****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I have been a very active outdoors/wilderness person for my adult life (now 66 y.o.), including water activities such as river rafting and ocean kayaking. I started off wearing Teva sandals, and was reasonably pleased with them for years. When they stopped making the style I favored, I tried Chaco, and have loved and been using them ever since. Great fit, durability and functionality, as well as unsurpassed customer service. Though I enjoyed the easy on, easy off of the original Z/1, for uneven terrain, boulder hopping, lava walking (I live on the Big Island of Hawaii...plenty lava walking/hopping ?) I found having the toe secured is MUCH safer and sure, as the sole lifts up almost immediately like a covered shoe with each step, while the open toed Z/1 allows a bit more of a "gap" between toes and sole when lifting foot up and stepping forward; not a good thing when on uneven terrain and walking through water with the added weight of water to move through. Once the sandal is broken in and you get used to the little extra move to get toe strap situated perfectly, it is really only a matter of a few extra seconds to secure and go compared to the open toe. If you're going to be primarily on even terrain, open toe Z/1 works perfectly fine.
