Sandals?

As I may have mentioned in my first post, until last month, the most comfortable pair of shoes that I have ever owned are my Reef flip flops.

Look at that, the very first Google Images result for "Reef flip flops" are my exact pair!

Before I bought these sandals, I had never owned a pair of thong flip flops. I was a Tevas girl all the way... I had the coolest pair of Tevas with suns and moons on them and a nice cushy sole... and a perpetual horrendous Teva tan on the tops of my feet every summer. However, once I bought these Reefs, I was hooked. The fabric straps were very comfortable, even between my toes, and they were liberating. I would wear them everywhere I could; they were my warm weather footwear of choice. I even wore them to walk around Ayer's Rock in Australia, which was a nine kilometer walk, because my feet were so tired from the two hikes we had done the previous two days during which I was wearing supportive sneakers. When I went toAt this point my Reefs are pretty well molded to my feet and well loved.

The problem, of course, is that a flip flop is a thick piece of foam. As soon as I put them on, I noticed that my heel stomps into the ground when I land, and my toes claw at the rubber to keep the sandal on my foot. Sigh. Not ideal foot walking behavior. Not nearly as bad as the severe arch-walking that apparently happens to me when I'm walking in Converse, but still less than ideal. J loved his Birkenstock's before he started this endeavour, and now he can't enjoy his sandals of choice either because he finds that he walks on his arches due to the enormous arch support in those shoes.

In any case, I have been on the hunt for minimalist-style sandals. Fortunately for me, women's sandal styles right now are very predominantly minimalist! Flat, thin, flexible soles with straps that hold the foot onto the sole. Dare I say it, almost huarache-like. I have a few in mind that I like:

Reefachi

My current favorite is the Reefachi. Made by the same company as my beloved flip flops, these sandals look pretty curiously like huaraches in style. And, by gosh, their name even sounds like they are based on huaraches. I would have to try them on in person to make sure that they stay on my feet properly and have a flexible sole, but I like the look of these.

Staycation

Not quite as sassy is the Staycation, also made by Reef. I like these because the back part is adjustable, but I don't like the look of them quite as much. They also look like they have some sort of arch support, which is less than ideal.

Roxy Tuscany

Last and far from least are the Roxy Tusxany's. There is a little video of someone holding these shoes on zappos.com and it shows how flexible the sole is. It's also adjustable, which is nice. I would have to see them in person to really decide.

I can't figure out which one I want, but I am leaning towards those Reefachis. I like the look of them, and I have had a great experience with my other Reef sandals. Hopefully these will be as comfortable.