Chaco Lowdown
Best sandal
Our take The Chaco Z/1 is the hiking sandal par excellence, which is why we gave it an Editors’ Choice Hall of Fame award in 2018. But there’s no denying that it’s a scale-tipper, which is why the Lowdown is a welcome addition to the Chaco family. It’s half the weight of the Z/1, but still offers laudable support and traction.
The details Designers replaced the Z/1’s PU midsole with a lighter EVA one, but retained the sturdy rubber outsole. “It gave me hiking-boot-like grip while I mountain-goated around boulders on a trip to Lake Tahoe,” one tester reports. And after three months of use, the Lowdown’s sole is just as thick as when we first strapped the sandal on.
$85; 15.4 oz.; m’s 5-15, w’s 5-12