Best Hiking Sandals (2026): A Foot Surgeon on Teva, Chaco and KEEN

A hiking sandal is a trade. You get air, drainage, light weight and a shoe you can wade a river in without stopping to unlace. You give up protection — for your toes, for the sides of your foot, and for whatever you step on that you did not see. Most reviews of this category are written by hikers comparing grip and comfort. This one is written by a foot and ankle surgeon, and the useful question is a different one: which feet can afford to make that trade, and which ones should not.

The short answer

What a sandal cannot do on a trail

It is worth being clear about the limits before comparing brands, because they apply to every sandal in this category and no amount of engineering removes them.

• It does not protect your toes. An open-toed sandal leaves the most exposed part of the foot facing forward into roots and rock. On a trail, a stubbed toe is not a minor event: the injuries it causes are bruised and broken toes and blood under the nail, and on a long descent with a pack on, the force involved is considerably more than walking into a door frame at home.
• It does not keep debris out. Grit, gravel and burrs get under the foot and between the straps. On wet ground that turns into abrasion and blisters faster than in a shoe, because there is nothing between the debris and your skin.
• It does not support your ankle. Neither, for the record, does most trail footwear — ankle stability comes far more from your own strength and balance than from a shoe collar. But a sandal gives you nothing at all there, so if your ankles are the weak link, it removes your margin.
• It has no heel counter. In a shoe, the firm cup at the back holds your heel in position. In a sandal, that job is done entirely by the straps, which is why the strap system is the single most important thing to get right.

None of that is an argument against hiking sandals. It is the reason to choose one on the right terms, and the reason a good one looks the way it does.

The three things that decide a hiking sandal

1. Whether it holds your heel. This matters more than anything on the spec sheet. A sandal that lets your heel lift or slide sideways makes your toes do the holding — they grip down on every step to keep the sandal under you, the same toe gripping that makes Crocs tiring to walk in. Over a few miles that is how people end up with aching toes, sore arches and a tight calf. A heel strap that you can tension, and that stays tensioned, is the difference between a sandal and a slipper.

2. What the footbed is shaped like. Hiking sandals divide roughly into two kinds of footbed. One is contoured and firm, with a raised arch and a defined heel cup; the other is flatter and softer, built for cushioning. Neither is better in the abstract. A firm, shaped footbed supports a foot that tends to flatten or a heel that is prone to plantar fasciitis; a softer one is kinder to a rigid, high-arched foot that does not absorb shock well on its own. Choose by your foot, not by which brand a friend wears.

3. Whether it covers your toes. Most strap sandals do not. A few hiking sandals add a rubber toe bumper or a closed front, and that single feature changes what terrain the sandal is fit for. If your hiking involves scrambling, loose rock or a lot of descent, it is the feature to prioritize.

After those three, the outsole matters — a soft, sticky rubber with real lugs for wet rock, rather than a smooth sole built for pavement — and then everything else is preference.

Teva, Chaco or KEEN? What each maker actually says

These three brands are the ones people ask about, so here is what each says about its best-known hiking sandal, in its own words, and what that means for a foot. Every construction detail below is the manufacturer’s own published claim, read from its product page on October 3, 2026.

Chaco is the firm, shaped option. The continuous strap is the brand’s signature: it adjusts to an unusually precise fit once it is set, and it holds the heel well when it is set properly. The trade-off is that it takes some fiddling to get right, and a contoured, firm footbed is not comfortable for everyone at first. Chaco also publishes a 3.0 mm lug depth for the ChacoGrip outsole on the Z Classic — the company’s own figure. Chaco sells wide-width versions of the Z/1, which matters for a broad forefoot.

Teva is the cushioned, simple option. Hook-and-loop straps go on in seconds and adjust easily, and Teva describes the Hurricane’s outsole as “Spider Rubber® for grip on the trails”. A soft EVA midsole is pleasant underfoot, but softness is not the same as support: for a foot that needs its arch held up, it will do less than a firm, contoured bed.

KEEN is the protected option. The Newport H2 is a hybrid — KEEN calls it its “original water sandal” — and the rubber toe bumper is the one feature of the three that addresses the biggest risk of hiking in sandals. If you are choosing for rocky, rooty or technical ground, that bumper outweighs any difference in footbed.

So the honest answer to “which is best” is: Chaco if you want support and are willing to set the strap carefully; Teva if you want something quick and cushioned for easier ground; KEEN if your terrain can hurt your toes. And none of them, if your foot is one of the ones below.

Who should not hike in sandals

Reasonable candidates

• Healthy feet with normal sensation on maintained trails, in heat, or with water crossings to make.
• Feet that run hot or blister in shoes — ventilation is a genuine advantage.
• A broad forefoot squeezed by trail shoes — an open sandal or a wide-width strap model has no toe box to press on it.
• Camp and river days as a second pair, which is where many people get the most use from them.

Choose a shoe instead

• Diabetic or any peripheral neuropathy — the most important line on this page.
• Ankle sprains that keep recurring — a sandal leaves you no margin on uneven ground.
• A heel that is painful now — get it settled in a supportive shoe first.
• Loose rock, scree or long technical descents — toe protection stops being optional.
• A heavy pack over long days — more load means more force at every foot strike and every stumble.

The neuropathy point deserves its own sentence. If you cannot reliably feel your feet, a hiking sandal exposes skin you cannot monitor to debris you cannot feel, on ground that is designed to scrape it. A pebble working under the forefoot over five miles, or a cut from a rock edge, can become an ulcer before you notice anything at all. The same reasoning runs through our diabetic shoe recommendations: closed, protective, checked footwear, every time.

Plantar fasciitis and hiking sandals

It is the most common question about this category, and the answer turns on the footbed, not the brand name.

A painful plantar fascia wants two things from footwear: support under the arch, so the fascia is not stretched on every step, and a heel held steady. A firm, contoured footbed does the first of those; a well-set heel strap does the second. A soft, flat footbed does neither particularly well, however comfortable it feels in the first five minutes. So if your heel is a problem, a firm contoured sandal is a far better bet than a cushioned flat one.

Two cautions. First, if your heel is flaring — worst on the first steps in the morning and getting worse — a sandal of any kind is the wrong thing to hike in until it has settled; start with hiking shoes chosen for plantar fasciitis. Second, if you depend on an orthotic, you cannot use it in a strap sandal, and the footbed has to do that job instead, which is a strong argument for the firmest, most shaped footbed you can tolerate.

Toe loops, bunions and neuromas

Straps put pressure exactly where they cross the foot, and for some feet that is the problem with the whole category.

• Toe loops — some designs add a loop around the big toe; Chaco’s Z/2, for one, lists a “toe loop for secure fit”. It helps hold the sandal on, and it can rub raw on a bunion or a big toe joint that is already sore. If you have either, choose a design without one.
• A strap across the forefoot can press on a Morton’s neuroma. Try the sandal on with the strap set to hiking tension, not loosely, and walk for a few minutes before deciding.
• A broad forefoot often does better in an open sandal than in a shoe, because there is no toe box to squeeze it — but check that the front of the footbed is wide enough that your little toe is not hanging over the edge. Wide-width versions exist for this reason, and our guide to toe box width explains why forefoot room matters.

Fitting a hiking sandal properly

• Heel to the back edge. Your heel should sit in the heel cup with a little footbed showing behind it, not hanging off the back.
• Toes inside the front. Leave roughly a finger’s width of footbed in front of your longest toe. On a descent your foot moves forward, and toes that hang over the front edge are the ones that hit rock.
• Set the heel strap at hiking tension. Tight enough that your heel does not lift when you walk uphill, not so tight that it marks the skin. Re-check it after the first mile; straps settle.
• Break them in before a long day. Straps and contoured footbeds both need a few short walks. A first outing of ten miles is how people discover where a strap rubs.
• Socks are allowed. Thin wool socks under a sandal look unfashionable and prevent a good deal of strap abrasion on long or cold days.

Hiking sandal or water shoe?

If most of your route is in the water — river hiking, wading a canyon, slick creek beds — a closed water shoe protects your toes better than any strap sandal while still letting water drain out; our guide to water shoes for hiking and rivers covers that choice. A hybrid like the KEEN Newport H2 sits between the two: a sandal’s drainage with a bumper in front. And if you want a sandal for everyday walking rather than trails, see our picks for walking sandals with arch support.

Where to buy

Disclosure: as an Amazon Associate, Balance Foot & Ankle earns from qualifying purchases made through the links below, at no extra cost to you. Each link goes to that model’s Amazon listing; sandal sizes and widths vary by listing, so check the size chart before you order.

Each maker also sells directly from its own site, where the full range of widths is listed.

Frequently asked questions

Are Tevas or Chacos better for hiking?

It depends on your foot. Chaco builds around a firm, contoured footbed it calls LUVSEAT and a single adjustable strap that runs through the midsole, which suits a foot that needs its arch supported and its heel held — including many people prone to plantar fasciitis. Teva’s Hurricane uses a softer EVA-foam midsole and hook-and-loop straps, which is quicker to put on and kinder to a rigid, high-arched foot that wants cushioning. Neither covers your toes. For support on longer hikes, a firm contoured footbed is usually the better bet; for easy trails and quick on-off, the cushioned option is fine.

What are the best sandals for trekking?

For trekking — long days, a pack, mixed and rocky terrain — the best sandal is one that covers your toes, holds your heel firmly and has a lugged, sticky outsole. A closed or bumpered toe, as on KEEN’s Newport H2, addresses the biggest risk of hiking in sandals, which is a stubbed or broken toe. On genuinely technical ground with a heavy pack, a hiking shoe is still the safer tool, and many trekkers carry a sandal as a second pair for river crossings and camp rather than as their main footwear.

Are Keens or Tevas better?

They are built for different jobs. The KEEN Newport H2 has a rubber toe bumper — KEEN calls it its “iconic toe bumper for added protection” — and a bungee lace, so it protects the front of the foot on rocks and in rivers. The Teva Hurricane XLT2 is an open strap sandal with a cushioned EVA midsole and hook-and-loop closure: lighter, airier and quicker to adjust, but with nothing in front of your toes. On rocky or rooty terrain, the toe protection makes KEEN the safer choice; on easy trails and in heat, Teva’s openness is the advantage.

Are Tevas the best hiking sandals?

For some hikers, on some trails. Tevas are cushioned, easy to adjust and well suited to easy terrain and water. They are not the best choice if you need arch support — a soft EVA midsole cushions rather than supports — or if your route is rocky enough that you need toe protection, which the open Hurricane does not have. There is no single best hiking sandal; there is the best one for your foot and your terrain, and the three questions that decide it are how well it holds your heel, how its footbed is shaped, and whether it covers your toes.

Are hiking sandals good for plantar fasciitis?

A hiking sandal with a firm, contoured footbed and a well-set heel strap can be, once the heel has settled. A soft, flat footbed usually is not, however comfortable it feels at first, because it does little to support the arch. During a flare — worst on the first steps of the morning and getting worse — choose a supportive hiking shoe instead and return to sandals once it has calmed down.

Can you hike in sandals if you have diabetes?

Not if you have any loss of sensation in your feet. A hiking sandal exposes skin you cannot monitor to debris and rock you cannot feel, and a small cut or a pebble working under the foot can become an ulcer before you notice it. Choose closed, protective footwear, check your feet after every hike, and talk to whoever manages your feet before changing what you hike in.

Product details for the Chaco Z/1 Classic, Teva Hurricane XLT2 and KEEN Newport H2 were read from chacos.com, teva.com and keenfootwear.com on October 3, 2026, and are attributed in the text. Medically reviewed by Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM, FACFAS, board-certified foot and ankle surgeon. Last reviewed October 8, 2026.