
I had some Hi Tec ones that were cheap and comfy but by God they stank.
On some Clarks ones this year which is a sure sign of middle age.
If you by from a normal shop, they usually only offer one option, which will be marked as 'regular', but it's invariably the 'narrow' fitting.
Not in my experience. K and I have bought a few pairs of clogs and sandals each over the years. She takes narrow and has to see, them out. the 'regular' has always been the standard, wide, fitting
Decathlon here, just not the cheapest model.
Having worn (out) Decathlon sandals at every price point my favourites are the cheapest and simplest.
Another Birkenstock vote.
And another.
The Birkinstock website size guide is very good - you measure length and width and it brings up your perfect size
The Birkinstock website size guide is very good - you measure length and width and it brings up your perfect size
IME (and similarly others): The Birkenstock website size guide is very good - you measure length and width and it brings up a shoe which is slightly too big. IIRC it even says something like "if in doubt go bigger rather than smaller" - I'd suggest the opposite.
Are socks and sandals trendy yet?
Yup, brightly coloured and preferably mismatched.
ordered some Birkenstocks - thanks for the recommendations. I had to order 2 sizes as the helpful measurement tool suggested I was at the bottom end of the 9 so I ordered an 8 as well. 6 day lead time though so hopefully arrive before I go!!! Left it a bit late TBH. Completely forgot my 20 year old Timberlands has disintegrated a while back.
I rock merrell kahuna 3’s and addidas terrex both have proper walky type soles.
Not sure I’d want to do mega miles in either of them thou but that’s probably my soft southern feet.
Are socks and sandals trendy yet?
slides innit .
oddly I have some of the addidas blue with white stripes that I do use as slippers as slippers are meh.
Birkenstock for hanging out and civilized stuff. Keen for walking and rough/wet and hilly terrain.
I challenge the smell free statement above, my first pair of birks, now about a year old have definitely developed a whiff. They have been used heavily though and I do have very sweaty feet!
Comfort wise though, I've fallen hard for them, they are brilliant and I always enjoy slipping them on.
This thread is very light on piss taking, the general acceptance of the sandal is somewhat disturbing. Next thing will be tweed jackets and a trilby....
Merrells.
Excellent comfort and fit for my huge wide feet.
Just seen something very amusing in town walking in to get kebabs (in North Face sandals without socks). Some 16 year olds (from Madame Edukator's school in case you're wondering how I know their ages) were clearly in a hurry and running somewhere. The two wearing Birkenstocks were having trouble keeping up so whipped off the Birkenstocks and ran in socks. Three points: 1/ conventional sandals are faster 2/socks compensate for the failings of Birkenstocks 3/ they're the height of fashion to the point they've been banned at Madame Ed's school where anything trendy, sexy or political gets banned..
I challenge the smell free statement above, my first pair of birks, now about a year old have definitely developed a whiff. They have been used heavily though and I do have very sweaty feet!
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/cuticura-mildly-medicated-original-body-powder-250g
they've been banned at Madame Ed's school where anything trendy, sexy or political gets banned..
Just to be clear, which rule do these fall foul of?
No open shoes (without heel or toes), nothing too short (girls&boys) no football jerseys or football kit in general, no T-shirts with "**** off" or other such political messaging, no religious symbols, no Nazi haircuts. Thing is when there is no uniform you still need some kind of rules if you don't want a classroom full of Mbappé look alike boys, and girls that would look at home with a heel against the wall Rue St Denis.
Nice to see so much love for Birkies, they have been my summer shoe of choice for a couple of decades now. I even bought a silver pair to get married in. Sold the dress straight after, kept the shoes. My work pair do smell slightly though, they get worn a lot.
Do you ever wear them to have them last that long?
Of course I do, they’ve developed indentations in the top of the sole where my feet fit nicely. You have to remember, I may have bought them in Los Angeles, but I don’t live in Los Angeles, and there are plenty of places I go walking where Tevas wouldn’t be appropriate.
And that includes riding a mountain bike with flat pedals with pins.
I did have a pair of Shimano sandals with cleats, and the pedals to match.
I gave that up fairly quickly…
<blockquote>
<p><span>I challenge the smell free statement above, my first pair of birks, now about a year old have definitely developed a whiff.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>the unique birkenstench. </p>
Yeah leather ones are nice and look acceptable but for hiking somewhere I prefer my old Salomon's. They are a vented synthetic upper on a walking shoe sole. Comfy and supportive. But they stink. As in really stinky. Too smelly to be left in the bell of a tent. Best stored overnight under a vehicle.
Keen (Newport)
Fine for hiking at a significant level/distance of 'offroad ' and quick to get on and off at the beach ,if you leave them slack.
They are proper ugly,almost like wearing cornish pasties on your feet, and they stink (probably) as much as Yak's Salomons, but by eck they are comfy and have proper toe protection.
I am about to order another pair.
Keen (Newport)
Yes! I've never worn sandals since I was a kid. Do have some slides, but can't walk far in them, they're just for nipping in and out of the house. Hilarious to me what people are prepared to pay to have some "brand name" sandals.. do they really think they are stylish?!
But yeah, I saw those cornish pasty (Keen Yogui) things on SportPursuit, mind boggling that the RRP is £60!, they arrived yesterday. Look blimmin awful but nice n comfy 😀
i have some old school leather jesus creepers from Teva. They're well over 25 years old, and are still great. Sole is starting to go though - this may be the last summer.
Also have some birkenstock copies by Comfortfusse, off sportpursuit. Lovely decent leather, and very comfy.
Nice to see so much love for Birkies, they have been my summer shoe of choice for a couple of decades now.
Not to mention their slippers, which I am wearing now. Had the Milanos for walking but can't keep the Bostons on my feet for long. Narrow fitting is a godsend, as is the 270 (mm length foot) size, which is a 42 on their fitting. I like the lack of toe sun exposure. You only get sunburnt feet once.
I was out for a meal with my friend a couple of evenings ago, and the subject of sandals came up, and this thread. She has a pair of original Teva sandals like mine that are only a couple of years newer, and the soles are worn down, but not through. A good point she made is that Teva sandals are designed to be worn in water, fresh and salt, so dry quickly and are impervious to salt.
Sandals like Birkenstock tend to be leather and synthetics that can age and crack, which is why I go for Teva or similar brands with the same type of webbing construction, which I find is softer and more comfortable.
Once the sole gets too smooth I’ll probably get a new sole put on, there’s plenty of life in the foam footbed.
So far, I’ve never had my feet burn, unlike the top of my head, which is why I always wear a hat! 🥵
So I ordered two pairs of Birks (one a size down from the recommended as per advice here) and rather annoyingly what was in the box of the smaller pair was a different sandal to what was ordered - despite the box having the correct label. Even more annoyingly this is the pair that fitted better. Even more extra bloody annoyingly I now do not have enough time to order a pair that fit. Gone right off Birkenstock and won't be buying any now. I have however ordered some Keen open toe jobbies which will arrive tomorrow. Don't like the look of them nearly as much but CBA with Birkenstock's inability to offer next day delivery and the fact that they charge £6 for 5 day delivery anyway.
Keen.
I've been a dedicated keen sandal wearer for years. I swim in them, cycle in them, walk obviously in them.
They have a good toe box for cycling and all day walking. My version has a semi enclosed heel which I prefer