Gear Review: Chaco's Mighty Sandal

     Chacos are a staple of the outdoor industry, I wear them everyday at the shop in the summer, and every year more and more people are coming in looking for them.  Everyone from your hipsters to your new found hippies.  Although Chacos are heavy they are great for day to day activities or going for a  day hike in.  New for this last year, was the near ground series.  With every other company going in this direction, at least temporally, I think It was a good move for Chaco to do so, although there is plenty of room for improvement.

      The near ground sandals new this year are the Mighty, and the Rex, same design except the Rex comes with the toe loop.  That being said the toe loop doesn't always fit with every ones feet, like mine for example, so I had almost no choice on what to go with.  That being said I was happy to go with the Mighty anyway because it looked a lot more natural than all the other Chaco sandals.

Chaco's Mighty Sandal

Z1 Unaweep Sandal

      The natural look of the sandal comes from the fact that it truly is a "near ground", while all the other Chacos look like your wearing a platform sandal from the 80's to me.  Remember that they are near ground not barefoot, you would be surprised how many people confuse the two.  Chacos near ground technology is somewhat interesting.  The giant arch in  the sole that Chaco is known for is almost gone, reduced to about a half inch, and the sole itself reduced to only about an inch instead of two like the fully soled Chacos.  If you have had problems with Chacos arch in the past these are a good way to.  I have a particularly flat arch that the Z1's feel they are going to snap in half.  The lacing is nearly the same as the Z1 but the bottom part of the Z down by the toe doesn't cross over on itself; instead it folds directly at a 45 degree angle.
      My opinion on the new near ground series, I like it because its different it doesn't look like the average Chaco.  While still using the same webbing and sole material they are just a durable as all the others, but exponentially lighter.  They're very comfy and you can wear them all day long regardless of your arch.
      Last the downsides, and why I think that they need to be revamped this year.  They still have that Chaco signature "funk" multiple days wear when its hot out or not they smell, something about that foot bed material, it just traps the smell.  While the sandal is solid, Chaco really needs to watch their quality control in general, while I encountered minimal wear after a solid amount of abuse, there is clearly a seam in the foot bed that is starting to tear out where it meets the webbing.  You can always get them resoled, but if I didn't beat the shit out of them, after only a half year of use, I would be disappointed.  Can't wait to see what they do this year, there has been a lot of customer feedback on quality the past few years, and I would really like to see the company make a rebound.

-Tattooed Adventure