Follow Oli on a walk through the woods with Teva’s intrepid lightweight sandal, the Terra Fi Lite.
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Spring is here! As of the time I am writing this, it is raining, alas! But just as they say that rain is inevitable, so is the sunshine. Whether you enjoy long hikes over rough paths on hot days, paddling along beautiful rivers, or dawdling your way across vast beaches, there is something just so so good about a decent pair of sandals.
I have been given the honour of testing out a wonderful pair of Teva’s Terra Fi Lite Sandal, a lightweight version of their classic, ultra-tough and supportive Terra Fi model.
Teva is one of the indisputable leaders of the humble sandal, taking what is often thought to be a simple piece of footwear and pushing what it can be to the point that sandal enthusiasts such as yours truly can be reluctant to take them off come the colder months. Their silhouettes are certainly iconic having been around now for over 40 years, their quality is next to none and of course, the durability of Teva sandals certainly lives up to its reputation. Having worked in the Exeter shop for almost 3 years, I have met more than a few people with Teva sandals that have lasted upwards of 20 years! Though this isn’t guaranteed for everyone depending on many things, these very impressed sandal owners certainly added up. For a piece of outdoor walking footwear, even those only used for half the year, this is nigh-on unheard of and not what you’d expect from strappy sandals, but that’s Teva!
After several months of going pretty much everywhere in these sandals, these are my thoughts.
I’ll get the inevitable controversy out of the way early! If you enjoy wearing socks with sandals then GO YOU! Don’t let the world get you down, I know your feet are comfy and I think you’re looking good. You wear your sandals how you like!
Let’s talk about this sandal
The Terra Fi Lite as previously mentioned is a lightweight option within Teva’s Terra Fi range. With Terra of course being Latin for the earth, these sandals are made to deal with just that! They are well-built walking sandals made for long-distance wandering over all sorts of terrain. At first, you may be thinking, what business does an open-toed sandal have on rough ground? Well, I can certainly tell you that these sandals have performed excellently over all sorts of surfaces including rough granite, slippery wood, and rock as well as countless dog walks through the woodland. The Terra Fi Lite has a lightweight but very nicely performing sole made using Teva’s Spider Original rubber. The complex pattern of diamond and kite-shaped lugs on the sole certainly does a great job of keeping your feet where you want them without slipping.
As far as long-distance comfort is concerned, the footbed is certainly made to support your foot over many miles with good support in the arch and around the back of the heel which also has a blended polyurethane/EVA unit called a Shoc Pad (their spelling, not mine) designed to ‘evenly transfer the energy of impact throughout the footbed and away from the heel.’ The sandals contain a sturdy Nylon shank within the construction between the footbed and the outsole, this strong little scaffold gives them superb strength but also adapts to the terrain by flexing within and supports your foot wonderfully giving you a lot of confidence over wobbly obstacles.
It seems funny to have gotten to this point without talking about the straps yet, but these ones are special! As you’d expect from Teva, they are padded nicely for comfort and nice and wide so that the Velcro grips nicely with no chance of it peeling off while walking. All straps are connected to sturdy, padded nylon loops which keep them where they should be and have proven to be very tough, showing zero signs of wear so far. There are 3 straps in all, two on the top of the foot and one at the back so that you can get your ankle in the perfect position, you want to make sure that it is far enough back for there to be plenty of footbed past your toes so that they’re not falling off the end (stubbing your toes on granite hurts!). I’ve found that once you’ve adjusted the heel and toe strap, you only ever need to undo and tighten the main, large strap when taking the sandals on and off.
What is new about this year’s Teva sandals is that their synthetic straps are now made using 100% recycled polyester which they get from used plastic bottles. Teva has managed superbly to maintain the quality of their sandal straps while also stopping 24 million bottles from entering landfills! As with the best outdoor companies nowadays, sustainability is at the heart of what they do and Teva is always looking for ways that they can improve environmentally. In my mind, all of the best outdoor gear makers should be taking this approach.
I also personally want to give a big shout-out to Teva for keeping their nice patterns. With many brands dying down their patterns nowadays, it is nice that Teva has still at least given this rather sensible pair of sandals a nice funky pattern to show off.
Having had these sandals for a good while and used them as often as the skies are clear, I am really enjoying them! I get a lot of walking done and am very impressed by how they’re holding up having next to no real wear on them, I’m very confident that they’ll last for countless adventures.
Comparing these sandals to their sibling the Terra Fi 5 Universal, it is clear that they are much lighter, however with that slim down comes naturally some taking away of both durability and comfort. The Terra Fi 5 has a much larger and deeper outsole which of course would take longer to wear down as well as a more cushioned footbed providing even more shock absorption. It should not be stated however that the Terra Fi Lite is the worse option as the weight of the sandal practically feels like I’m wearing nothing on my feet at all and after many miles of walking and chasing after your dogs when they spot a deer, you can certainly feel the difference in how much fatigue you’ve put your feet and ankles through.
Overall, what can I say … I love these sandals! With immense comfort, support, and a nice minimal look despite packing so much durability and performance, a good pair of Tevas is certain to impress and delight the new and old sandal-wearer this Spring and Summer.
Available for both men and women
Shop for the Teva Terra Fi Lite HERE
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This review was written by Oli who is the caretaker for the Taunton Leisure Blog and Social Media. Oli is a big fan of Unspoilt wilderness, starry nights, and roaring campfires. He is happiest out on the hill or in the woods, wild camping with his two awesome doggos.
