Summer is here and it is time for tough sandals ~ these Terra FI 5 Universal Sandals from Teva fit the bill in my opinion, writes Mike Gormley.
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I have a long association with Teva Terra sandals. My previous pair have been going strong, and still are, albeit now showing their age with wear and tear from over six years of heavy use; both here in the UK and in various other countries I have visited, including on an extended trip to Africa where they were my day-to-day footwear.
These Teva Terra FI 5 Universal sandals tick all the boxes as far as I am concerned. For me the important features are that they are robust, comfortable and, even as a sandal, offer good protection for your feet with raised shaping around toe and heel as well as along the sides. There is plenty of adjustment via hook and loop fixings on the three main straps, so you can wear them ‘loose fitting’ if preferred of tighten them up for added security on the rougher going.
When I compare my new pair with old there has been very little change over the years. In my view a good thing. However, the real difference is in the sole. I always found my original Terra sandals had a sound grip and were very comfortable, but these new variants have an even better one. The sole material, going by my ‘thumbnail test’ is softer. Certainly offering more grip, but perhaps this may give less longevity. Ask in about five years and I’ll let you know. But as I often say, I prefer my footwear to wear out a bit faster but keep me upright and safe.
The tread design is very different and so far, seems to be a definite improvement. I can only hope that these new sandals will be with me on the sort of trips the old ones did, including the likes of Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, plus multi-day hikes along the coast paths to name a few. I live in hope.
For now these new Terra sandals are being kept for best with my old and faithful ones now used around home and garden – with happy memories as they might even still have some of the Kalahari sands tucked away inside somewhere.
[images © Jean or Mike Gormley]
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