Chaco Classic Flips review: versatile and comfortable water shoes

Chaco Classic Flips: design

Described – pretty accurately – as the flips that don’t flop, the newly released Chaco Classic Flips are an updated version of a Chaco heritage product that rate amongst our best water shoes.

The new Classic Flips feature Chaco’s signature ultra-durable and super-comfortable polyurethane construction with an arch-supportive footbed, jacquard straps and a reinforced toe post. 

Chaco Classic Flips: in the field

I live in these shoes in the summer, whether I’m playing fetch with my pups in the river behind my house, heading to the beach for an endurance swim, splashing around in a kayak in the local reservoir, or just hanging out. Just chuck them in a dry bag and make sure you take them everywhere.

It’s always good when a brand doesn’t fix something that isn’t broken, and the new Classic Flips feature all the good elements of the old version, with some useful additions. 

The wave fin is the big upgrade on the new flips. Its rubber ridges bite into slippery surfaces, providing enhanced grip and traction in tricky wet conditions. And, even though the sole is black, it’s non-marking and also long-lasting.

The Classic Flips have the support to make them all-day comfortable – something that not many flips can truly manage – and I didn’t experience any rubbing, even when I wore them for a mellow hike (though for anything more consider our best hiking shoes).

A diamond pattern in the footbed surface keeps them from slipping off when things get wet. And when they get stinky, I just throw them in the wash with my clothes. 

Despite their minimalist look, in many ways they are as supportive as a good shoe, but they let my feet breathe so much better. As a result, I bring them with me everywhere in warm weather. 

They are also a stellar recovery shoe, fully vented with superb arch support. And, after they’ve been in the water, they dry in a flash.