I’ve never been a fan of sandals. They generally look goofy on guys, they make that annoying flap flap noise when you walk and most dudes have kinda ratty looking feet. And in cold or wet climates they’re impractical.
I now find myself with a need for some. I usually go barefoot in the house, but often need to go outside for just a couple minutes. Having some quick slip-on footwear that doesn’t need or want socks sounds good. So I buy a pair of cheapo dense foam sandals with the wide cushiony strap over the instep and no between-toe thingy. The instep straps are two parts connected by Velcro so I can adjust them for a snug fit. They even come in varied sizes; I tried them in the store to be sure I got the right size.
Looks like they ought to work great. Epic Fail. Please Help oh you assembled masses of sandal-wearing experts. I can’t be defeated by eight ounces of stupid inert plastic.
Within 10-15 steps the sandals have rotated under my feet and the back 1/3 of my foot is hanging out in space off the inside edge of the sandal. My entire heel is unsupported out in space and I’m walking on my toes / ball of foot only. I can stop and reset the sandal straight on my foot. 15 steps later it’s sideways again.
The last time I bought sandals was probably 40 years ago. Those had the Y-shaped narrow straps that come together and attach to the sandal bed between the great and first toe. Those too got sideways on my feet within a few steps. Plus created massive blisters between my toes. Hence my decision for the other style this time.
Possibly relevant fact: when I walk normally my feet point only very slightly outwards. Not 30-45 degrees as you sometimes see on people, especially overweight people (which I am decidedly not). My alignment looks about like what I think of as the normal male gait but I could be wrong. Nobody has ever commented on me walking funny and my conventional shoes wear evenly all around. And always have.
So: How do I make the sandals not rotate under my feet while I’m walking?
If sandals are making a flapping noise they’re too loose, but what you describe appears to be flip-flops rather than sandals. Sandals get tied around the ankle: no flapping noises, no turning around, no trying to trip you.
The river sandal, a style much more open than a fully closed shoe and can be found in many brands and stores (Teva are quite nice). I prefer Lands End or LL Bean. They’re machine washable (delicate cycle, naturally) which I find to be a real bonus when they have accrued funk.
For what it’s worth, my last pair of sandals were Tevas, and I didn’t find them to hold up significantly better than the cheap-o generic K-mart ones (certainly not enough better to justify the price).
As to the various river sandals … Thanks for the good suggestion but that defeats the main purpose which is of being step-in/step out/no-hands to use. I have various slip-on dock shoes and such already.
I’m still trying to make these things work. They’re truly amazing. In 30 feet of walking down a straight corridor my feet are still pointing forwards and very slightly outwards as always and the sandals have rotated about my instep until they’re pointed inwards 20-30 degrees. I don’t think I’m deformed but these work like they were designed for a whole different animal. I’d blame the fine Chinese design except for the fact every pair of sandals of whatever design I’ve tried since childhood has had the same issue.
For just running in and out of the house, back and forth to the car, or gardening, I use Crocs (or similar knockoffs). They do the job nicely for that sort of thing, are really cheap, and you won’t feel the urge to wear them elsewhere.
Try Keen sandals with the heel strap. I don’t know how many countries mine have visited now. Still the first pair and my puppy even chewed on them. Or as Joyful said. Crocs. They have a pretty deep heal well, and might not slip to the side. Perfect for a quick on off. And has a heal strap depending on how you wear them.
I’d call yours shower shoes, tbh, and I’ve watched them fly off the feet of men all over Utah (they’re strangely popular here) so don’t feel too bad.
What you do w/ the heel strap sandal is strap them on by hand the first time, then loosen the velcro just until you can slip your foot out when you stand up. You should be able to put them right back on in reverse w/o even leaning over.
So you want something that’s slip on, slip off, no fastening, so you can run outside for a minute or two to get the mail or take out the garbage.
I know you don’t want the thing between your toes, but I’d say get some cheap flip flops and just put up with the discomfort for those couple of minutes. You’ll grip the bed with your toes and it should keep them on.
I use Crocs, can slip in and out with the heel strap in use or out of the way forward.
They can get slick when the tread wears down.
The can roll sideways if you slide sideways on a slope or rock.
100 X better than fllip/flops.
Have seen all kinds, weights, stride patterns of people in all kinds of ‘quickie’ slip-ons, I wear them 95% of the time, I walk like you but have a bit of a bear roll side to side. IMO, you walk really different with some sort of twist motion at the start of the foot landing or as it leaves the ground behind you.
You are the only one I have ever heard of with this problem with this many different types of shoes. Filip/flops are not counted because they are EVIL X 42
There well may be a little motion that you do that you do not realize you are doing it. And that makes non strapped on shoes rotate.
I got some Nike sandals that work just fine for what you’re talking about. They have a strap over the foot that can be adjusted. Once I got that right, they fit me fine.
When traveling, I often find flipflops under the hotel bed, provided for guests. I can’t get used to them. It takes me a minute or two just to manipulate the thong between the right toes, and they are positively lethal on a stairway.
When my wife and I spent seven months backpacking around Africa, she didn’t even bring shoes along. She made the entire trip in flipflops, wore several pairs out. And two sarongs and a couple of tops.
To run out the door for a few minutes, I have an old pair of velcro nikes I can pop on over bare feet. House is a shoe-free zone.
I’ve got a pair of sandals which have straps over close to the toes, by the ankle and on the back. When I’m not going anywhere then I just step on the back strap rather than put it on.
If you were over here in Asia, you would do the same thing the rest of us do. Buy cheap tennis / shorts shoes and then step on the back of the shoe, breaking it.
If you can’t adjust them so that they don’t move on you, then all I can think is that you need something with a heal, and that isn’t completely flat to your foot.
Crocs (especially the cheap offbrand ones) are indeed a good option, as they have both of these. But any easily slipped on shoe with these characteristics would work.
I’m in love with Bokos. At $18, the cost is pretty low. They are a single piece, so no seams. They are made from something that feels like silicon. A nice amount of cushioning. They rinse off easy.
I wear them all summer, except when I am going to do lots of walking. They don’t have enough cushion for that. I use them as shower shoes when camping. I mow the lawn in them. I wear them for quick trips to the store, and walks to the mail box.
I recently bought a second pair, specifically for wearing to/from the hot tub. They slide on easy, don’t get stiff in cold, and insulate my feet from the concrete.
I’d blame the fine Chinese design except for the fact every pair of sandals of whatever design I’ve tried since childhood has had the same issue.