Article by Jeff Valliere
Skechers Lomell - Riptide Sandal ($75)
The Skechers Lomell - Riptide sandal is relatively light, at 10.6 oz. in my size 10, so a full 5 ounces lighter than my size 9 Chaco Z/1 (Chacos runs big).
The Luxe Foam footbed is very soft and well cushioned compared to the heavy and dense feel of the Chaco, exceptionally comfortable!
The straps over the foot are soft, comfortable and well positioned.
But the main strap that goes over the ankle is long and the velcro comes up way too short, so I am unable to snug them down adequately.
I do have a thin foot/ankle, but the main strap comes nowhere close to fitting and I think even those with a ‘normal’ size foot/ankle will struggle here.
The way the velcro lines up, I have absolutely no snugness or hold, so when I bond the velcro, the strap is essentially just arched above my ankle, only touching when I lift my foot up to it. Because of this, I have essentially no foothold. In the photo below, if I snug the strap to where I would need it, the top velcro will not even touch the bottom velcro and thus has no connection, much less a secure connection.
The Goodyear outsole is excellent and seems like it would provide excellent traction, but with no lockdown of the straps, that is neither here nor there.
Conclusions/Recommendations:
I really want to like this sandal, in fact, I really like them for casually wearing around the house, yard or going on a quick errand, but revert back to my old Chacos if I need foothold forwalking, light hiking, messing around the beach, lake or creeks because they have good foothold.
If Skechers could fix the strap issue and provide lockdown, I think this would be one of the best sandals out there for its cushion, comfort, traction and light weight. I would recommend them for those with very large ankles, but otherwise would be cautious.
Jeff Valliere runs mostly on very steep technical terrain above Boulder. Colorado often challenging well known local Fastest Known Times.
Skechers Relaxed Fit: Lomell - Riptide Sandal is available at Skechers HERE
Samples were provided at no charge for review purposes. RoadTrail Run has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased through affiliate links in this article. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content. The opinions herein are entirely the authors'
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4 comments:
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The Freewaters Cloud 9 is another even lighter, yet thick/cushy sandal with unpadded straps and less aggressive but appropriate outsole. Size down 1 size for a closer fit/true size if you want some margin if you want to try.
Anon,
I had not heard of Freewaters, but the Cloud 9 Sport looks really nice. Would love to test/compare. Are you affiliated? If so, let's talk more [email protected] .
No, I'm not affiliated. I've just liked the brand since trying on (at REI) and buying a version of their flip flop made with the Thermorest design some years back.
The Cloud 9 looked good to me (my local REI didn't have these in store, so I had to order), so I gave the Sport at try even though I've not had sandals with that Teva strap style before. I was debating between that and the flip flop version. I like trim, neoprene-like strap lining in the Cloud 9 flip flop version, which looks like the same straps on my Thermorest flip flop (a discontinued style called Kaamper).
Looks like they don't do much marketing, and kind of coast on having gotten in at REI. There's an interesting, long interview of the founder on comedian Bert Kreischer's youtube channel, and he seems very laid back.
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