Are Chaco Sandals really worth the $80-100 price? I'm thinking of buying a pair, but they are so expensive. Are they really worth it if I am not thinking of doing any heavy water activities/or treking. I am mostly going to be walking around cities/small town sightseeing (museums, churches, plazas, cafes, people watching, street-walking...ok, that sounds bad..street-strolling etc, etc). i have a pair of birkenstocks that i am planning on taking and then i was thinking of either buying some cheap flip flops for the shower or the Chaco sandals. What would you recommend? I am going for a year and plan to be staying in hostels & am heading to Europe, Turkey, Egypt, India/Nepak, and SEA. 1. I love my chacos! But that's just me personally......! It depends - if you're sure you could do a full day's walking in your Birkenstocks with no problems, then you don't NEED chacos. If you're going to be in Nepal, India, SE Asia though, you may want to do some stuff that's on a little more challenging terrain every now and again though (Jungle stuff for example, mountains in Nepal?) and sandals with no back won't be stable enough. Your call thouhg really. I just bought my Chacos online throuhg www.rockcreek.com for $65 in the sale, if that's any help! 2. My Chacos are practically my favorite item of "clothing." They are incredibly comfortable to walk in for long periods. I was skeptical about the price tag, too, but I paid full price and haven't regretted it in the least. They are a good value. And my fiance had a pair that had a small workmanship problem - they were replaced with no questions asked and no hassles. 3. Is that Zimbabwe $ or Guyana $? Go for the flip-flops! ------------------------- Why fly when you can travel surface! Bon Voyage! 4. i agree w/ 1 and 2. my chacos are one of my favorite pieces of travel equipment. i use them for all-day walks, as shower shoes, and i've even climbed small mountains in them. when hiking, they are excellent on slippery tree roots and rocks. i say go for the chacos, but leave the birkenstocks (take one or the other, but not both). also, i think the price is worth it. i've had mine for years, used them extensively, and they're still in excellent shape. happy travels! ------------------------- whatever you can do, or dream you can: begin it. boldness has genius, power and magic in it. --goethe 5. I too agree with 1, 2, and 4. I bought my chacos in Costa Rica (they were out of season in Canada) and I trekked through the jungle (corcovado) and up and down both coasts. super comfortable and great getting wet and still supportive. I managed a deal paying cash in San Jose, but maybe you'll have luck online like poster 1. by the way, I got the Z2 for the toe-strap.. I thought it might be a bit constricting, but since you can fully adjust all the straps, you can make it as loose and comfy, or as tight and supportive as you want. If I'm just city-walking, I keep them loose and all the straps adjust after a few blocks.. but if I'm climbing mountains or tough-terrain trails, then I keep them tight (and the straps also tighten).. it's super easy! as for durability, they're a year old and have gone through jungles and chicken buses in central america.. back country portages and hiking in canada and through most city streets in between. a quick hose off and they're as good as new! but if you're looking for cheap and don't need the support.. I used to swear by flip-flops.. they're pretty sweet in their own right. 6. What are Chachos? Are they available in the UK? They sound great, I want some! 7. Chacos are sandals made in Colorado, U.S....you can get them online at various places...just do an engine search for them. I've never heard anything bad about them at all. 8. Or you can get them through the Snow & Rock website in the UK - don't know if they do them in their stores..... I ordered through an American website for delivery to the UK though (rockcreek.com) and that was fine too... 9. i bought a pair of 5usd rip off nike sandles in hanoi, vietnam, about two years ago and spend six months in seasia and various trips around europe with them. and i plan to take them back with me next year. why waste precious cash? ------------------------- ruts are bi-lingual 10. charliegirl, that sounds awesome. were you doing mostly city walking or did you use them with pretty rough terrain as well? I heard that you could get some pretty good deals like that for imitation sandals, but I'd have to test them out a bunch before I could trust them on a trip. whatever is on your feet GEG, I hope it gets you to where you're going! 11. I do love my Chacos but I've only had them a year a a half and have had to have them resoled already (my fault, I should have gone for the thicker sole to begin with) and right after I got home from my RTW I washed them and "flossed" them as directed (I couldn't throw them in the wash in asia as they were the only shoes I had) and the strap broke on one of them and is thin on the second. I can get it repaired but with the cost of the resoling and the cost of the restrapping I could buy a new pair of Chacos or 2 pairs of Tevas (and since I could have bought 2 pairs of Tevas with the orginal cost thats 4 pairs of Tevas so while I love the fit I'm not sure if they're worth the cash).