Chaco Men's Lowdown Sandal

I bought these after purchasing a pair of the Chaco Lowdown Slide Sandals and loving them. I wanted sandals with a behind the ankle strap for more on-the-go activity. These would replace a pair of famous-brand ankle strap sandals that had their soles separate from the footbed (I got tired of glueing them back together). Once you get the hang of adjusting the straps—not too tight—they stay put and are comfortable to wear while walking. I especially like the footbed. There is some arch support and there feels like almost zero drop from heel to toe, making these much more like a natural fit “barefoot” shoe, like I wear for running. The sole is thick enough so that you don’t feel rocks, etc. It appears to be fused to the footbed in such a way that I’m hopeful the soles won’t separate from the footbed like the famous-brand sandals did. The black straps and footbed go with anything, and their simple design appeals to me.

Fantastic! Loved the comfort and functionality these offer. I love the outdoors and they have never failed.

I bought these to walk the beach and not have to worry about sand getting into the strap holes that go through the soles on regular Chacos. (sand would stop the straps from adjusting) I think they will be good for water shoes. This is the seventh pair of Chacos I have bought. The heal strap is adjustable, unlike traditional Chacos. However, these are no where as good as Chaos like the ZCloud Sandals for hiking or walking. The arch support is great like all Chacos. The strap length on men's size 9 touches the ground. Hopefully I will like them at the beach. UPDATE: I tried these at the beach and they would not tighten. They kept coming loose. Finally they did tighten and the adjuster dug into the strap and would not release. I don't think these are good for anything. I returned them.

True to size, comfortable, easy to wear, easy to my feets and stylish. Quality looks promising too but too soon to say anything.

Much bettrr!

I heard such good things about Chacos I wanted to get one. Saw this pair mentioned in Backpacker Magazine and thought they sounded great. Wow, what a mistake that was. I don't like these at all. I can't believe I paid 85 bucks for them. I hate the strapping system. I hate them a lot. First off, the straps hang to the ground, dragging in the dirt, getting under the foot when I walk. They are also difficult to tighten because of where the buckles of the strap are located, on the outside of the foot. I try to tuck in the excess strap near the toes, that takes time. Even after spending five minutes trying to get the straps right, my foot won't sit straight in them. Plus, the front of the sandal is so thin it bends under my toes if I scuff them on the sidewalk. Very annoying and dangerous. All in all, this has been my worse sandal experience of my life. I should have never bought these. I'm stuck with a lemon. Update: Now the strap on left sandal has frayed and gets caught in the teeth of the buckle making it impossible to adjust. I think with it dragging on the ground all the time it got caught on something pulling it hard to the side into the teeth which ripped into it. I've pretty much stopped wearing them now, not much I can do with this terrible pair of sandals. I guess they rushed them to market to get them included in the backpacker magazine's best sandal award. Yeah, right, a sandal that wasn't even on the market at the time got rated number 1 by them. I should have known it was just a marketing gimmick and they probably paid a lot of bucks to get that award. I am disappointed in both Chaco and Backpacker magazine for not really caring about their customers but instead chose to profit with an inferior untested product. I hope this review helps others not get owned also.

The lowdown is a great lightweight alternative to the Z1. Not built to be as durable in exchange for a bit of weight. Not rebuildable, but I got them for less than a resole on my Z1 classics.

Chacos are known for their unique sandals that don't have those flaps of leather on the sides where the straps meet the sole. Unfortunately, it turns out that that means they don't have the know-how to make those leather bits comfortable. I took these out for a long stroll straight out of the box, and I came back with 3-4 blisters on each foot with a little bleeding thrown in for good measure. Also, for a "low-down" model, they aren't very thin or low. My daily wear shoes for years have been minimalist zero-drop shoes like Vibram Five Fingers or Whitins. These are huge and clunky for me. That said, I'll keep them anyways as they're grippy, a perfect fit for my extra-wide (4E) feet, and they look great. I'll take them on long walks every 5-7 days and just develop some calluses where they rub; in a few weeks they'll feel comfortable, and I'll love them the same way I love my very difficult family - through patience and coping mechanisms. EDIT: Had these for 6 months or so, and came back to downgrade from 3 to 2 stars. All review notes above are the same, but after breaking them in and getting calluses in the right spots, I still miss my far better sandals like Eccos or Vibram Five Fingers. If you want minimalist or thin, do NOT buy these.