Chaco ZX/2 Colorado Window Pane Sandal $125, chacos.com

If you love being able to go from the outdoors into the city with the same footwear, or if you hate shoes and live in sandals, Chaco has an answer. Part of Chaco ZX/2 Colorado is rugged enough to take trekking through rivers, comfortable enough to be lived in all summer, and yet versatile enough to be worn by both the mountain man/woman and the trendy/hipster city go-er.

- editor’s note: I don’t advocate hipsterism in any way, shape, or form. The very mention of them in my website offends me, but I’ll let it slide here. - Billy

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Chaco brought out “From the Vault” the ZX/2 Colorado. For this milestone, these vintage favorites were specially made right here in the U. S. of A. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve worn a pair of sandals that can be paired with both a trail and a skirt. With the brightly colored Window Pane web design, these sandals will go from hiking to shopping to a night out quite easily. These sandals will go with a significant amount of my wardrobe, which, at least for me, is a big deal!

To see how much my Chacos could take, we checked out some water testing grounds. Up in Whiskey Town wilderness we found the perfect creek to trek down. The ever popular Colorado outsole had awesome grip on the slippery rocks and were firm underfoot, even under water. I’ve hiked though creeks and streams in various flip flops and strap sandals and none even come close to how sturdy these Chacos performed. Credit must go where credit is due: the double-strapped polyester jacquard webbing weaves around your foot and toe, securing it for optimal adventure. It’s no wonder every river raft guide I know recommends these.

I would love to call this footwear low profile, but I’d be lying. With a serious foot bed, the ZX/2 are obvious and bulky. If you’re looking for something a bit gentler on the looks, I suggest checking out a few other varieties such as their Addison Flip or their Royal sandal. The other piece to keep in mind with these particular Chacos is their LUVSEAT midsole may take some breaking in. I have a bit of rub on one foot which is slowly decreasing the more I wear them. I would suggest making sure they are thoroughly comfortable before taking them on any extended trail hiking. Water adventuring, however, caused no problems.

While any given pair of sandals will eventually fall apart on you, you can keep your Chacos forever (Hallelujah). The company has a ReChaco department where you can send your sandals to be repaired, re-webbed, and re-soled. This company is taking the idea of being less wasteful back to the basics.