flips |

Chaco Updraft Review

posted by gumptiongear July 3, 2012 0 comments

True, you may not plan on spending 40 years wandering the desert wilderness like the Isrealites, but you’ve still got big plans for your summer. Whether tackling class IV rapids, searching for those elusive swimming holes or trekking through the narrow cobblestone alleys of old Europe, you want quality footwear that’s light, supportive and ready for adventure by land or sea.

Every bit as adventurous and trail worthy as your last pair of Chaco sandals, the Updraft offers a modern minimalist take on the classic Chaco sandal. Lighter, leaner and more streamlined, the Updraft offers all-day comfort without compromising on performance.
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Gear Reviews Go Outdoors

Hi-Tec Sierra Canyon Thong

posted by gumptiongear April 17, 2012 0 comments

For many outdoor enthusiasts, Spring and Summer brings us face to face with one of the great dilemmas: You want to wear flip-flops but you also don’t want to give up a summer of hiking, climbing and adventuring. If this is your great outdoor quandary, then rest easy friend. With the Sierra Lite Canyon Thong, Hi-Tec may have just cut back on the hours you’d otherwise waste in your closet choosing between flips or hiking shoes.
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Gear Reviews Go Outdoors

Rider Sandal R1 Series Flips: Taking Your Feet Global

posted by gumptiongear November 3, 2011 0 comments

Celebrating their 15th year in the US market Rider Sandals is extending its brand in 2012, expressing its authentic Brazilian heritage with “Street Summer.” Inspired 100% by the Brazilian lifestyle, “Street Summer” captures the essence of Brazil with vibrant colors and the cultural trends of Brazilian fashion; all while delivering comfort, flexibility and durability.

Rider has given the Gumption Gear Crew a sneak peak at the R1 Urb and R1 Urb Plus flips, part of the new 2012 Street Summer flip collection. As part of the “Street Summer” line-up the the R1 Urb and R1 Urb Plus flips feature Rider mixes contemporary urban trends and distinct Brazilian beach fun with a dash of attitude and Rider specific technologies.

On Fit and Performance…
Looks can be deceiving, and out of the box the R1 Rider Series may give the appearance of a standard casual flip with swanky 3-D tread. Toss them on however and you’ll be thankful for the technological features packed away into the soul of these sandals.

Gear Reviews Go Outdoors

The Ocean Minded Storm Surf Flips

posted by gumptiongear September 27, 2011 0 comments

Whether your adventure plans include air, land or sea, the eco-friendly design of the Ocean Minded™ Storm Surf is a must.

Aiming to become the global leader in sustainable lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories, the crew at Ocean Minded™ are designing gear with a higher purpose in mind: providing comfort while protecting the earth.Ocean Minded believes in utilizing recycled and sustainable materials in all their products whenever possible. Towards these ends, the Storm Surf Flip is a prime example of how the Ocean Minded design team has integrated functionality with eco-friendly design.

Gear Reviews Go Hike Go Outdoors

In Search of the Perfect Sandal: Freewaters™ MAGIC CARPET

posted by gumptiongear August 31, 2011 0 comments

Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” Towards those ends, Freewaters™ has combined patent pending technologies and innovative design features to forge the Magic Carpet– a sandal that has plenty of magic to get your blood flowing.

Like the pride of a racing stable, the Magic Carpet leads the pack in performance, comfort, and style. This hi-tec innovative sandal goes places you never thought a sandal could, so get used to the idea of never taking it off.

Patent pending neoprene flex panel straps are so comfortable you’ll forget they’re even there. These innovative straps demonstrate that pressure and pinching derived from the foot flexing forward need not be a part of your flip-flop experience. Moreover, during those rare moments you remove the Magic Carpet sandals, the straps retain form. While this may seem like a tedious detail, few things can prove to be more insufferable than toe wrestling a flattened strap when you just want to get up and get out. Did we mention they are also water and vegan friendly?

Freewaters has raised the stakes in the world of flip-flop design by incorporating running shoe technology into this sandal. The Freewaters team accomplishes this through an Exclusive Response Arch Shank which creates torsional flex resulting in a spring type action reminiscent of your favorite athletic kicks.

Coupled with the midsole’s ‘toe spring’ which helps eliminate toe drag, the response arch shank generates an efficient transfer of energy within every stride resulting in greater ease whether you’re strolling the beach or making that long walk to the BBQ to flip the burgers.

Amidst a forest of innovative design features, there was one part of the Magic Carpet that truly resonated with our crew: A recycled eco-rubber outsole with aggressive tread and siping providing traction that would impress the Michelin Man. This sticky, water-channeling sole moves water away from the bottom of your sandal ensuring secure footing on slick and sketchy surfaces so you don’t have to hold back when your pistons are firing.

When constructing an outsole that excels on the land and longs for the water, the Freewaters design team put equal effort into fashioning a eva foam footbed that serves as the ultimate welcome mat for your feet. A brushed non-slip footbed keeps you locked in and comfy cruising through life’s waterparks. The 3D molded footbed matches your foot’s shape and cushions your steps while keeping your feet cool on even the hottest summer days.

While this sandal seems to lack the impressive arch support of the Freewaters Cruz Control, the Magic Carpet still delivers rock steady support and massive comfort for which your body will be grateful. At a time when more than one company lays claim to an “out-of-the-box-no-break-in” fit, once again, Freewaters is king of the hill in that category. Good news for you, because when the sun is out, you don’t want to waste any time breaking in new sandals.

Bottom Line…
They say that the elegance of art is that it enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. If that is indeed the case then the Magic Carpet from Freewaters is the essence of art for the feet.

Exit Note…
If there’s one thing we like more than a quality sandal, it’s a quality sandal with a humanitarian heart. The purchase of one pair of Freewaters allows ProjectFreewaters.org to provide clean drinking water for one individual for one entire year. So go purchase your Freewaters sandals, you’ll be doing your feet and the world a lot of good.

Gear Reviews Go Outdoors

In Search of the Perfect Summer Sandal: SOLE™ Casual Flips

posted by gumptiongear August 24, 2011 0 comments

If you’ve spent your life strolling around on the traditional one-size-fits-all flip flop then you’ve been living your life on little more than a flat cardboard platform. While you thought you’re feet were gaining freedom, the reality is that you’ve been forcing your body to work harder to keep those flips on, aggravating any existing biomechanic problems you may have.

Enter SOLE™, a footwear company out to shatter the traditional one-size-fits-all flip-flop paradigm.

SOLE understands that like fingerprints, your feet are unique. As such the’ve created a casual styled flip flop that provides custom support and cushioning courtesy of the SOLE Wear Moldable™ footbed which molds to your unique foot shape, providing unmatched comfort and support.

On Style and Performance…
Who knew that living an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle would also allow you to look so chic? A gender-specific strap is composed from 50% hemp and 50% recycled polyester. Both the men and women’s version come with patterned/embroidered straps that give these flips the definitive “sweeeet” factor when you first pull them from the box.

The magic ingredient of the SOLE casual sandals is cork. Yup… cork. SOLE has been researching cork and working on developing products with it since 2008. Through their research SOLE discovered that they could replace some petroleum-based foam with cork and not reduce the performance of their footwear. Using 35% cork in the footbed and midsole, the Casual Flips reduce impact on your feet and the environment. Our field testers were truly impressed by give and natural shock absorbing qualities of the cork footbed.

More than being stylish and environmentally friendly, the SOLE casual flips are a great sandal for your tired feet after any adventure. The full and roomy shape, contoured cork footbed and deep heel all combine to holistically support your feet in their natural and free form. It’s this free and full support that shapes and molds to your foot over time supporting the body and allowing your feet to recover. In other words, this flip not only wows at summer BBQ’s, it’s the perfect post workout sandal for runners and weekend warriors alike.

And when the rubber hits the road, the non-marking rubber outsoles boasts tremendous traction. In fact the traction on these casual flips exceeded that of some “performance” based flips we’ve tested. The grip smooths out your step on gravely roads, uneven boardwalks, and unexpectedly rough cement steps outside your local organic grocery store.

Room for Improvement…
The SOLE casual flip is changing the way that people view the traditional flip flop for the better. The design team at SOLE deserves a great deal of credit for the craftsmanship of this flip, although our testers felt that there was one foible: the double stitching on the underside of the strap. The 50% Hemp/50% Recycled Polyester strap was comfortable, and wicked away moisture like a shammie, however the double stitching proved to be unforgiving on the back end of the toes. As a result we were left with tender tootsies and dubious dorsals until these flips were fully broken in.

Bottom Line…
You have certain requirements of flip flops. For one, you like a polished, sophisticated look, and the stylish upper and cork wrapped footbed fit that bill. You also demand comfort and support; the SOLE casual comes through with a first class moldable footbed that cradles and supports your body. Like your favorite baseball glove or a fine wine these flips will only get better with time. So whether you’re a fellow outdoor enthusiast or a flip flop connoisseur, you’ll revel in the SOLE line up of casual sandals.You can get them from the SOLE store for $70 by clicking here.