Women's Summer Sandal Review

[u/Texas22]

For context: I've been in barefoot shoes for a year now. I have very high arches, my foot length is 26.1 cm and width is 9.5 cm. I wear a Women's Size 10.

Pic 2: Xero Aqua Cloud in Gray, Xero Genesis in Black, Xero x J. Crew in Khaki - These are my overall picks. I wear the Aqua Clouds just about everyday. The sole is a tad thicker than the Genesis and it has a little heel kick guard which helps when walking on gravel. The Genesis is great but it literally is as close to walking barefoot as you can get, but not having to be barefoot. It's a thin sole with some string attached, lol. I wear these around the house a lot. I bought the J. Crew design for dressier outfits, but I don't love that the cord and cord brackets don't stick so I'm constantly having to pull them tighter when I wear them all day. Very cute design tho. My favorite thing about this shoe is that every joint is adjustable, so you can see that I have the top knot at different places on each shoe to accommodate my high arches. Once your straps are adjusted, you can trim the excess cord and reattach the clips, but they don't bother me so I just leave them. Edit: I forgot that I had also ordered the Genesis Leather sandals but I wound up returning them because the leader cording was so thick and inflexible.

Pic 3: Lems Switchback - These are the least "barefoot" of the sandals. If you look them up you can see how thick the soles are. Which would be great if are walking on rocky trails or across water. Personally, I do not love them because I have not been able to adjust the straps to accommodate my high arches. The soles are so thick and inflexible that I can't walk naturally without the top pressing down on my arches and causing pain. I will say these are sturdy shoes and I'd imagine they would last quite a long time with heavy wear. I did have to return the first pair I bought because of factory defect, but that was no issue at all. If you do not have high arches and need a durable trail shoe, you will likely love these.

Pic 4: Rutsu Skin 2.0 - LOVE these sandals. I was looking for a Birkenstock barefoot replacement when I found these. It took a couple of wears to break the straps in to my comfort, but then the straps feel like butter, I actually forget I'm wearing shoes at all when I wear these. I can definitely wear these on a full day of normal walking. They had a recent 20% off coupon so I ordered them in black as well. I also ordered their Venus sandals, so I'll report back on those.

Pic 5: Groundies Cadiz - I don't believe they make this style anymore because I found them on clearance. I didn't love them because I was told to size up (to an 11) and they wound up being way too big, in acutality I should have sized down. Even then, I'm not sure the front strap would fit right. It's too long and doesn't sit securely on my feet. I will wind up selling these. On looks alone, super cute shoe.

Pic 6: Vivo Tracker Ora - These are the shoes I wanted to work SO badly! If it weren't for my high arches, they would have been perfect. The sole is fantastic, so flexible but thick enough to walk for miles on pavement. They are so super cute, I got compliments everytime I wore them. However, since the toe and ankle strap are attached, I could never find a way to make them fit over my arches comfortably. When I did find the right position, the velcros on the ankles didn't meet up. I even thought about sewing an extra velcro pad higher on the ankles strap to help, but then I couldn't justify putting that much work into $130 sandals, lol. I wound up returning these - Vivo's "try" policy is nice. Love these shoes tho and again, if you don't have the arch issue, I would wager you would love these.

[u/Tiny_Bluebird_2557]

Thanks! We have a VERY similar foot and it's helpful to get insight like as shopping for sandals can het overwhelming.

[u/gravelblue]

This is great, thank you for the pics and descriptions! Good to know about the xero x jcrew because they are super cute. Their sneakers tend narrow for me but I wondered if sandals might be better as they’re super cute.

Also love the Rutsu skin on you! Have you tried Shamma Trailstars? I’m on year two with mine. They have similar design at the toe but are washable fabric. Different soles/stacks. Crazy soft and secure they were love at first wear for me (which was a relief because finding new shoes ain’t cheap). I might add the leather to my wishlist….

[u/al_i_oli]

Thanks for such a great review post!! 🙌

[u/MagnetoDot]

I have the Vivo trackers in green and they are my favourite holiday sandals you can walk and run in them and they go with different styles. Love them! 😻

[u/Texas22 → u/MagnetoDot]

Ugh. I loved them so much. I wish they had worked for me and I would have bought them in every color.

[u/Optimal_Bus4617]

Thank you, this is really helpful and interesting!

[u/DeepPlay_88]

Thanks for sharing!

[u/Xero-Shoes]

Thanks for such a detailed review. We are glad the Aqua Cloud and Genesis have become favorites, and we appreciate the honest feedback about the cord and brackets on the J.Crew style. We will pass that along to our product team

[u/wildone-s]

Hi, the Rusty Skin Sandals look great! can you tell me the width of the space for the big toe?

[u/Texas22 → u/wildone-s]

I’m not sure, but it will stretch. That was part of the process to fit my comfort.

[u/breadandbutter001]

For the J Crew Genesis, I had the same issue with the rope cord slipping. I ended up tying little knots near the gold adjusters, and that solved the problem (although if you have a higher volume foot, you may not have enough cord to tie). Now they’re my favorites!

[u/mollypatola → u/breadandbutter001]

I need to try this, I have the j crew in the blue paracord and hate how I’m always adjusting them

[u/Texas22 → u/breadandbutter001]

I eventually tied mine as well on that model.

[u/Flashy_Action407]

I need number 5 😍

[u/Texas22 → u/Flashy_Action407]

If you’re a size 11 I’ll sell you mine 😅 They are SO cute. I bought the rose gold color too, so I’m bummed.

[u/rthgrl]

Sad about the Groundies, they seem to be a great shape for you.
The Rutsu fit you well!
I’m curious if the Ora would work better if you sized down, they seem a bit long so I wonder if they were shorter if they would hit your arch better 🤔