Up for some river rafting, kayaking, or walking through rocky streams? Beachcombing or just strolling along cobblestone streets? These Teva Omnium sandals can do it all and leave your feet feeling fine at the end of the day.

One key to packing well is to bring plenty of double-duty items along. The Teva Omnium sandals go well beyond “double,” to the point where they can be your main pair of shoes in multiple situations. Yes, I have taken them on plenty of adventure activities: kayaking, hiking, swimming through a dark cave river in Belize, and snorkeling from a cenote to the ocean in the Yucatan. But I’ve also worn them for days on end just bopping around town and going to the beach.

Teva wrote the book on strap-on adventure sandals that can perform like shoes. Part of the reason their shoes are so comfortable is the series of patented strap systems they have built into each model. There’s no sliding or flopping around in this footwear: each pair really does conform to your feet, even if they’re a bit wider or narrower than the standard D-width. With this model you can kind of set the sizing up and then forget about it. You unclip and clip them to take them off and on and your adjustment stays intact.

There are all kinds of features making these special, from the “Spider Rubber” soles that grip rocks well when climbing to the zinc-treated Microban odor control system. The first worked very well, the second just so-so. The drawback of sandals that are comfy enough to feel like fabric shoes is that the uppers can get as wet and soggy as shoes and they take a few hours to dry out in ideal conditions. So they’re prone to get mildewy (and yes, smelly) if you’re in a damp mountain area as I was for a while on this last trip.

The other drawback inherent in these Teva sandals and all the knock-offs that came after them is that they tend to trap every rock, pebble, and grain of sand that comes along. Since they are closed at both the toe and the heel, there’s nowhere for all the solids to drain out with the water. That’s a tradeoff you have to make though: comfort and a great fit all the time in exchange for having to take them off and dump them out now and then when you’re hiking through a stream.

The Teva Omnium performance sandals list for $80. I’ve worn them almost every day for two months solid on the road and they still feel and look great. Under less strenuous conditions, these ventilated adventure shoes should last for years of weekend outings.

Teva Footwear – Omnium at Teva.com

Teva Men’s Omnium at Endless.com

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