REVIEW | TEVA HURRICANE XLT2 HIKING SANDALS

Anyone who likes to do a lot of exploring on holiday knows that a bog-standard pair of flip flops or sandals won’t cut it – your feet just won’t thank you. A pair of hiking sandals is an excellent option if you would rather let your feet breathe than put them inside trainers all the time. Enter the Teva Hurricane XLT2.

Teva were kind enough to gift me a pair of their recently updated Hurricane XLT2 hiking sandals in black for my recent trip to Gran Canaria. Not one to spend my holidays sat by the pool or on the beach for hours on end, I knew that these would come in very handy for our on-foot exploring of the mountain villages, sand dunes, mountain footpaths and town streets.

Unlike my other Teva sandals, the ones I spent most of the heatwave that was last summer in, these ones have a moulded footbed designed to be more supportive for the foot and provide better comfort on the trail. And I can say right at the top of this review that the more technical design and shape works well for me. I love the super simple look of my old Teva Original Universal, and less like the look of these ones, but this version do certainly offer more support under the foot.

They are wide, comfortable, and very springy, which cushions impact of walking just like a pair of walking shoes might. The outsole is good and grippy, and I’ve been very happy on all kinds of terrain in these – and the decent support provided by the footbed is appreciated. In fact, they are equally as good as any walking shoes I’ve ever owned when it comes to trail comfort, and I will be using these for hiking in the hot weather later this year without a doubt.

The straps are incredibly adjustable thanks to the Velcro fastening, and they are reasonably padded close to the foot so they don’t dig in. With the straps being so easy to tweak, you can get a completely personal fit meaning, which means you can change them dependent on how you fancy having them on any given day – and you can easily fine tune them mid-hike if you suffer from swelling feet.

I’ve seen some reviews of similar sandals from people who complain that their feet get dirty when wearing them. Well yes, the dust and dirt will go on your feet – you’re wearing sandals and not shoes– but this isn’t something that bothers me, nothing that a wash at the end of the day won’t sort out! If you’re bothered about dirty feet, you’re probably not reading a review of hiking sandals anyway, as it goes with the territory.

My only niggle with these, and I must comment on it, is that they do rub my little toe. It’s a problem I have with a lot of shoes and boots I wear, I’ve probably broken it at least three times (never confirmed – I just get on with life), and it’s a bit of a funny shape that doesn’t match the norm. I now have to break the toe box of shoes and boots in very well before trusting them on a long hike, something you can’t really do with a pair of sandals like these, so I am just hoping they gradually mould to the shape of my wonky toe. That being said, I have had no blisters from wearing these, even from the first time I wore them, which can only be a good thing.

One thing I keep asking myself is whether I prefer my Original Universal or Hurricane XLT2s. I think the answer to that completely depends on what I’m doing at the time, because I will (almost) always choose the most appropriate shoe for the occasion rather than the one that looks the best. I like the simplicity of the originals, and they have found their way into my permanent shoe cupboard. But the jury is out a little on these Hurricanes, and while they are certainly comfortable and great for camping and hiking, I suspect I will continue to wear my old ones more.

The Teva Hurricane XLT2 are priced at £55 from Teva and are available in a couple of colourways. You’ll also find them at GoOutdoors (currently £35 – bargain!) and SportsShoes.com if you prefer.

You can find my review of the Teva Original here.

Please note that I received my Teva Hurricane XLT2 hiking sandals (and my Teva Original Universal hiking sandals previously) for free in return for my honest opinion. This is not a sponsored post and I was not been told to say anything specific. Some of the links on this page are affiliate links.