Chaco Zong

I wanted a pair of pretty slide-on non-marking water sandals without backstraps for city/boats/camping. The Zongs were perfect. My pair arrived quickly via international shipping. The sizing chart on the Chaco website was accurate for me and while I have found Chaco styles with backstraps are true to size, the Zongs and Hipthongs are a slightly small fit but I am very glad I did not go up a size because then they would be too big and too chunky looking. The Zongs are comfortable with good support, though for hiking the backstrap styles are more stable. The Hipthongs did not suit my wider feet because some of the straps are not adjustable but the Zongs are not a problem. My Zongs still need adjusting now and then, and I have had some “toe-strangling” problems but overall I’m very happy. I wish they made Zongs in Tamarind colour though.

I'm like others here. I tried to give these a fair chance. The straps at first seemed ingenuous, but then I realized no, these are just silly. I finally got a nice loose fit after struggling with the straps for over an hour. Then wore them in my house for 2 hrs. By the end, I was ready to toss them in the garbage. Such pain. The straps constantly moved, causing great pain to my feet. While I love the arch, I hate the straps!! Perhaps just the thongs I'd like better. In any case, I'm also disappointed that along with the other evil corporations, this one too has decided to go cheap by making them in China instead of my home state, Colorado. Shame on you Chaco!!!

These are great! I take them everywhere. I even longboard in these bad boys. I wear them to church, casually. I do not do much hiking in them as my heal is not held down. But they have much much better support than flip flops and the key to being able to longboard with these is the toe strap, keeps my foot attached to the base of the shoe.

I have gotten many compliments in these and now 3 of my friends have purchased them and love them as well.

Sizing:
I wear a size 8 in other chacos, these fit a tad smaller than my Z2's. so depending how you want them to fit, size up if you like them a bit more roomy.

I love the way my Zongs look, but in the weeks that I've had them I've never been able to make them fit quite right. They're definitely the right size, but no matter how much I pull on the various straps they still don't seem to fit the way they should. The bottoms of my feet have developed little blisters and a couple of the straps, including the toe strap as others have mentioned, seem to tighten whenever I walk very far. It's not a big deal; the sandal's still pretty comfortable and it just takes a few moments to loosen the straps again. I still wear them almost constantly. They're pretty comfortable and have much more support than any of my other sandals.

I have worn my Chaco Zong Sandals virtually nonstop since I bought them about two months ago. They were comfortable the moment I put them on and stay comfortable all day long. The only vaguely uncomfortable part was my feet getting used to bearing the weight of carrying the substantial footbeds around all day. (Since the Zong does not have a heel strap, the weight of the whole shoe is supported by the straps on top of your foot. I think a couple of days of minimal discomfort was worth it for the slip-on accessibility). I have hard-to-fit feet, and the continuous, fully adjustable strap works perfectly. I love my Chacos!

These sandals are cute and functional and look great. Today was the first time I wore them and I had to readjust the straps often. They tighten on their own and can get a bit too tight, but I think they will adjust to my feet. I don't think I would wear them hiking or in rivers, etc. like I did with my old Tevas back in the day...especially cause they don't have the back strap.. But for cruising around town..I'm sure they will last years and years, especially since they are so durable. worth the buy on steepandcheap at $29 bux but more than $50..nah...

I've had my Chaco Zong's for several weeks, and they're the only shoes I wear. The only reason I didn't give them a 5 was because they weren't instantly the best shoes ever. I was suprised that they took some getting used to. For example, I adjusted the straps 3 to 4 times each day for the first 3 days until I got them JUST RIGHT, but now they're PERFECT. Also, the footbed is kind of rough at first, but again, now that I'm used to it, it's great. To summarize, not perfect out of the box, but they are the only shoe I wear now.

I love these sandals. I also have a pair of Z2 Terrenos, and while I love them, I wear the Zongs more often. I wear them to work, to the lake, to the pool, to concerts in the park, around the campsite, etc. They are comfortable, and as is characteristic of all Chaco sandals, they are extremely durable. I personally have not had any problems with the toe strap, but do know some who have. I highly recommend these shoes. They are versatile and will last for years through just about anything you can put them through.

I read a bunch of the other reviews and saw a lot about peoples poor toes getting strangled and whatnot, so what I did was loosen up the whole shoe just a little bit, so when I was walking the straps back towards my ankle didn't have so much strain put on them so they didn't tighten up the front straps at all really. I love these sandals so far! As for sizing, I'm typically an 8.5 or 9 in regular street shoes, so I went with the 9 and they're pretty much spot on.

Like others, I was having major toe strangulation (only on my right foot), but I took them hiking and didn't have any trouble for a couple miles bc the straps got all dirty and that seemed to help hold them in place, then I got home and washed them, as recommended, but the problem still exists. I don't notice it AS much, but the right sandal definitely still needs to be adjusted every now and then. Other than that, I really like the arch support and the neat colors.

I have owned at least one pair of Chacos for the last 8 years or so, I have a pair of Z/1 and Z/2--both have been restrapped and resoled by Chaco in Colorado and come back like a brand new shoe. I wanted something a little different with no backstrap, my boyfriend has a pair of Hipthongs (the old style) and they looked so comfortable. I ordered the Zongs because I didn't like how they had changed the style of the Hipthong to look more like a flipflop. The Zongs were my first pair of Chacos not made in Colorado but in China...and I'm seriously contemplating sending them back because I'm so disappointed and I haven't even walked in them much.
The straps are more narrow than my Z/1 & Z/2s and they are also shorter, which doesn't give much room for adjusting. The Zongs don't have the Vibram sole which I prefer. It is hard to get a nice fit after playing with the straps for awhile. I like to wear my Chacos a little loose while I'm breaking them in and its hard to get the Zongs to stay loose all over. I might return the Zongs and just wait for my Z/2s to come back from being revived in Colorado.

I have five pair of Chacos, mainly because they have a good arch and are comfortable. They are all different styles and colors - I live in them in spring and summer. I throw them in the washer and they are good to go - the colors stay bright too! I recently ordered a pair of Zongs because I wanted something in brown. Unfortunately, I must return them because they strangle my big toes, no matter how I have adjusted the straps (including extra-loose all over). After a few laps around the house, they are sliding my foot out the back because of the tightening of the toe. It's my opinion that the manufacturers have made the holes too big for the straps, and they don't stay put. Too bad. I plan to look for another Chaco style in brown. Cute as the Zongs are, they're not worth the pain.

I wore my original pair of Chacos out, so I was excited to try out the Zong. I brought them along as my main walking sandal for a 3 week trip- but I found out quickly that the strap didn't want to stay put (unlike my first pair of Chaco sandals which I only had to adjust once or twice a summer). I was adjusting these suckers every couple hours, more often if I had walked uphill or quickly (which loosened the arch and tightened the toe strap).The last day of my trip, I got caught in a downpour, and I had to adjust them every 2 blocks.

I now seem to have a slight bunionette on my left foot, and I'm hoping it's not as a result of walking so much in my self-tightening Zongs:)

This was my second pair of Chacos, and I was really looking forward to trying a version without the heel strap, but without it, the toe loop tightens up way too much throughout the day, and if walking for more than five minutes needs to be readjusted often. Although they look really cute and I still love how the sole feels on my foot, I have painful cuts on both my toes from a day at the waterpark last weekend, and I only wore them for about an hour. Too bad, I was hoping to have another great long-lasting pair of all-purpose sandals, but I won't be wearing these often - if at all.

I purchased the Zong with hopes that I'd done enough research on the common strap issues (toe strangling, moving straps, etc.)to make them work. After all, so many people seem to be so happy with Chaco! (I also have a pair of Chaco Z-1s, they are OK but not great.) The soles hurt my feet after a few hours, and the Zong's straps would not stay even though I washed them. I finally conceded that I should not have this much trouble with such an expensive shoe. A good shoe should require little break-in. It's a shame, because they're really cute. I'll stick with Keen.

I have to agree with many of the reviewers who have already posted: these adventure-looking sandals are actually not so comfortable as to warrant walking, much less outdoor hiking or long wear. I found the straps, no matter how I configure them, moved and tightened and strangulated my big toes while causing blisters on the outside. The sole shape looked contoured and ergonomic from the web but it is not compatible with my foot. The contours include raised outside of the footbed and I could not find these sandals comfortable although I really wanted to. they look nice.

I love my Chaco's so I tried the Zong for something different. I found as you walk the toe strap tightens up so one has to constantly keep re-adjusting them so you can feel your feet. I still love chaco's but not a fan of this one so far! I would definatley not recommend them and would return if I had not worn them three times to try to make them work

I had big expectations for this shoe, having owned a pair of Chaco's before in a different style. The shoe fits and the footbed is comfortable. Unfortunately the straps tighten around my foot everytime I walk. I have tried loosening alot, a little, not at all and still I end up with a red toe and top of foot after a short period of use. I'm not sure what to do.

I really really tried to love these shoes, but it's not happening. The toe strap keeps getting too tight even after wearing them for 3 weeks. I even tried not wearing the toe strap, but the shoe won't stay on my foot that way. I really wanted to have these be my go to sandals, but it's really not working our for me.

While the footbed of the Zong is, typical of the Chaco brand, very comfortable with it's contoured arch-supporting form, the self-adjusting strap system keeps tightening the straps that cross over the big toe. This seems to make the toe swell with unreturned blood (or something!) and makes it very difficult to get off, thus leading to the dreaded claustrophobic-strangled-big-toe syndrome!! Someone suggested that I got a size too small but I haven't tried a bigger size yet.

They look great, but are not as practical as regular Chacos with the heel strap. The straps gradually tighten over the course of the day, strangling the feet (starts with the toe, then the rest of the foot gets strangled). I have a pair of Unaweeps and they are much more comfortable. I'm still trying to make this pair work though - hopefully the straps will continue to settle.

If I would have known the straps were adjustable, I would not have had to send them back, Sigh. I found them in a store in Downtown Flagstaff and the sales person showed me how to adjust them but it wasn't easily noticed unless pointed out.

I love everything else about the sandals, but the strap below the toe strap tightens as I walk. Hopefully I can permanently fix it in place. My friend has the same problem, so it is not just me!