My Newish Sandals of a Very Well Known Brand Are Slippery in The Wet

[Vieve]

I intend to take my sandals, to be worn with gaiters and toe socks. They will be worn in the evenings , and as back up , should my feet need a break from my Altra Olympic 5s.
My sandals which are a few weeks old, are quite slippery in the wet and on mossy surfaces.
I would like to apply a non- slip slurry of something like paint and sand, to the bottom of the sandals to make them safer.
I realise that I may have to leave them at home.
Sure , my idea of applying something to the sandals is probably a silly idea , but I would appreciate the thoughts of all of you problem solvers out there.
Thank you

 

[gregrobinson]

I intend to take my sandals, to be worn with gaiters and toe socks. They will be worn in the evenings , and as back up , should my feet need a break from my Altra Olympic 5s.
My sandals which are a few weeks old, are quite slippery in the wet and on mossy surfaces.
I would like to apply a non- slip slurry of something like paint and sand, to the bottom of the sandals to make them safer.
I realise that I may have to leave them at home.
Sure , my idea of applying something to the sandals is probably a silly idea , but I would appreciate the thoughts of all of you problem solvers out there.
Thank you

Maybe just scuff the soles a bit with rough sandpaper. If you paint them, it seems like it may come off where you don't want it to.

 

[Vieve]

Good idea Greg
Thanks

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I intend to take my sandals, to be worn with gaiters and toe socks. They will be worn in the evenings , and as back up , should my feet need a break from my Altra Olympic 5s.
My sandals which are a few weeks old, are quite slippery in the wet and on mossy surfaces.
I would like to apply a non- slip slurry of something like paint and sand, to the bottom of the sandals to make them safer.
I realise that I may have to leave them at home.
Sure , my idea of applying something to the sandals is probably a silly idea , but I would appreciate the thoughts of all of you problem solvers out there.
Thank you

Back in my long ago youth we used to use a very sharp knife to cut a tread pattern in our slick motorcycle racing tyres when we wanted to use them in the wet. Perhaps you could do the same with your sandals.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Maybe adhesive sandpaper-like outdoor stair threads will do the job.

 

[t2andreo]

A rough sandpaper will do the job nicely. Many new sandals have a very tin "film" on them from the production process. Actually, it's part of the sole molding process.

Other than this, my recommendation is to shop for sandals or other footwear with Vibram brand soles. These soles, from this nearly ancient - or at least venerable - company are know for their "gription."

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Walkerooni]

Sometime the solution is staring us right in the face, but we miss it. You already know they don’t work. I think you have answered your own question. 😉

 

[Jas_LB]

Sometime the solution is staring us right in the face, but we miss it. You already know they don’t work. I think you have answered your own question. 😉

I have to agree with the above, the one you have sounds quite dangerous, despite it being from a well known brand.

I had my first hiking sandals last year and was amazed at the grip. You want sandals that work for you, not be a potential hazard.

 

[Angela Stewart]

Perhaps you could try the sandpaper trick first and if not satisfied look for some vibram soled sandals as suggested above?
Good luck !

 

[K_Lynn]

I would buy other sandals for Camino. Keep this pair for sunny days around home. There are a lot of towns and cities with cobblestone streets and they can be very slippery when it's raining or early mornings when they are cleaning the streets.

 

[Vieve]

Maybe adhesive sandpaper-like outdoor stair threads will do the job.

Thats a great idea Rick.
I will source some tread and take it to a bootmaker. I wont take these to Spain,but use them around home Thanks

 

[Vieve]

Perhaps you could try the sandpaper trick first and if not satisfied look for some vibram soled sandals as suggested above?
Good luck !

Yes Angela I will do that Thanks

 

[Vieve]

I would buy other sandals for Camino. Keep this pair for sunny days around home. There are a lot of towns and cities with cobblestone streets and they can be very slippery when it's raining or early mornings when they are cleaning the streets.

Thanks K. Lynn
Yes indeed KLynn.
I slipped on flat wet concrete in them yesterday

 

[Vieve]

Back in my long ago youth we used to use a very sharp knife to cut a tread pattern in our slick motorcycle racing tyres when we wanted to use them in the wet. Perhaps you could do the same with your sandals.

Thanks but wouldnt quite trust myself with a stanley knife !

 

[Keith H]

Flat wet concrete with little texture is a worst case scenario for any tread. There’s nothing to grip. So could it be that it was just a bad spot?

 

[Vieve]

A rough sandpaper will do the job nicely. Many new sandals have a very tin "film" on them from the production process. Actually, it's part of the sole molding process.

Other than this, my recommendation is to shop for sandals or other footwear with Vibram brand soles. These soles, from this nearly ancient - or at least venerable - company are know for their "gription."

Hope this helps.

Tom

Thanks Tom I will rough the soles up for improvement,but will get some open toed sandals with vibram soles Thanks

 

[Vieve]

Flat wet concrete with little texture is a worst case scenario for any tread. There’s nothing to grip. So could it be that it was just a bad spot?

Yes Keith but Im thinking that there might be more than a few bad spots along the way.
I was born in 1950,and while fit enough,Im not as flexible as I used to be.
I think a Vibram sole is best for me. Thank you.

 

[Keith H]

Fair enough! Vibrams are great

 

[Vieve]

Very

Sometime the solution is staring us right in the face, but we miss it. You already know they don’t work. I think you have answered your own question. 😉

True.
Thanks

 

[trecile]

There are different types of Vibram soles.

Compounds

eu.vibram.com

 

[K_Lynn]

Thanks K. Lynn
Yes indeed KLynn.
I slipped on flat wet concrete in them yesterday

UGH! Hope you didn't injure yourself!
I hate having to replace gear prior to using them for my intended purpose, but it's much better to find out they are unsuitable now than while on Camino. I wish you Sturdy Non-Slippy Sandals!

 

[Vieve]

Sometime the solution is staring us right in the face, but we miss it. You already know they don’t work. I think you have answered your own question. 😉

Yes indeed
Thanks

 

[Vieve]

UGH! Hope you didn't injure yourself!
I hate having to replace gear prior to using them for my intended purpose, but it's much better to find out they are unsuitable now than while on Camino. I wish you Sturdy Non-Slippy Sandals!

It was a small slip no injury,but certainly got me thinking.
Thanks K.Lynn

 

[chinacat]

my (oldish) Teva TerraFi sandals have a sole, I think it’s called Spyder, which doesn’t even slip, to any great extent, on seaweed-strewn rocks.
They don’t slip on anything else.
I don’t know whether or not they make them with the same compound now, but you could have a look at them.
(The newer Terra Fi lightweight ones might not have the same sole.)

My Chacos have a Vibram sole and I’ve never noticed them slipping but I always use the Tevas if I’m going to be walking on slippery surfaces.

 

[RJM]

Throw them away and buy some new ones. Something like Tevas with vibram soles. That way they have a dual purpose (important when backpacking) as back-up hiking shoes.
I personally wouldn't jeopardize my trip on the Camino by risking injury by slipping and falling down because of dodgy sandals.

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

Back in my long ago youth we used to use a very sharp knife to cut a tread pattern in our slick motorcycle racing tyres when we wanted to use them in the wet. Perhaps you could do the same with your sandals.

Same basic deal with new leather-soled shoes. Cheese grater or garlic grater across the bottom a few times. The grater method is likely to work well on the sandals without causing any weak spots in the treads.

 

[Vieve]

my (oldish) Teva TerraFi sandals have a sole, I think it’s called Spyder, which doesn’t even slip, to any great extent, on seaweed-strewn rocks.
They don’t slip on anything else.
I don’t know whether or not they make them with the same compound now, but you could have a look at them.
(The newer Terra Fi lightweight ones might not have the same sole.)

My Chacos have a Vibram sole and I’ve never noticed them slipping but I always use the Tevas if I’m going to be walking on slippery surfaces.

Thanks Chinacat.
My new Made in Cambodia Tevaa sandals are the guilty party.
I will need to go to a very large outdoor shop in my nearest city ( Brisbane Aust. ) and have a good look around,as Im running out of time to be ordering on line,and sending back.

 

[chinacat]

I have a feeling that Teva have changed in the last few years. This is why I said I didn’t know if the soles were made with the same compound as mine now.

I can think of at least one other outdoor footwear company that has been taken over and has succumbed to the ethos of “cut production costs to the bone, use the equivalent of slave labour, and charge the earth“ (in more than one sense).

Good luck with your search 🍀
and buen camino!

 

[Vieve]

There are different types of Vibram soles.

Compounds

eu.vibram.com

Thank you for this Trecile

Who would have thought that theres so much variation.
I have referred this to my local Kathmandu outlet

 

[Vieve]

There are different types of Vibram soles.

Compounds

eu.vibram.com

Thank you for this information

 

[weradln]

Had the same slippery experience with Keen fisherman sandals. Who would have thought a sandal with fisherman name wouldn’t grip wet rocks? My solution was to switch to ECCO brand sandals. Great grip and excellent arch support. Also you might look at any shoes with Vibram soles. They make many different soles but the few shoes I‘ve owned with Vibram soles have all had excellent wet grip.

 

[Vieve]

my (oldish) Teva TerraFi sandals have a sole, I think it’s called Spyder, which doesn’t even slip, to any great extent, on seaweed-strewn rocks.
They don’t slip on anything else.
I don’t know whether or not they make them with the same compound now, but you could have a look at them.
(The newer Terra Fi lightweight ones might not have the same sole.)

My Chacos have a Vibram sole and I’ve never noticed them slipping but I always use the Tevas if I’m going to be walking on slippery surfaces.

Thanks China Cat.
I have taken all of that on board

 

[chinacat]

@Vieve

I saw this just now and thought of you …

The hiking sandals made for the magic of summer

The new offering from Dolomites-based brand Lizard could be the perfect shoe for your summer adventures, whether big or small.

www.thegreatoutdoorsmag.com

I had Lizards years ago and liked them - not sure if they have them in Oz though.

(they have Vibram Eco soles)

 

[Vieve]

Had the same slippery experience with Keen fisherman sandals. Who would have thought a sandal with fisherman name wouldn’t grip wet rocks? My solution was to switch to ECCO brand sandals. Great grip and excellent arch support. Also you might look at any shoes with Vibram soles. They make many different soles but the few shoes I‘ve owned with Vibram soles have all had excellent wet grip.

Thanks Weradin
Vibram seems to be the answer. These Tevas are useless as they are. Others have given me some ideas fir modifying them, but they will never be much good.
Thanks