What are the best cheap hiking sandals? In this article, I will provide a list with some of the best hiking sandals you can buy today. If you are not sure whether or not you should use sandals for hiking, I would suggest checking out this article: Are sandals good for hiking?. As long as you can live with the negatives and you stick with the good brands, you should be fine.
The best cheap hiking sandals
I will provide a list of some of the best hiking sandals for hikers on a tight budget. The list will be sorted from cheap to expensive as good as possible (note that prices could change over time). If you are not convinced that hiking in sandals is a good idea, you can also take a look these articles: The best cheap hiking shoes, the best cheap trail running shoes.
Teva original universal
The universal teva’s are absolute classics and they have proven to be a very trustworthy shoe.
It’s not the cheapest and it’s not the best hiking sandal on the list, but it’s a very solid in-between option.
It’s a great sandal for everyday use, casual day hikes or some easier multiday hiking trails.
However, for the more serieous hiking trails out there, I would recommend the chacos Z1 Classic over the teva universal anyday. For these activities the shoe simply lacks traction and stability.
It’s worth mentioning that for a slightly increased price you can get the teva Katavi 2, which is actually a better teva for longer/harder hiking trails. The main argument here would be that it has better traction and stability.
Wait, but if this sandal isn’t that great for hiking, why did it make the list? Well, it’s still a very good sandal for short/easier dayhikes, so depending on your needs it might be the right choice. I use these sandals for hiking the parts where I know I have to make many river crossings and have been very happy with them.
More importantly, these sandals are very durable and will last you a very long time. Combine that with the fact that they are really cheap, considering the quality, it’s a perfect purchase for hikers who care about their money. Remember, a durable product is a budget-friendly product in the long run. Unless the product is very expensive to begin with ofcourse, but that is not at all the case.
Pros:
- Durable
- Very good value for money
Cons:
- Not for longer/harder hikes
- No feet protection
These shoes are available for both men and women on amazon:
Men: Teva Men’s original universal
Women: Teva Women’s original universal
ATIKA Sport Sandals Maya Trail Outdoor
These sandals are very solid considering their price. One of the better options for hikers on a budget. That said, I would be cautious to wear them on longer hikes and on rough terrain.
They are awesome for their price, but they do not match the quality of Tevas or any other high quality sandal brand. So for long distance hikes or hikes on rough terrain, I would advise against these sandals.
If you are only going on mild day hikes, the ATIKA sport sandals will do just fine. These shoes might be cheap, but note that they are not as durable as certain other (more expensive) options on this list. Buying a more expensive option that is more durable, might save you money in the long run.
Pros:
- Very cheap
- Good value for money
Cons:
- Some complaints about irritation
- Sizing might be off
- Not very durable
- No feet protection
These shoes are available for both men and women on amazon:
Men: ATIKA Men’s Sport Sandals Maya Trail Outdoor
Women: ATIKA Women’s Sport Sandals Maya Trail Outdoor
Lancholy hiking sandals [Women only]
If the universal tevas are still too expensive, the lancholy hiking sandals might be a better option.
The story here is simple, the lancholy hiking sandal is very good for the price. It’s good for hiking because the shoe does have some arch support and is comfortable. However, the main problem is the lack of grip, meaning that it’s not the best footwear for (potential) slippery terrain. This is often the problem with budget hiking sandals.
If you intends to avoid these situations, you don’t care too much about grip and a lot about the money, the lancholy hiking sandals are the one’s to get.
Pros:
- Very cheap
- Comfortable
Cons:
- Poor grip
- Not for longer/harder hikes
- No feet protection
These shoes are available only for women on amazon:
Women: Lancholy Hiking Sandals for Women
Viakix Hiking Sandals [Women only]
The Viakix Hiking Sandals are sadly on available for women. These sandals are slightly more expensive than the previous options on this list, but I feel like they provide a lot of additional value. Also, they do look better than the average hiking sandal.
These shoes are actually optimized for hiking and I would feel comfortable to recommend it to hikers who are planning a multiday hiking trip. I don’t know any long distance hikers who have worn this on a thru-hike, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable to recommend this for hiking the Appalachian Trail or a similar trail.
One of the negatives about these sandals – in comparison with a high-end brand: Some people claimed that the arch support is not as good with these sandals than with high-end sandals.
Pros:
- Good value for money
- Optimized for hiking
Cons:
- Lower quality than high-end sandals
- No feet protection
These shoes are available only for women on amazon:
Women: Viakix Hiking Sandals for Women
Chacos Z1 Classic
Up untill this point, I have been recommending hiking sandals for day hikes, or multiday hikes, but not for thru-hiking. Here it is, my budget-friendly recommendation for thru-hikers: the Chacos Z1 Classic.
Let me start by saying that these shoes are definitely not as cheap as the other cheap hiking sandals I mentioned thus far. However, these are by far the best lightweight hiking sandals on the list.
Keeping in mind the quality, I still consider these sandals to be cheap. They are cheap because they are an old model. Because Chacos have been releasing different types of hiking sandals, the classics went down in price. This is good for us, budget hikers, because the Chacos Z1 classics are still as awesome as when they were first released.
Why are these sandals so much better than others? Well, the magic happens in the sole. Did you know that the heel cup is one of the most important factors when it comes to ankle support? Chacos optimized their product completely for hikers, even thru-hikers. That said, it isn’t all pretty, thru-hiking in sandals does come with some major disadvantages. For more information, check out this article: Can I thru-hike in Chacos?.
Pros:
- High quality
- Good value for money
- Optimized for hiking
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Not as cheap as alternatives on this list
- No feet protection
These shoes are available for both men and women on amazon:
Women: Chacos Z1 Classic Women’s
Merrell All Out Blaze Sieve Water Shoe
By now you should realize that hiking in sandals does come with certain dangers. The main issue is the lack of feet protection. No worries, there is a solution for that, sandals with additional protection. The Merrel All Out Water Shoes are pretty extreme, they are actually not even called sandals but water shoes at this point.
However, they do offer most of the benefits of hiking sandals and counter the biggest negative. These shoes might even be a better fit for thru-hikers than the Chacos Z1. The Merrel All Out Blaze Sieve Water Shoes could prevent that broken toe.
As you might expect, these are not cheapest hiking sandals on this list, but I still wanted to recommend a sandal with additional protection (and these tend to be less budget-friendly). If you like the additional protection, but you still want the comfort of a real sandal (not a water shoe), you could also take a look at the Tevas Omnium 2 Sport Sandal.
Pros:
- High quality
- Optimized for hiking
- Feet protection
Cons:
- Not as cheap as alternatives on this list
These shoes are available for both men and women on amazon:
Men: Merrell Men’s All Out Blaze Sieve Water Shoe
Women: Merrell Women’s All Out Blaze Sieve Water Shoe
What’s important in a hiking sandal?
- Weight: One of the main advantages of hiking sandals is that they are so lightweight! Especially when you compare them with the oldschool heavy hiking boots.
- Protection: One of the main disadvantages of hiking sandals is that you sacrifice a lot of protection for your feet. Because of this, I like hiking sandals that offer additional protection. Note that if your hiking sandal offers more protection, it will probably also increase in weight. You will have to find a good balance.
- Durability: I don’t think I should really explain this one. As always, durability is important as well.
- Sole: A good sole should be comfortable, but it should also have a correct heel cup. This is important for ankle support.
- Grip: Especially on rocky, technical terrain grip becomes incredibly important.
- Comfort: Last but not least, if you are going to hike in sandals, you want to make sure that they are actually comfortable. Make sure that the sandals fit perfectly and that the straps don’t cause irritation.
Additional items you need when hiking in sandals
What additional items are needed when you are hiking in sandals? Well, you don’t need that much at all. However, if you plan on wearing socks inside your sandals – you should make sure that you bring adapted socks. Also, foot cream is highly recommended for longer hiking trips.
Hiking socks
Depending on what socks you wear inside a hiking boot, you might have to change them. When you are hiking with socks in sandals, these socks are constantly exposed. Therefore, they will get damaged/worn faster than when you wear them inside a shoe. The solution for this is extra tough socks like Darn tough hiking socks.
If you go hiking in a very cold area, you might want to bring some waterproof socks instead like Sealskinz socks. Especially when you are hiking through snow, this would be recommended.
Obviously, you don’t always need to wear socks in your sandals, but it’s an option. It really depends on the temperature/weather and the terrain.
Foot cream
One other thing that is very important (unless you plan on constantly wearing socks) is a good foot cream. The problem with hiking in sandals is that your feet are constantly exposed to the air. This will cause your skin to crack. Not treating these cracks might result in wounds and a lot of irritation/pain.
The solution? O’Keeffe’s Healthy Feet Foot Cream.
Can I hike in regular sandals?
The most budget friendly option is obviously to use sandals you already own. So, is it possible to hike in regular sandals? Well, it’s probably not a good idea to hike in sandals that are not optimized for hiking. That said, some sandals look like regular sandals, but are actually appropriate for hiking as well.
The best thing you can do is research! Try to find out if other hikers have been using that specific type of sandals for hiking and learn about their experiences. When in doubt, I would recommend to buy a new pair of hiking sandals. As long as you pick a pair of sandals that were recommended in this article, you don’t need to break the bank anyway.
Conclusion
Hiking in sandals does come with some negatives. However, it can definitely be done! The best thing is, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a pair.
If you will be using sandals only on milder hiking trails or day hikes, the cheapest options on this list will fit your needs. That said, for more extreme hikers like thru-hikers, I would only recommend a high-end hiking sandal brand. In this article, I included 2 budget-friendly high-end sandals (Merrel and Chacos).
That’s it, my list of the best cheap hiking sandals. If you have any comments, critique or recommendations, feel free to let me know in the comments below.
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