Sandals and arch support

(also posted on uk.rec.walking newsgroup)
Sorry this is so long!
I'm one of those unfortunate people who has a problem with over-pronation of my feet when I'm walking. The Superfeet insoles helped somewhat, and I've since had custom orthotic insoles made with even more arch support. These are fine for most footwear, but sandals (proper ones for walking!) are obviously a problem...

Recent discussions on uk.rec.walking encouraged me to try the Chaco and Teva Terra-Fi sandals, with the Chaco ones in particular known for their good arch support. I also have very wide feet, and according to Peter Clinch (thanks :-) ), the Tevas are quite wide.

So off I went to the local 'Snow and Rock' to try both. As luck would have it, they had a pair of Terra-Fi sandals on sale for £20. These fit quite well and had reasonable arch support by the standards of sandals. I tried the Chacos but, while the arch support was good, they were too narrow and didn't seem as rugged as the Teva ones. It turned out, however, that the reason the Tevas were cheap was because the design has been updated. So I tried the new version, and was pleasantly surprised :-) The new Terra-Fi has much more arch support than the older version. I'd say it has considerably more than a pair of Superfeet insoles (although of a slightly different shape), and nearly as much as my custom orthotics. They also (as with the previous model) have a decently solid sole and a good degree of strap adjustment. Needless to say, I've bought a pair.

I've not worn them for a walk yet, but if you suffer the same problems as I do - try the _new_ Terra-Fi! (The patterns on the box are a blue colour, whereas the old ones were something different).

Graeme- I've been on the lookout for a pair of sandals myself. Tried various makes but couldn't find a pair that I was comfortable with.
Following your post decided to try the Terra-Fi. Great sandals, strap ajustment is brilliant, good solid sole. All round first class product.
Like you I bought a pair. Thanks for your post.

I see on the Superfeet website, that they have partnered with a sandal manufacturer to produce footbed friendly sandals. Ones which are designed especially to fit superfeet footbeds. But only available from the States I think.

there is a specialist shop in Ringwood Hampshire the bloke there is great he will give you loads of great help and advice the shop is called barkers look on line for contact details.i over pronate and we went through about 20 pairs of boots till i got the ones i wanted but just to be sure he let me use them for an hour before buying them just to make sure

It's a small world! I grew up in Ringwood, and now live 30 mins drive away :-) It's ironic that I've had all this trouble with getting footwear that fits, and now there's a specialist shop right on my doorstep.

I may pay them a visit some time, although I should be OK for the time being - I ended up with a 'semi-custom-made' pair of boots from Altberg in Yorkshire. I'll take the opportunity to plug them :-)

I simply could not find a pair of boots that fit well, so I visited Altberg. They made me a pair of solid 3/4 season boots on a modified last, and with a softer/more padded tongue. The cost with all consultations and some slight adjustments when I collected them, and a week later, was ~£160. Pretty damn good value...