Chaco Men's Z/1 Classic Sandal

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 feet The 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.