Best Backpacking Sandals of 2026

The Z/1 Classic is the heaviest sandal in this guide at a listed 1.7 lb, and after a few days of wearing it we stopped resenting the weight. What you are carrying is a molded footbed with a deep, firm arch, the kind that keeps a foot steady when a pack is trying to roll you off balance.

Arch support is where this sandal separates from the others. The footbed is contoured rather than flat, with a heel cup that holds the back of the foot, and the sole is stiff enough to stay put under a load instead of folding around a stone. The single continuous strap takes a few minutes of threading and re-threading to settle the first time; after that it holds its tension.

Packed purely as a camp spare it is more sandal than you need, and the lighter Hurricane is the easier carry. Give the arch a couple of short walks before committing to a long day, too. It is pronounced enough that you notice it underfoot at first, and this is not a soft footbed. That firmness is the point.

A rubber cap over the toes looks like overkill until you are picking your way down loose scree. The Arroyo 2 is the pick here for that ground: the bumper takes the hits, the heel is closed in more than an open sandal's, and pebbles stay out instead of working their way under your arch.

Underfoot it behaves more like a hiking shoe than a sandal. The sole has real lugs, it edges on rock rather than skidding, and there is enough cushioning that a long day on hard trail does not leave your heels aching. The arch is supportive without being aggressive, which suits people who want support rather than a molded cradle.

It is also the least fussy thing here to put on: two straps, nothing to retie at a stream crossing, and a shape that stays put when wet. On a hot, dry trip the closed upper is more shoe than you want, and an open webbing sandal breathes better when the trail is dust and sun.

At a listed 15 oz it is light enough to justify carrying as your only footwear on a warm-weather trip. What we noticed most on rough ground is how little you think about your feet in them: no grit, no stubbed toes, no stopping mid-trail to adjust a strap.

The listed 5.29 ounces makes the WHITIN C51 the lightest pair in this guide, and that is the whole idea: something that disappears into a pack and gives your feet a break when the boots come off.

As a second pair, it is our favorite here. The footbed has a shaped arch you can feel working on a long walk, the three hook-and-loop straps take up slack across the toes and the instep, and the whole sandal flexes with the foot instead of clumping along. On a narrow foot it sits close without gaping, which is not something we can say for most sandals in this price range.

What it is not is a load-bearing sandal. On a long descent with a heavy pack you feel more of the ground through the sole than you do in the Chaco, and the straps are better at holding a foot in place than at carrying real weight. For camp, water stops, and day hikes with a light pack, none of that matters much.

Wide feet usually mean settling for something. The UBFEN hiking sandals ask for the least settling of anything here: the toe box is roomy without looking like a boat, and the straps run over a bunion instead of pressing into it.

Cushioning is the other half of the case. The footbed is soft enough to feel springy underfoot on pavement and packed trail, and it flexes as you walk rather than staying rigid, which is what makes them comfortable for hours instead of minutes. The arch is modest but present: it supports a neutral foot rather than correcting anything.

Where these make the most sense is a first backpacking sandal, or a second pair for a trip where you expect mud and river crossings. Feet that swell by mid-afternoon still have somewhere to go in the toe box, and that is the sort of thing you appreciate only after a hot day on trail.

The Dannto barely looks like a sandal: closed toe, fabric upper, a bungee lace across the top, and a hook-and-loop strap around the heel. That is the point on wet, muddy ground, where an open sandal ends up full of grit within a mile.

Comfort is where it surprised us. The toe box is wide and squared off rather than tapered, so toes sit flat instead of stacking, and the footbed has enough arch to feel supportive without pressing anywhere in particular. In water the foot slides a little inside the shoe until you tension the heel strap; tighten it wet and the fit settles.

Set against the KEEN, it is the softer, lighter option: less structure underfoot, more give, and a fit that suits a wide forefoot better than a narrow one. The heel strap is the detail that makes it work, because it adjusts length as well as tension, so a half size of gap closes up and a soaked upper stops sliding.

The Original Universal is the sandal most people picture when they hear the name Teva: flat webbing straps, a simple footbed, and a shape that has barely changed in decades. It is also the pair most likely to already be in your closet.

As a camp and town sandal it earns its keep. The listed weight is 6.1 oz, it packs flat against the outside of a pack, and the webbing is dry again not long after a river dunking. The hook-and-loop forefoot strap opens wide enough for a foot that has swollen over a long day, which is why it ends up being the pair we leave by the tent door.

The trail is a different question. The sole is thin and flexible, and under a loaded pack you feel roots and sharp stones through it; the structure that makes a stiff footbed worth carrying is not here. On level paths, short walks, and the stroll into town it is entirely fine.

So buy it as the second pair, not the only one. It is the least expensive way in this guide to guarantee dry feet at camp, and it is what we suggest when a trip is mostly about the evenings rather than the miles.

For a fraction of what a premium hiking sandal costs, the visionreast gives you an open-toe, air-cushioned men's sandal with three hook-and-loop straps and doubled stitching on most seams. It looks like a lot of sandal for the money, and mostly it is.

The forefoot strap sits behind the little toe rather than across it, a placement you notice only when it is wrong. Strap overlap is generous, so a wide foot or a swollen ankle still has somewhere to adjust to, and the cushioned sole takes the sting out of pavement and packed trail alike.

Construction is the pleasant surprise. Stitching is doubled on nearly every seam, the tread has enough depth for gravel and wet ground, and the arch gives a high instep something to push against without digging into a low one.

A pair in this price range is the one you do not worry about leaving outside the tent, and for a first sandal, a spare, or a trip where footwear takes a beating, that is exactly the right role. The seams are not the part to watch.