So for a long time, I was a fan of the Teva Alp sandals (originally just Alp's). They were the ones with 14 anchor points, and three ways to adjust them, using no velcro. I got my first pair in 1996 or so, the last time we lived in Mississippi. They were blue. Wore those out and got a black pair that I had for several years until I wore out the soles on them. Experimented briefly with glueing pieces of trials bike tires to the bottom, but ran out of tire after one sole was done. Finally gave up and retired those. At some point in there, Teva quit making them or the factory burned down or something, and you couldn't get them anymore. I'd been hearing all sorts of good things about Chaco's, so I wound up getting a pair. This was the later years of working at the kayak shop in Maine. They were a bit too small, rather heavy (especially for sandals), and very hard to get on when they were wet. They were secure enough, but overall I didn't like them very much. However, they had the benefit of being resolable. About 3 years after first getting the Chaco's, the treads finally wore out. Sent them back and had a new sole put on for $45 or so (about half the price of new sandals). The new tread seemed to be wearing out much faster. Took them to San Salvador this summer, and wore them every day, all the time, including caving. After a month of walking in saltwater and sand, they wore all sorts of raw spots on my feet. I had to tape my big toe every day, where the rubbing was worst. I imagine this would have happened with any sandals, wearing them so much in those conditions. Shortly after I got back, the sole wore right through. It had only been 6 months at most since getting the new ones. Rather than send them back again, I decided to look for something better. At first, I thought I'd found a place that stocked the old Teva Alps I loved so much. Placed an order with them, and got an email back saying the ordered was 'canceled'. No other explanation. Seemed kinda shady. So I kept looking and found a sandal that was supposed to be the successor to the Alps, called the "Guide Pro". They looked sorta like the Alps, but had some weird unconfortable looking stuff securing the heel. But what the hell, they were pretty cheap and close enough to the old Alps. Well, I've had them for a couple weeks and I'm loving them. They're fantastic compared to the Chacos. They fit, my heel doesn't hang over the back, the straps don't rub me funny or rip out my toe hair, they're easy to adjust, they feel about half the weight, they're softer under my feet, and the traction is much better. My feet are happier than they've been in a while. Here's what they look like:
A Tale of Two Sandals...
I might even like them better than the originals... we'll see.
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