The Best Sandals for Men Let Your Dogs Roam Free

No matter where your preferences land on the Toes Out spectrum, the best sandals for men will persuade you to embrace a barely-there summer slip-on. Why? Simple: we’re living through a golden age of sandals. It started with Birkenstocks, then Crocs, then Keens, then we reeled it back into more dignified waters with fisherman sandals. And if the current craze for flip-flops isn’t proof enough that sandals have reached a fever pitch, we don’t know what to tell you.

Sandals have more range these days than you remember. They span from fuddy-duddy dad sandals (the ones he wears unironically with socks) to refined leather sandals that look better with dress pants than cargo shorts to the gauche, off-kilter joints favored by the freakiest of fashion enjoyers. If you’re open to sandals, there’s a pair for you. So we put all of our feet together and looked at as many sandals as we could, tested each one for good measure, and distilled them down to the best of the best.

The Best Men’s Sandals, According to GQ

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The Best Sandals Overall

Birkenstock Arizona Sandals

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The Best Sandals for Hiking

Chaco Z/1 Sandals

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The Best Indoor/Outdoor Sandals

Keen Uneek Sandal

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Best Sandal Overall: Birkenstock Arizona Sandal

It’s best not to mess with perfection, and the Arizona is as close to perfect as sandals come. Originally released in 1973, the Arizona was Birkenstock’s third shoe ever—and first crack at a two-strap design—and they haven’t made many changes since, because they nailed it out of the gate. The iconic iteration features two adjustable suede (or leather) straps atop a super comfy cork footbed that molds to your foot with each wear, and a rubber outsole for added traction and an overall smooth ride. They look great with shorts, with pants, with socks or without, and are the rare sandal that can handle some serious summer miles without wrecking your feet. In other words, the only sandals you need, every day of the week. (Oh, and if you’re *really* trying to maximize comfort, make sure you get the Soft Footbed.)

“I’m an avowed Boston-wearer—I (literally) wear through a new pair every year—but it was actually the Arizona’s that made me fall in love with the pillow-soft cork footbed and the slightly bulbous toe box,” says Style Commerce Writer Reed Nelson. “Even after adding a few other sandals to the quiver, there’s none that I wear more consistently (or more recklessly) than Arizona’s, and they’ve yet to let me down.”

Best Indoor/Outdoor Sandal: Keen Uneek Sandal

As its name implies, the Keen Uneek is one of the more inimitable sandals out there. For starters, it’s got as much sneaker DNA coursing through its veins as it does sandal—particularly in regards to the grippy outsole and bungee lacing system—but due to an upper made almost entirely of cords and an open back, it also wears like a sandal, albeit an impossibly comfortable, super supportive one. Do they dress up? Not really, but that’s not the point. Think of these instead like a specialty shoe with everyday aspirations. Or maybe just like a hammock, but for your feet.

“These are easily some of the most comfy sandals I’ve ever worn,” says Style Commerce Writer, Gerald Ortiz. That’s saying a lot coming from a guy who’s sole slip-ons of choice for eight years were Birkenstocks. He says that the EVA sole in tandem with the cork insole feels squishy but supportive and the webbed upper is plenty breezy, but doesn’t give the world free tickets to the Little Piggies show. As for style, they look great peeking out of a pair of baggy trousers as well as with short shorts.

Best Huarache: Nisolo Huarache Sandal

We love a huarache around these parts, mostly because they provide a cheeky, extremely practical middle ground between the breathability of a sandal and the elegance of a loafer. And when it comes to huaraches, no one does ‘em better than the comfort- and sustainability-minded Nisolo. Their hand woven uppers break-in easily, allowing your feet to breathe on even the hottest days, while the no-slip rubber sole helps them handle everything from the pool to the bar. Which means that if you find yourself with room for just one pair of shoes in that weekend bag, pack these.

You know who else really likes Nisolo’s huaraches—besides, like, every dad with a sprawling “cottage” in Westhampton? Chris Pine. When he’s not gleefully freaking it on the red carpet or en route to the gym, Hollywood’s shaggiest Chris swears by the brand’s flagship silhouette, wearing ‘em with an enviable disregard for occasion we’ve saluted time and time again. Much to his chagrin, GQ commerce editor Avidan Grossman is not Chris Pine. (In person, Grossman insists, the physical similarity is uncanny.) But Grossman praises Nisolo’s huaraches for the exact reasons we imagine Pine prizes them: stellar craftsmanship and all-day comfort, at a price that belies the quality involved. “Fellas,” he says, “to misquote the poet laureate of our era: let those dogs breathe.”