Just last week I shared how the Pali Hawaii Jandals have become part of my identity over the last 8+ years of wearing them practically all day, every day. Well… the spark for that article came from a recent flip-flop in character.
I’ve been testing something different. The Reef Santa Ana Flip-Flops.
Not only is this moving away from a product that’s been core to my daily life for almost a decade. But I decided to switch things up right before a trip to Hawaii.
Aka, I went cold turkey and started living in these for a week straight.
Flip-Flop Style
Have you ever gotten a blister in-between your toes? If you have, you know how much it sucks.
Miraculously though, that hasn’t happened with the Santa Ana Flip-Flops.
Reef made the toe posts between the big and index toes strong, yet smooth. It prevents harsh rubbing and minimizes friction between the material and the soft skin between your toes.
Surprisingly though, the comfort conscious decisions don’t stop there. The leather strap that goes around your feet has a nice plush pad inside with spongy fabric sown around it. Ensuring that the tops of your feet don’t get ground up by the strap.
Reef also uses two layers of foam for the flip-flop. The outer sole foam is thick and dense. (Leaving me to hope that these will last longer than the Pali Hawaii Jandals.)
The mid/inner sole foam is like a thin, tough marshmallow with a super nice texture that enhances comfort and grip. (Leaving me to worry that these won’t last longer than the Pali Hawaii Jandals.)
There’s a slight arch bump on the insides of the midsole foam too. Thankfully this is fairly subtle, since other flip-flops I’ve tried have massive “arch support” that quickly causes discomfort in my feet, ankles, and calves.
Hawaii Hawaii
The first and last part of our trip, like everyone’s, are travel days. On these days, I wore socks with the Santa Ana Flip-Flops, which quickly became my second biggest gripe.
It’s super inconvenient having to pull my socks slightly down and bunching the sock slack between my big and index toe to make room for the toe post.
Outside of those moments, it’s smooth sailing.
As previously shared, these never rubbed the skin between my toes raw. Even when they got soaked and filled with sand from the beach.
Plus, it was nice to see the sand particles easily wash out when we would spray down at the beach showers. (I thought some sand would get trapped in the small crevices in the midsole’s texture.)
Their overall comfort when walking the half mile to the beach, and another half mile back, was balanced. (Good, but not great.)
I wish Reef didn’t put any arch support in the midsole because after a mile or two of walking in these, the inner parts of my arches were tight and tired.
My Biggest Gripe + $65
By the end of the trip, it became clear what my biggest gripe is with these. The slightly padded, spongey strap takes too long to dry after it gets wet.
An hour before we left for the airport to fly home, I was seriously sitting in a hotel room trying to dry the straps with a hair dryer. 30 minutes later, it worked.
And then there’s the price.
Looking at new sandals and flip-flops, I’m still dumbfounded by how freaking expensive they are. $65 or more?! What?
This really makes the $22 Pali Hawaii Jandals a smashing deal!
(Thankfully you can get 51% off the Santa Anas right now at REI.)
Outside of the price though, I need to keep using these for the next year or two. I want to personally know how long these things will last when they’re used and abused. And only time will tell.
The Recap
Overall, I’m really happy with Reef’s Santa Ana Flip-Flops. They’re filled with nice touches from the thick outsole, plush textured midsole, smooth toe post, and soft strap.
The entire is package is definitely worth it if you can grab a pair when they’re on sale.
The only question I have is one I can’t answer yet. How long will they last?