Have you ever used an item so much and for so long that it’s intertwined with your sense of self? For a little kid, it can be a favorite blanket or stuffed animal. As an adult, it can be a necklace, car, hair style, etc.
For me, it’s my jandals. The Pali Hawaii Jandal to be specific.
With 8+ years and multiple pairs of these, it’s safe to say that I really like them. The number of things you can do while wearing them is insane!
The Beginning
I was gifted my first pair of Pali Hawaii Jandals on Christmas 2016. I wore them everywhere.
It didn’t take long until I started to reach for these more than a regular pair of shoes.
At first, I wore them to run quick errands. A few weeks later some friends and I went on a day trip and we decided to go on a last minute hike. All I had were my jandals. I’m still shocked by how well they did on the wet, muddy trail.
Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t ideal.
But they did just as good as my basic pair of sneakers. Ever since then, I wear jandals when traveling, mowing a yard, or doing light construction work.
At Scale
I’ve gone through 4 pairs of jandals over the last 8+ years. While I go through a pair every 2 years, my family members keep the same pair for 3-5 years since they don’t use them nearly as often. Aka, your mileage will vary.
In most cases though, the lifespan of these slip-ons tends to follow this general pattern.
| Stage | Traction | Comfort | Air Noise | Indents | Cracking | |
| 1 | Break-in | excellent | excellent | none | none | none |
| 2 | Prime time | excellent | excellent | minor | none | none |
| 3 | Initial wear | great | great | moderate | minor | none |
| 4 | Excessive wear | good | good | consistent | moderate | minor |
| 5 | Replace me | little-to-none | little | constant | major | moderate |
The amount of traction and comfort are closely tied. Usually when I can easily slide around Wal-Mart, or other smooth floors, they’re not the most supportive.
Pali Hawaii designs their jandals with an air gap within the midsole to help cushion you. As time goes on though, you begin to hear air push out with each step. Once this starts, the amount of noise only grows with your use.
A key reason for these noises is insole indents that form under your heel and forefoot. And like most shoes, when you really push them past their breaking point, the outer heel and forefoot areas of the outer sole fall apart.
All of my jandals hit this level of abuse, simply because I don’t like to spend money, and so I make do for a few extra months after they get to the “replace me” phase.
The Struggles
Just like all things in life, Pali Hawaii’s Jandals aren’t perfect. I mentioned the air noises that form and increase over time. But there’s another aspect to this. Water.
When the midsole air cushions fill with water, the panting sounds forms into a squishy squeak.
Depending on who you are, this might improve, worsen, or make no difference to your experience. I personally never noticed it… until I started dating my wife. She made a comment about it, because she really doesn’t like it.
Another small nuisance that forms over time is the lack of traction. I can’t emphasize enough how much this depends on your usage though. For me, the loss of traction happens around 9-12 months.
But I use these things night and day.
Compare this to my wife who uses them sparingly, then the jandals can lose traction after 12 to 18 months.
Rub It Up
Something we both experience though, is the skin on top of our feet (near our knuckles) being rubbed raw when we wear them all day on vacation. So, unless you plan on wearing these all-day-every-day, then plan on the annoying amount of rubbing. (Which might lead to blisters if you go from minimal use to non-stop use.)
Last but not least, eventually your jandals will crack and form holes on the bottoms of the outer sole. If not that, then there will be minor tearing near one or more of the straps.
I’m not sure how or why this happens, but one of these two things always happens when they’re thoroughly used for 12+ months.
You can still use them, as I always do. But, if you’re pickier about how your shoes look, then you might not use them beyond this point.
(Again, depending on how much you use them, this could be close to a year or 2+ years.)
The Recap
If I’m Batman, then the Pali Hawaii Jandals are my Robin.
Anytime I need to quickly help someone, pick something up, or go on a relaxed hike, I always reach for these slippas. I know they could be improved, but they’re such a well-rounded product.
They’re functional AND look pretty good.
As they stand now, I can’t recommend them enough. They’re comfy, functional, and dynamic. And for $22, you can’t ask for a better price!