2025.08.15

Tough, Foot-Friendly Sandals Originating with Colorado River Guides: Chaco

#Chaco

#Sandals

#Outdoor

#River Guide

*The text-to-speech feature is generated by AI,
so there may be errors in the reading.

Copied to Clipboard

*The text-to-speech feature is generated by AI,
so there may be errors in the reading.

Wearing sandals for outdoor adventures has become the norm, and they’re also popular for city use thanks to their comfort and style. Many brands are now offering a wide range of sandal types. But that leads us to wonder: "What exactly makes a truly good sandal?"

One brand we recommend is the Colorado-born sandal label Chaco. For this article, we interviewed Katsuaki Kono from A&F CORPORATION to dig deep into the roots and products of Chaco.

Building Sandals Tough Enough for Harsh Environments

"Chaco was founded in 1989 in Colorado, USA by Mark Paigen. As a river guide who often rafted and explored the Colorado River, he realized there were no sandals suited for life on the water. In search of hardwearing footwear able to withstand demanding conditions, he started developing his own. That’s the beginning of Chaco.

"Rafting can be enjoyed in many places in Japan as well, such as Saitama, Okutama, Gunma, Hakuba in Nagano, Niseko in Hokkaido, and even in Shikoku. There are courses for everyone, from beginners to those who want something a bit more challenging. The Colorado River is the same, featuring some seriously intense courses that weave between rocks and rush through rapids."