REVIEWED: Teva Terra-Float Universal Lux sandals
Lightweight and able to cope with both a hike and a soaking on a beach, these versatile sandals are ideal for backpacking
South-East Asia. Beaches, forest tracks, mountains, villages, rainforest. Awesome. But what shoes do you take? The young backpacker always takes too much to this area of the world, with hiking boots, trainers, sandals and more cluttering-up their over-large backpack. We’ve seen them sweating their way around Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. The solution? The Teva Terra-Float Universal Lux sandals, a more comfortable and versatile pair of sandals it’s not possible to find.
Sole trader
Let’s start with their weight – just 302g each. Lighter than most so-called hiking sandals, the Teva Terra-Float Universal Lux sandals don’t have much of a sole, with a mere diamond cross pattern, but in practice (a steep downward track through a wet and muddy Vietnamese rainforest) they check out fine on that score.
Straps & fasteners
As opposed to the slightly more meaty – and slightly imbalanced – Teva Fi Lite sandals we tested recently, there’s a lot less to the Teva Terra-Float Universal Lux. The straps are handy, too, with two plastic backpack-style clasps on the out-step, both around the ankle and toes. They can be loosened and tightened easily using Velcro straps, and although we did get a small abrasion on a foot for the first three days after slight from the nylon straps, it didn’t stop us wearing them. A few days later and our feet has completely adjusted.
Put a cork on it
However, what we liked most about the Teva Terra-Float Universal Lux sandals was the cork insole. Beautifully comfortable, soft and with plenty of give, these cork insoles also have a quick-drying skill we hadn’t encountered before. While water from a rainstorm or shoreline wander can pool and refuse to dry for days on some sandals, we found the Teva Terra-Float Universal Lux sandals dried in a few hours, certainly enough to wear comfortably. They also seem to try rather more quickly than most sandals just by being worn. Perfect for backpacking and unbeatable value,the Teva Terra-Float Universal Lux sandals are already in the case for our next trip to Asia.