Last weekend my wife and I took to the outlet stores and malls in search of fisherman sandals. A pair was purchased and yesterday I test drove them for about five hours at the Sacramento Valley Scottish Games and Festival. Here is my review.
Comfort: Four hours walking in new shoes with no socks and no blisters says it all. The leather is quite supple and there is essentially no break-in time. We looked at some beautiful sandals with leather soles but the leather in the uppers seemed too stiff and I wasn’t sure my feet would survive the break-in process. Comfort was the deciding factor.
Closure: My wife wanted a buckle closure but the pair we ended up picking has Velcro. I am not a big fan of Velcro on shoes but the closure is well executed on this shoe. The closure combined with the secure heel pocket eliminates heel slippage.
Ventilation: The vents are smaller than what I had in mind but you still get the benefit of not wearing hose and the thin leather doesn’t seem to retain heat. Temperatures were in the mid 80s yesterday and it was breezy so the sandals were not really put to the test. The smaller vents do keep sand and pebbles out, which is nice.
Sole: The sole material is man-made and looks a bit wimpy. The salesman assured me the shoes hold up better than appearance would suggest. I am still skeptical but the store has a reputation for carrying quality products so I went out on a limb.
Color: The floor model had a nice aged leather look which was apparently the result of sitting out in the intense lighting. New out of the box the sandals are medium brown with a bit of red. Hopefully they will mellow with age. They are also available in black.
Caveats: These shoes are not intended for mud runs, canyoning, paddles sports or the like. They work well on pavement, lawns, and the occasional dirt path. They are very light and could be slung from your belt or slipped into a bag or pack if a beach walk tempts you near the water. They are most suitable for a “resort casual” look but can get you through several miles of site-seeing or shopping should the urge strike. 150 USD at Nordstroms.
Originally Posted by McElmurry
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