Many things can determine your summertime style: your yearly travel plans, what’s “in” right now, and what remains tried and true no matter what year. Sandals are an evergreen closet essential not only because they're comfortable in the heat, but they give off that perfect summer vibe.
But before you settle on a pair, knowing some of the various types on offer is crucial. It's a wide world, with lots of varieties, but there are some main categories to know to get started. So, let’s examine the types of sandals.
What is a Sandal Anyway?
At root, a sandal is a type of footwear type that leaves significantly more of your foot uncovered than a typical shoe. Quintessential examples range from strappy sandals, flip-flops, slides, slip-ons, Huaraches and hiking sandals.
Tevas and Chacos are a few classic examples. Sandals like these feature several straps and wear like shoes, meaning they won't slip off when wet or while you're in motion. They have an EVA footbed or another form of soft plastic or rubber and use polyester straps for durability.
Tevas, founded in 1982 with the first strappy sandal made in 1984, was the first brand and sandal silhouette for modern times that would define this subcategory. But sandals date to ancient Egypt, and the oldest pair dates back to sandals made 10,900 years ago in what is now Oregon in the United States. Ever since, Tevas, Chacos and others found a way to create versatile tactical sandals that live up to adventurous tasks.
With sandals like these, with plenty of straps for support, proper fit is essential. Some options don’t come in half sizes, so you have to size up or down, and those choices can impact the fit of the shoes, making them either too tight or too big. Like most footwear, sandals are vulnerable to losing their grippy treads over time, but are still a great way to give your feet a break and minimize sweating during rigorous activities.
Flip-flops
Flip-flops are flat soles that the feet grasp with a Y-shaped strap, also known as a toe thong, between the first (big) and second (index) toes. The sole and straps can be made with leather, suede or cotton with a cushioned footbed for comfort.
Tracing their origins back to 4000 B.C. in Egypt, flip flops have been around for a long time and across cultures. They can also be found in Japan, in the form of Geta sandals.
In the early aughts, flip flops found their place in the fashion zeitgeist thanks to celebs like Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Nicole Richie and many more 2000s stars, donning the footwear with popular brands and silhouettes of the times.
Flip-flops are casual footwear in terms of both form and function. They’re a great option during summer months because they offer the least coverage possible sort of being barefoot, meaning your feet get to breathe, but you don't have to walk around on sand or pavement. The toe thong can become uncomfortable during long-wearing periods or if the flops don’t fit right. Also, the footbeds can wear down over time and significantly reduce what little support flip-flops provide.
Slides
Slides, or pool slides, have a thick strap that goes over the instep to hold the feet in place and sometimes be a rear support strap too.
In the ‘60s, Adidas created the pool slide to provide European football players with shoes to wear in the showers and changing rooms. By the ‘90s, the style had gone mainstream. Today, they’re mostly worn for leisure, to run errands comfortably, and still have a dedicated following of athlete wearers.
Slides' open toe allows your feet to breathe, and the strap across the foot supplies security without the between-the-toes pain point flip-flops can have. On the other hand, the tread on the outsole of slides wears down quickly, making them slippery and hard to walk in. And some pool slides don’t have tread to begin with, which means they don’t offer any traction.
Slip-Ons
Essentially, anything open-toe or open weave that slips on is a sandal. Slip-ons are easy spring and summer shoes that allow air to flow through little cutouts and designs to cool your feet down.
Nils Gregoriusson Tveranger, a Norwegian shoemaker, made the first type of slip-on shoe in the 1930s. Throughout the rest of the 20th and 21st centuries, slip-ons have only gotten more popular, often featuring weaved designs. Today, slip-ons also come in non-sandal varieties like loafers and sneakers, in addition to more open-weaved footwear.
Slip-ons can be tedious to wear. If you want to wear socks, you’ll want to invest in “no-shows, that stop just before the ankle so your socks don’t steal the show. Also, because of the cut used on most slip-ons, they can lead to foot discomfort because they compress the feet instead of letting them expand. Still, slip-ons are super stylish and uncomplicated, and offer a decent amount of support and protection without the hassle of laces.
Huaraches
When you hear the word “Huaraches,” you may think about Nike’s sneaker rendition, but the Huarache stems from Mexico. A huarache is a sandal made from leather and wood, but nowadays, rubber. Huaraches have an open-weaved top over the typically rubber base providing a decent amount of coverage but also airflow.
Farmers in rural communities of Pre-Columbian Mexicans wore huaraches because of the region's abundant natural materials traditionally used to make them. The shoes were initially a sign of poverty but, over time, due to the ‘70s and most of the ‘80s, became a style status symbol in the United States, becoming a hipster fashion trend of the 2010s.
Huaraches are an excellent summer footwear option, and they’re another example of a slip on sandal. As you wear them, they conform to your feet, but the leather on Huaraches tends to unravel or come loose, impacting their wearability and longevity as the shoes loosen. Also, the sole tends to wear down quicker because they don’t provide much cushion and support. Finally, the Huarache isn’t the best for those with wider feet as the leather stretches across the foot wears out particularly fast.
Hiking Sandals
Hiking sandals are some of the most rugged and athletic footwear options short of just wearing actual shoes. With a toe hold and upper straps, these sandals have an outsole with more robust tread for hiking and sports moments. The shoes typically have a footbed made of EVA or other rubbers/plastics and offer comfort during big adventures.
Hiking sandals, developed in the '90s, were designed for people who needed traction in water for sports like fishing, rafting, etc. The best hiking sandals available today are robust: They’re about as substantial as they can be without losing the light and airy qualities that make them formidable summer footwear to begin with. Think sticky rubber soles with heavy lugs, platforms molded for arch support and anti-blister soles. Many are almost just shoes with some extra holes for airflow.
Hiking sandals offer a lot of traction and security due to multiple straps, allowing your feet to breathe while tackling a forest rail or paddling in a row boat. But hiking sandals also can be hard to wear due to sizing. Most options don’t provide half-sizes, which means that you’ll have to go up or down a size, and depending on your selection, they can be uncomfortable and tight or so loose that your feet slip and slide in them. Also, some hiking sandals options have clunky soles that could make your ankles more prone to turning over in the shoes during peak usage, which could cause injuries.
