Reef Sandals: Phantoms

Here in Vancouver the sun has been shining and the weather is getting closer to that of the summer season. So that means us Vancouverites stop wearing shoes with socks and look towards more open toed forms of footwear and in my case it was time for me to go to flip-flops.

Normally I have been using those sport sandals, you know the ones with the straps around the heel, ankle and front of your foot? Well they were a pain in the ass to take off and put back and while in the Dominican Republic every time we went down to the beach it was inconvenient. On our most recent camping trip they were a pain to take off and put back on as well. Whereas Robyn and my brother were both sporting flip-flops and just easily slipped them on and off at will when they went to go play in the water, or get their feet sandy.

Robyn suggested I looked at getting a pair of Reef sandals. I was a bit skeptical at first because flip-flop sandals never really fit properly and I never could find a pair that was comfortable enough for me to wear throughout the day. She reassured me that Reef sandals were ultra comfortable and would last a long time. She used her pair of Reef sandals on her year long trip in Australia and she still wears them to this day.

We looked around at various stores that had them for sale (primarily the Whistler Outlet Store in Squamish) but they did not have my size in any of the men’s styles and they were roughly $60 a pair too. $60 for a pair of flip-flops seems pretty crazy eh? She then mentioned there was a store on the corner of Denman and Davie in English Bay that had a good selection of men’s Reef sandals so we check them out. They had a really good selection of men’s Reef sandals and the price was right too, $30 instead of $60. The store did have $60 pair of Reef sandals that had bottle openers in the bottom as well as an air pocket (similar to running shoes). I thought that was a bit much and went with the Reef Phantoms.

They are really comfy and they don’t look like cheep rubber flip-flops either. They are made of a soft, comfortable water friendly synthetic nubuck upper, contoured compression molded eva footbed with anatomically correct arch support (this is something that helps with the comfort and feel I find) and have a great high density grippy type outsole so they won’t slip easily.

If you’re looking for a pair of stylish yet comfortable sandals for this summer season I would suggest looking for a pair of Reef sandals. You won’t be disappointed!