Chaco Wearers?

[eleventhletter]

I just picked up a pair of Chaco Z/2's hearing some great things and was hoping to wear them to Disney next week but I'm not sure if there is a break in period or not.

I have Teva Terra-fi's (I think) that I wore the last summer and they did great but when we went in November I had stepped off a curb wrong and twisted my ankle and it from time to time it still bothers me. I perfer a cushioned shoe with support but I really didn't want to wear tennis shoes this trip.

I had read a lot about Chaco and my DS's teacher swears by them so I finally found a pair that was the right size and broke down and bought a pair and I've been wearing them around the house the last few days but while I'm not hurting in the morning I've noticed some lower back stiffness not pain though, minor but I don't want to get to Disney and have to deal with that.

So my question I guess is - Is there a break in/getting used to period or are these just not the shoes for me?

Thank you for all you answers in advance
Kassie

 

[annabelle]

I don't remember about the break-in period for mine... they just seemed comfy from day one.

Remember to loosen/tighten your straps to fit your feet.

I did 4 days worth of parks in my Chacos - no blistering, no aches or pains.

I can't stand to wear enclosed tennis shoes when it's 90+ degrees out. I need my toes to breathe! Plus in Chacos, I can get my feet wet and be dried out in no time.

Also remember, if you ever want different straps or wear your sole out, you can send them back into Chaco USA in Colorado, and they'll re-strap or re-sole them. Cheaper than brand new Chacos.

I bought mine in 2005. I was getting tired of the color of my straps so I spent around $35 and got them restrapped.... now they feel brand new to me.

When the sole wears out (maybe in a couple of years), I'll get them re-soled.... then I think they'll be good for another 5+ years. That means I'll get around 10 years with my original shoes.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I think there is a 3 way break in period.......first the straps themselves if they are rubbing in new areas. Second, the "pebbling" of the footbed takes a while to get used to. I build up wearing them over spring....starting with just 1 hour, Lastly, they heel cup is extra deep, so you may feel a stretch of your hamstrings in the begining, like with "earth" shoes.

I love my chacos !

 

[eleventhletter]

I don't remember about the break-in period for mine... they just seemed comfy from day one.

Remember to loosen/tighten your straps to fit your feet.

I did 4 days worth of parks in my Chacos - no blistering, no aches or pains.

I can't stand to wear enclosed tennis shoes when it's 90+ degrees out. I need my toes to breathe! Plus in Chacos, I can get my feet wet and be dried out in no time.

Also remember, if you ever want different straps or wear your sole out, you can send them back into Chaco USA in Colorado, and they'll re-strap or re-sole them. Cheaper than brand new Chacos.

I bought mine in 2005. I was getting tired of the color of my straps so I spent around $35 and got them restrapped.... now they feel brand new to me.

When the sole wears out (maybe in a couple of years), I'll get them re-soled.... then I think they'll be good for another 5+ years. That means I'll get around 10 years with my original shoes.

I'm the same way, the thought of wearing tennis shoes is really not what I want to do. Living here in FL I wear sandals pretty much all year, I think there's only a few months I don't wear them - we get some cold snaps up here in the panhandle but they never last long.

I think I've got the straps good, they actually weren't too bad. And I have a similar pair of TEVAs with the strapping similar except the back strap and love them.

The bottom of the shoe is giving me some weird feelings on the bottom of my feet, it's not pain but I can tell it's different then my other shoes. But I had the same feelings when I was first wearing my TEVAs.