ChacoWomen's ZX/2 Cloud Outdoor Sandal

these are my third pair of chacos. i also have the z/2 clouds and the z/volv1. the z1 megaz slot in bewtween both. the Z/2 clouds are beefy and burly and a bit squishy. the toe loop adds stability on the trail but are more difficult to get in or out of. mine needed a bit of break in. the zvolv is not as trail-ready but will suffice on a moderate hike with a path that isn't too rocky. they are more city/beach sandals with a lower-profile outsole. they are super comfy but the lighter and thinner outsole/midsole means less weight-bearing ability. the buckles occasionally need re-tighteneing but the converse of that is wide latitude in terms of tightness. you can adjust them to be loose or not so loose easily.enter the megaz cloud sport. first thing you notice is the wider/thicker band. to me, this meant less adjustability but better overall fit. the buckle sits up a little higher on your foot and the dier straps offer great stability even without the toe loop.there are two things you need to know if you are considering these rugged sandals. 1) wear them in the shower and get them wet before wearing first time. this will speed up break in time and help dial in the best fit. the straps have a bit of flex in them but may be tight out of the box. as they dry when you walk around they will conform more to the shape of your foot. 2) there's a trick to putting them on. step 1 -- slide your toe under the forefoot strap. step 2 -- slide the backstrap around your heel. step 3 -- adjust the z-strap around the middle of your upper foot. step 4 --tighten the buckle. this can all be done in under a minute in practice.Chacos have been iconic sandals for river rafting, hiking, beach wear, travel, etc. they allow your foot to breathe and flex while offering stability, durability and traction. the shoe feels more natural than the Keen Newport/H2 and is podiatrist-certified, albeit without the closed toe. The Keens are just ok for hiking and trails. they flex decently but the hybrid outsole is siped not lugged. The Chacos feel more comfortable and have a more trail-ready outsole which may be slighly worse on concrete and asphalt but more grippy on river rocks. I would rate the arch support as superior in the Chacos due to the Luvseat footbed, which is remarkable given their light weight and breathability. Both the Chacos and the H2s are good in and out of water, but it's easier for small pebbles and debris to get trapped in a closed-toe sandal, although you do get a bumper to that protects against impacts.To sum up the comparison, i would say the Chacos are slightly more outdoor purist, while the Keens are ever so slightly more urban. Both offer great support and confortability, with the Chacos being more breathable. The Chaco footbed feels a little better on youur foot and doesn't get as sweaty (the Keen upperss are reinforced with neoprene which subtracts a bit from breathability along with the closed-toe/fisherman-style design, and the footbed material feels mushier. The Chacos are overall more minimalist, and the Megaz Cloud Sport edition is a good iteration of the Z-strap design. There are very few sandals which can effectively function as trail shoes comparable to a lightweight, more breathable, water-friendly hiking shoe, and these are at or near the top of the list. They'll support more weight than the zvolvs, lowdowns or original Z/1s and the thick outsole/midsole combo inspires confidence for long hikes and technical trails, along with the stable yet flexy straps.Finally, these are good-looking, aesthetically-pleasing sandals. I wouldn't call them dressy, but they can at least be worn with a range of outfits. would purchase again, especially at a discounted price.

Solid product. Ready for my adventures. My daughter and I went to a in-person store to buy these, but they were limited in the colors. We really wanted to buy a more neutral color, and this black and white one was perfect. The shoes came after two days. Definitely recommend. We did try the one sandal that has more straps, but it was uncomfortable. This variety that wraps around the big toe stabilizes.

Got my pair (color/patterns: florist) for $42, a great deal I ran into with Chaco adults sandals.First impression: cushions of the Chaco footbeds in the arch area are giving me similar feelings to my Nike Benassi Duo Ultra Slide Sandal’s ($40) - they’re very thick(or high?), with plenty of support to the feet. However, Chacos don’t seem to have the same amount of cushions in the heel area as the Nike’s do. And the Chaco footbeds are much more harder, with small square patterns that kind of massage the feet (in a good way). While the Nike ones feel more of foams - very soft to the touch, but probably will deform themselves fairly quick.Conclusion: both shoes are comfortable to wear. The overall built of Chaco classic is more solid than Nike’s, and the design makes Chacos definitely a better and safer option for outdoor activities. Nevertheless, I think the Chaco cloud models might be a nicer choice if softness of the footbeds is taken into consideration.At the meanwhile I’d also like to take the opportunity to compare the Chacos and my Sctcher Misty Morning sandals, since they are of similar style/made for similar purpose.First off, these two both have contoured footbed design, but the curves are very different thus offering different support in very different areas - Chacos offers strong support mainly in the arch area, while Skechers have medium support in the arch and the heel areas.Secondly, although comfortable as well, Skechers’ footbeds are of much less friction(might be less good for hiking or climbing), and not as much of close fitting to my feet as Chacos or Nike can be (side noted that I’m not flat feet)Third, the straps of these two are made of very different materials. The Chacos’ are comfortably silkily soft that they are made to be fully customizable (you’ll need to pull and push to tighten or loosen those straps in order to make the shoes fit). While the Skechers’straps are stiff and rough - they can be customized as well at a certain level. But like other people have been complaining, the triangle parts connecting those straps of the Skechers really hurt the feet.Conclusion: Chacos and Skechers both make comfortable sandals, but Chacos feel more of high quality than Skechers - the design pays more attention to the details and the material choices are much nicer. I think I’ll still wear my Sketchers with socks on, but not with bare feet in summertimes.PS. It really takes time with Chacos to adjust the straps. If they’re not properly adjusted, the fitting will be very awkward: the shoes can look like they’re in wrong size, and your feet can be painful wearing them especially in the toe areas. But, once the adjustment is properly done, the wearing experience is top notch.PS. Size 5.5 sandals or pumps usually fits my perfectly. But with Skechers I wear size 5, so do I wear with Chacos.

I figured out how to adjust them. I'm not sure they are ideal for me for long walks. I noticed if I'm not moving, my feet and legs start to feel uncomfortable and near sore but this also happens with my new balance sometimes. I'll update this after I wear them all weekend.

First pair of Chacos and once I figured out the right strap adjustments, they were great. I wore them all over a recent Greece and Croatia trip and they were perfect. First impressions were not good - seemed heavy and the arch support was high. Gave them a shot anyway and super glad I did. They should last me for many years.

Very comfortable for walking. Straps adjusted easily.