Chaco sandal backpacking. Experiences?

[Morpheus]

I'm hiking Amicalola to Tray mountain road; starting 4/21. Primarily using my well broken-in Sundowners with 35 lb. pack.
Originally, I was only bringing my light, Off-road Crocs for campsite wear.
Yep, buck-naked besides them! Just kidding. Simmer down.
Anyway, to make a long question/ manifesto short; does anybody here have experience with hiking full-pack, 10 miles, wearing Chaco sandals? I have several pair & even though I think they weigh 3 times more than the Crocs they have much more secure/ contoured fit. I'd kind of like to try them one day on the trail instead of my boots.
I'm not looking for sandal or clog or shoe or boot recommendations here
I'm looking for experiences wearing sandals with full-load. To those responding; I'm curious what weather, temperature, socks, duct tape, injuries you can enlighten me with.

[Johnny Swank]

I thru-hiked in Chacos without any real problems. Here's an article and review on Hiking in Sandals.

http://sourcetosea.net/wordpress/hiking-in-sandals/


*note that the URL may change as I'm in the middle of revamping the website. If that link doesn't work, you'll always be able to find it by going to http://sourcetosea.net

[wakapak]

I've also thru-hiked in chacos without any problems! And i'll be back out for an extended time again this year hiking in them!!

[1azarus]

ok. anybody over 50 got any real miles on chacos?

[oyvay]

When I completed my AT hike 2000-2001 I was a die hard leather boot wearer. Two days before finishing in the 100-wilderness I acquired a foot fungus, not fun. I started afterwards wearing tevas then chacos on day hikes and now I wouldn't wear anything else when backpacking.
CAUTION: It takes getting used to and if toes get scratched, banged and/or cut up it is the reponsibility of the owner of the feet (Yeah I still scrape mine).
The AT no whining!!

[Morpheus]

I'm impressed. That's allot of miles in all kinds of elements.
Questions
1: did you ever wear socks or neosocks for warmth?
2: did you use any of the usual blister protection? ie.- moleskin, duct tape etc.
3: how much weight were you carrying?
4: how many miles average per day?
Thanks for the beta, fellow sandal wearers!

[tomsawyer222]

I did hike in chacos for an 8 day section about 2 weeks ago wearing chacos and i would have to say they are nice but they are not very soft and dont have any cushion so low pack weight is a must. I had 40 pounds on my back and that beats your feet up in sandals pretty quick but i did switch to these after that trip http://www.merrellboot.com/Product/N...Migration.aspx

They are much better they were actually designed for hiking. But sandals work better in winter than boots too.

[wakapak]

I'm impressed. That's allot of miles in all kinds of elements.
Questions
1: did you ever wear socks or neosocks for warmth?
2: did you use any of the usual blister protection? ie.- moleskin, duct tape etc.
3: how much weight were you carrying?
4: how many miles average per day?
Thanks for the beta, fellow sandal wearers!

1.yes, i wore socks with mine, never did wear neosocks tho...
2.Didn't have to use any blister protection b/c i never had a problem with blisters while wearing chaco's.
3.i was carrying around 30 to 35 pounds
4.probably averaging 12-15 miles a day...of course some days were longer and others were alot shorter!!!

[dloome]

To answer your questions:
I use Chaco's for any hike shorter than 50 miles or so, but am starting to wear them more and more.
I've hiked well over 30 miles in a day in them with a full pack. I didn't carry any extra foot care stuff other than the usual duct tape and gauze. I don't wear socks with them. I do carry NRS neoprene oversocks, and a light liner sock to be used in conjunction. If it's not cold or snowy, I'm barefooted in them.

I absolutely adore my Chaco's... only reason I use trail runners for longer hikes is a weight issue- Chacos are pretty chunky. At any rate, I've only experienced a couple small issues with them.

-Since there is less surface area on the "upper" contacting your foot vs. a trail shoe or boot, I have had issues with hot spots on top of my big toes and on the insides of my ankles where the webbing rubs a little. Just gotta get used to them, and don't start right off with a thru-hike if you've never hiked in sandals before.

-Start out with some shorter hikes and add pack weight gradually to strengthen your ankles before doing a full backpacking trip.

-You may experience the opposite of the common foot problems in a sandal vs. a boot. If your feet are used to being inside a clammy boot, you may experience dry skin and cracking until your feet get used to open air all the time. I reccomend bag balm or A&D ointment and carrying a bit with you when you first start using them on longer hikes.

-I carry NRS neoprene oversocks for cold temps and snow and find them very useful. If I was going to go on any long, conditionally diverse hike I would definitely acquire some.

Here's me on Zion National Park's 'Angels Landing' trail in January, rocking the Z1's and neoprene socks. Whoop!

http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...t=IMG_0123.jpg

[mudhead]

To answer your questions:

I absolutely adore my Chaco's...
-
Here's me on Zion National Park's 'Angels Landing' trail in January, rocking the Z1's and neoprene socks. Whoop!

http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...t=IMG_0123.jpg

New Chacos or old Chacos?

Fine picture!

[kytrailman]

i hiked with colonel chaco! No for real-- hike in them and you will ove them. Wont get the mileage that you get in a pair of trailrunners-- but they are a nice break every once ina while . I will definitely take them over my crocs this year.

[whitefoot_hp]

i just got done with a short over night in chacos (barefoot) and loved them. i did however notice some hot spots after 16 mi that prob would have become blisters if i went on. They are my favorite hiking shoe and i believe your feet just have to get used to them blister wise. Wearing socks with them helps with blisters but your feet slide a little more. Your barefeet on the chaco rubber are very stable.

[Lone Wolf]

I'm hiking Amicalola to Tray mountain road; starting 4/21. Primarily using my well broken-in Sundowners with 35 lb. pack.
Originally, I was only bringing my light, Off-road Crocs for campsite wear.
Yep, buck-naked besides them! Just kidding. Simmer down.
Anyway, to make a long question/ manifesto short; does anybody here have experience with hiking full-pack, 10 miles, wearing Chaco sandals? I have several pair & even though I think they weigh 3 times more than the Crocs they have much more secure/ contoured fit. I'd kind of like to try them one day on the trail instead of my boots.
I'm not looking for sandal or clog or shoe or boot recommendations here
I'm looking for experiences wearing sandals with full-load. To those responding; I'm curious what weather, temperature, socks, duct tape, injuries you can enlighten me with.

my friend roy who now lives here in damascus has hiked thousands of miles in chacos. ain't no biggie

[Johnny Swank]

Here's the updated page on Backpacking in Chacos

http://sourcetosea.net/backpacking-in-chaco-sandals/

I went through 2 pairs on my thru-hike. The pair on the right had about 1,200 miles on them when I replaced them.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2218/...95dcbd95_o.jpg

[CrumbSnatcher]

I hiked in chacos.
carried decent to heavy loads,including all my dogs stuff.
never had a blister.
never needed camp shoes.
hiked without socks most of the time.
had a pair of seal skins in my pack for snowdays & such).
and mudhead has a great point! new or old style chacos?
the older ones with the softer vibram soles were superior by far! i bought 3 extra pairs on e-bay
you can have your older ones resoled still, until they run out of material!
the bad part is getting sticks rammed in between your foot and the sandel,and having to shake out a rock every now & then.

[CrumbSnatcher]

left Gorham NH. one year with a big roll of duct tape,couldn't afford new shoes, and the strap broke on one of my chacos. i would wrap the tape all the way around my foot and the bottom of the sandel, and re-applied tape a few times a day! it was tough but it worked

[DGG]

Our AMC sponsored a talk recently by a woman who thru-hiked the AT in 2008 with her daughter. She is now 55, her daughter 24 -- or maybe those were their ages at the time of the hike. In any case, the mother wore one pair of Tevas all the way from GA to ME, the daughter one pair of Chacos. She mentioned using wool socks and a wool liner. They loved the sandals, had no problems even when it was cold at first and they had as much as 8 inches of snow. Their packs got as high as 35 lbs., quite a lot for small people. (The daughter looks tiny in the photos she showed.) The sandals gave plenty of support.

Just to make her point, at the presentation the mother was wearing the Tevas she used on the trail. They are still going strong.

My only concern regarding sandals (I wear Chacos) would be the rocks in this part of PA. But these two little women blew through here. They reached Katahdin in just over 4 mos. That's right -- 4 mos.

[gtg]

I am a big fan of Chacos, I have my first pair that has lasted me a good long time. They are are my go to shoes year round, yes with socks even. I have worn them on a 2 day hike but not more. I am thinking of replacing my chacos. Does any one have experience with the new chacos now that they no longer are made in this country? also do the new owners still offer resoling or rebinding of the old chacos?
One final question are there any one wearing the chaco pros? are they that much better than the standard ones? friends could do with out the threat of me marking up their floors as it is i have to clean up any dirt i track in their homes!

[CrumbSnatcher]

when did chaco sandels change hands? i had my chacos resoled just a year or two ago, the company was still based in colorado. and they told me they will continue to resole the older chacos until they run out of material. i placed my order over the phone and chatted with the receptionist a bit, the newer chacos (soles)were designed to be non-marking and longer lasting! the newer chacos were refered as college campus now(straight from the horses mouth), and less performance i bet! i bought 3 extra pairs of chacos, 1 used and 2 new/old stock. i have 4 pairs ready to hit the trail

[MMX]

They changed hands in the last year. Wolverine now owns them. I did question them about the new vs. old sandals as well.
I sent an old pair into be resoled and they put the wrong sole on them. They called informed me of the problem and sent those back along with a brand new pair with the pro sole as I requested. All of this free of charge! and quick! Great customer service.
I have hiked hundreds of miles in Chacos and Vibram Five Fingers. Boots, hiking and my feet do not mix.