I'm normally not a much of a sandal person aside from wedge sandals, which until my recent pair (also from Skechers), I haven't worn sandals for the past few years with my old favorites being long past their life expectancy. I had worked an event promoting Chaco Sandals and got a pair for free from working the event (gotta love my job). I was actually quite looking forward to trying the Chacos after seeing rave reviews and seeing they are podiatrist recommended and also a suggested sandal for Plantar Fascitis (not sure if I have it, but my mom does, and I do have high arches and get occasional symptoms of it).
I worked the 3 day event in the Chacos Z2 sandals and the Chaco Outcross (open air shoe/sandal hybrid), and while the arch support was great (almost too high even for me), the footbed was stiff. I felt constant pressure on my arches especially in the sandals, in the Outcross, I felt the arch wasn't quite in the right spot, but still a very stiff footbed. Each day I came home more sore and they were only 8 hour days. I regularly work 10+ hour days with no issues (usually in a gym shoe, and my preferred footwear is usually Skechers). My feet ached horribly from the constant pressure of the sandals. Now I have heard a pair of Chacos can take a week or two to break in (I don't have patience for that, I want my shoes to be comfy immediately, I can barely stand to break in cowboy boots, I prefer mine pre loved and already broken in for me). One good thing came from this experience though, I learned that I can tolerate a well designed thong sandal the Chaco webbing is very soft, and I kind of fell in love with the look of this type of sandal.
Since working an event and wearing sandals for a weekend, I really wanted to free my feet this summer. I needed to find some sandals. First I got my wedge pair which are cute, but I was still kind of longing for the Chaco style, but without the ouch. I wanted something comfy and foot friendly for a decent amount of walking.
I had seen a few other options at Meijer, but their sale was over and they didn't have colors I really wanted. My boyfriend was also interested in some sandals, so we decided to go to the Skechers outlet (it's always buy 1 get 1 50% off). I was mostly looking for some slide type Go Walk sandals in a cuter color/ pattern than what I had seen at Meijer, somehow they didn't have any, I also found out Women's Go Walk sandals aren't included in the sale :(
After this discovery I looked at my other options I had seen the Reggae Rasta style before but thought the footbed felt tough (I don't think I tried it on before I was just looking for Goga Mat or Memory Foam). I also kind of loved the print on this one, very colorful. I tried them on and walked around a bit. Surprisingly they felt quite nice. I decided to get these, my boyfriend got a pair of men's Go Walk sandals (which were included in the sale...why men's not women's? It's ok I did find a pair of kids in a size that fit for $15 so I got those too).
I've been wearing the Skechers Reggae-Rasta sandals for the past several days, and have done quite a bit of walking in them. I absolutely love these sandals, not only are they super cute, but they are astonishingly comfy.
The footbed on these has great arch support as well as a proper heel cup. They support my feet perfectly (I do have high arches). I haven't experienced any foot pain, or or any irritation whatsoever from these. The thong piece between the toe is super soft and well constructed so it doesn't rub or irritate my toes.
I would highly recommend the Skechers Reggae Rasta Outdoor Lifestyle sandals, especially to those with high arches who need a more supportive sandal. Also great for those who love the Chaco style, but don't find them comfortable, or who need a more affordable option (Skechers range from $25-$60ish depending on model and color and where you buy, Chaco's are around $70-$120)
I'm actually thinking about another pair in a different color. Sadly Skechers doesn't make this style for men, my boyfriend is kind of jealous of these, he likes his Go Walk sandals, but would like something other than a flip flop, and doesn't care for the other men's Skechers offerings (he thinks slides look too much like slippers, and while he likes the look of others doesn't like the ones that fully strap around the foot).
Again I would highly recommend going to a Skechers outlet store if you have one nearby. You can also buy at Skechers.com or Amazon. Also make sure you register for Skechers Elite Rewards program, earn $10 for every $100 spent, it adds up fast too.
Update:
Having worn these sandals during most my off time this summer I have logged a lot of miles in them. They continue to be very comfortable, and have held up very well. I have also done a bit of hiking in them and they work fairly well, just watch out for rocks, I did scrape my toe pretty badly (ironically this was on a beach and the rock was buried in the sand).
I did not receive any compensation or free product, I am reviewing because I enjoy the product.