“Embrace the detours.” – Kevin Charbonneau
Whether ambling through an autumn parking lot with a tray full of pumpkin lattes, or taking the route less traveled along the local fire trail, life is full of detours. These aren’t necessarily moments that require highly technical or specialized footwear. Instead they are life’s smaller adventures, slight detours along the way.
The Chaco Balmer for men is designed to embrace the detours of life. Comfortable enough for the daily grind around town, but ready to carry you comfortably over gravel trails for weekends at the family cabin, the Balmer is ready to help you enjoy the journey, wherever it may lead you.
On Design and Performance …
Designed with multi-sport adventures in mind, the Balmer is a shoe ready for the realities of life. A mesh and synthetic leather upper, is stylish enough to get you through a casual Friday at work but durable and breathable enough to tackle the trail when the clock hits 5pm and the thermostat has forgotten that summer yielded way to Fall.
The Chaco design team also equipped the Balmer with a plush tongue and a breathable fabric collar for added comfort when the biggest adventure of your day is weaving through a forest of parked cars with a toddler on your hip and morning mocha in hand.
Let’s face it, Autumn not only means lush trails covered with a bed of moist leaves and pinecones, it also means slick sidewalks and tarmak. For those actualities, the Balmer features the Chaco proprietary EcoTread™ sole. Made from 25% recycled rubber, the EcoTread™ sole merges high-traction with eco-function ensuring putting your outdoor soul at peace with Mother Nature while ensuring that every step on the rock-strewn trail or through the urban puddles is secure.
Let’s face it, if Chaco entrusted the EcoTread™ sole as the foundation of the Tedinho Water Proof Boot recently reviewed by our team, it’s ready to confront any obstacle you face in the Balmer,
The sole of the Balmer resides upon Chaco’s supportive and popular LUVSEAT™ XO3 platform. Crafted to properly support and align your body, the LUVSEAT™ XO3 platform is the heart and soul of this shoe. The platform provided our field team with just the right amount of support through each stride, ensuring our testers feet always enjoyed the ride, whether the hike was from the parking garage to the office or from the local vernal pools, to gently tumbling streams in the Sierras.
The Critique…
A well-rounded and versatile shoe, the Chaco Balmer provides a comfortable and stylish option for daily adventures that don’t cross into the extreme. The only significant critique from our gear crew centered on the shoelaces, which wanted nothing more than to keep unravelling. Whether our field tester tied them in single, double or triple knots he still found himself continually needing to stop and retie his shoes. No matter how plush the ride, having to stop consistently to re-tie the shoes can prove to be a problem whether out on the trail, or simply making your way through the day.
Bottom Line …
The multifunctional design of the Chaco Balmer lets you hit the trails and city streets with equal ease, durability and comfort. So the next time life’s detours redirect you from that family trip to San Francisco and instead find you traversing the rolling hills and vineyards of Sonoma County, you’ll be ready.
Manufactured by Chacos, the Balmer is available for men in Carafe (featured) and Gunmetal for $110. Available from www.chacos.com