Gear Review: Ultra Comfy + Stylish Sandals

Most shoes and sandals require some kind of break-in period. So imagine my surprise when I put on a pair of NAOT sandals -- the Hillary model -- and my feet melted into a cloud. That’s what these felt like. Not only did they feel comfortable in a cloud-like way, they weighed next to nothing. Aside from flip flops, I’ve never worn a shoe or sandals that was so light. And that’s what makes them perfect for savvy, stylish traveling.

NAOT manages to come up with the ultra comfortable shoe that’s good for your foot -- and keeping it light -- by making a footbed that mimics the shape of the foot, using cork, latex and memory foam. Interestingly, because your own body heat radiates into the footbed, it gets more comfortable with continued use. Usually ergonomically foot-friendly shoes aren’t the most stylish but that’s not the case with NAOT that crafts the uppers from Italian leather and has created a thick catalogue full of different collections, from the sporty to the elegant, each with different arch supports, but all with a footbed that protects your heel bone, provides shoe absorption, and prevents your big toe from slipping forward

But NAOT is much more than comfort. It’s an Israeli company that has long handmade shoes and sandals (including boots and clogs) for men and women in Northern Israel, with Israelis and Palestinians working in harmony. The word “naot” is Hebrew for oasis, which is perfect considering the company is like an oasis of peace and the shoe is an oasis of tranquility for the foot. 

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Gear Review: Shoes So Comfortable They Feel Like Clouds

 My friends joke about how I describe my ideal pancake: it should resemble a cloud and literally feel like it's floating off the plate. And I was reminded of my cloud analogy when testing out these new Chaco OutCross Evo 2 shoes that the company just provided. I tried them out for a week and they are so cloud-like, I sometimes have to look down at my feet to wonder if I've walked out of the house with just my socks. Extremely comfortable? You bet. Though they come in a rainbow of colors, being a New Yorker I chose black, of course. They're billed as a performance shoe -- one that goes from water sports to the beach to the trail -- but I also wore them in the city with skirts, pants and leggings and got plenty of compliments on their low profile style.

When I wanted  to check out their performance, I ventured to Long Island's east end for a weekend of fishing, and beach walking. The speed lace system that Chaco is noted for makes it easy to slip these shoes on and off. When wet, the shoes dry rapidly. No worries about your feet overheating; these shoes are completely breathable. But, though I had hoped for great traction on wet rocks, that's not what I found. As we fished just off shore and I navigated across slick rocks of different sorts, I wasn't happy with the traction I got. And, walking across the beach brought plenty of sand into the shoes which I had to remove frequently during our walks to clear out the sand.

Then I checked out the shoes in Manhattan's wet streets during some spring rainstorms. Again, there were traction issues, this time if I crossed anything metallic -- it was like an ice skating rink. Of course, these shoes are not meant to be city walking shoes. So, this wasn't a fair test. (They are meant to have great traction on natural surfaces.)

Overall, I love these shoes for their comfort and their aesthetics -- two things for which the Chaco brand is noted. I'm packing two pair of Chacos on my next trip to Brittany where I will be walking the Nantes-Brest Canal. One of these I've written about these shoes before as well as the sandals - check out why I love 'em.

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Gear Review: Rugged/Stylish Sandals

What cramps a savvy packing style that revolves around never checking luggage? In my opinion, shoes are one of the chief culprits that force travelers into lugging around and checking large bags. Not me, though. I usually wear one pair of shoes and pack another in my carry-on. Most women especially are adverse to wearing fewer than three pairs of shoes per trip. I've found the solution, at least as far as non-winter travel is concerned: Chacos.

This company makes a variety of different sandals (and now shoes) that are sturdy, comfortable, good looking versatile. Recently they sent me the ZX2/Yampa Sandal to test.

These were my only outdoor shoe on my recent one-week trip to the Azores where I went bicycling, light hiking, and kayaking as well as doing plenty of walking on cobbled lanes in the towns and villages, and along sandy stretches of beaches. The Vibram sole with lugs performed well under all circumstances but one: moss- or algae-coated rocks. But I've found that only my ultra sticky-soled 5-10 hiking boots are the only ones that kept me from slipping under these circumstances.

These sandals are stylish when worn with a dress or skirt but are also plenty rugged for all my adventures on this trip. (I like the versatility of the black straps but other models come in a variety of patterns and bold colors.) Most importantly, they were oh-so comfortable, especially along my arch which ordinarily would be fatigued after a long day of nothing but walking. And, while I know many people find a toe loop uncomfortable, I loved the security it provided.

A negative about Chacos is they take a bit of tweaking to get the straps to fit. And, perhaps I'm a bit challenged because the accompanying directions illustrating how to loosen and tighten the straps only made things more confusing. Furthermore, it seems the main tightening strap (along the buckle side) is way to long for my feet. No worries, though. I simply had my talented shoemaker cut and resew the strap. So these negatives were easily taken care of with the slight expense for the alteration.

When I head to Southeast Asia for a month of travel, I'll be bringing along one of my Chacos as well. And, despite the fact that I'll be away for a month, I won't be checking luggage.

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More Travel Tips

I'm one of those women who's just not into a multitude of shoes, especially when I'm traveling. And, in order to travel for more than a month with only carry-on luggage, clearly shoes have to be kept to a minimum. Basically, except when I'm traveling in the winter, I only carry two pairs of shoes, and both of them are made by a company called Keen. The one I wear on the plane is a Newport model that's a a very rugged and functional sandal. And, once I land, I wear it for long walks and even light day hiking -- though I have also climbed a volcano wearing these sandals -- as well as for long multi-day bicycle trips, kayaking and for days at the beach. When I dress up at night, I wear their Madrid Mary Jane model that looks perfect with a dress or nice pants and it's comfortable for long walks, even on cobblestone paths on the way to hotels or restaurants.

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