Just In - Teva Itunda

That's a shoe....with some bits cut out.

Wouldn't mind something like that though but yeah...£75?

I've had a pair of these for a couple of weeks now, not tried them out yet but i will say they are a weird size, i take a uk 9 in all footwear but these are more like a uk 10, quite broad too though i do have very narrow feet, so be mindfull ordering online.

They are as stated above equipped with good solid toe protection and i'd feel at ease wearing them out on the trail. 

When i get some proper use out of them i'll report back.

They look remarkably like the Teva Omnium sandal.   I bought a pair of Omnium on sale in London for £30 a year ago  to use for wading in lapland, but they are a very practical and comfortable all-rounder for outdoor use.  The Omnium is still listed on their website 

"The Omnium Men's Sport Sandal is versatile enough for all of your adventures, as it provides additional coverage for protection, quick-drying materials to keep you comfortable and Teva-tested Spider Rubber® to keep you on your feet. This shoe is great for water activities such as canoeing, river rafting, sit on top kayaking, and amphibious hiking." 

 So what's so new about the Teva Itunda sandal,  apart from the name,  and the marketing campaign? 

I think I've been wearing these for about five years but mine say "Keen" on them.

£75 is steep, but it's not what you get, it's how well it works.  Terra Fis have less stuff and are £60, but for me that actually makes them the better choice: less stuff is less stuff to rub.

I have a pair of Keen Newports I like in a canoe because I need toe protection there when I'm on my knees for the tricky stuff with my toes on the bottom of the boat, often in a bit of sand and gravel.  But for most use I actually find the much vaunted toe protection a bit of an own-goal in the comft stakes, and if you do get a stone in there you can't just tap it out the front.

The fusion-arch thing seems to bind the whole thing on to your foot a bit better but I wonder to what degree that'sactually  helpful.  I have some of the original Wraptors and gave up on them in favour of Terra-Fis, again with all the extra stuff just getting in the waym making them harder off and on and more prone to rubbing (note to self, ought to get Round Tuit to putting them on eBay since they're not far off As New).

Pete.

I bought a pair of Keen Newport H2's to go on a three week holiday with.  By the end of the holiday the toe guard on one shoe had come unglued from the fabric underneath - not enough to make the shoe unusable but definitely annoying.

I considered taking them back but frankly after three weeks in a hot climate with my feet in I didn't have the heart to expose another human being to them so I decided to just keep them.

These Itunda's look interesting but having spent about £65 on the Keen's I don't feel too erm.....keen....to spend another £75 on a replacement!

Matt, if they failed you should take or send them back, as it's probably just shoddy workmanship and isn't acceptable after such a short time. 

I did that with my and my wife's Teva's due to the excruciating pain.  Teva themselves and their UK distributors weren't sympathetic or interested, but Wiggle and Ellis Brigham refunded the money no problem, so at least they showed some concern for customer satisfaction.

Have had my Keens for years Matt, worn in Glencoe and the Alps to name but two, with no damage apart from the usual scuffing and some tread wear, so would totally agree you want to be asking for your money back.

I do like the toe protection for going over rough ground, particularly at the end of a long day when reflexes are a bit slower, but agree that having to dig the odd stone out is a bit of a pain. But then that happens with shoes and boots too.

An honest review.

Very well made in my opinion, i dunno what that counts for though in light of my experience.

They offer what you expect from a multi function sandal that can be used on the trail.

The buckle fasteners are strong and aren't going to fail unless you cage fight or play rugby in them and the one that tightens down on the foot over the mid area works well i suppose, if they fit, and that's my problem, i'm a uk size 9 and that's what they sent me for review.

Now i'll grant you at 10.5 stone and 5"8' i'm not your average guy but the fit is allover, i've wore them in the house now for over 18 hours and i won't be putting them on again, they just don't fit. !

I do have quite narrow feet granted but unless you posess hobbit like ones your out of luck.

Yeah it's silly but i really wanted them to work as they are comfy and i could see myself falling in love with them, especially if car camping and using them around camp after a hard days walk, or even on short summer journeys from base up some hill or other but even with 4, yes 4 pairs of socks on they wont cinch down to anywhere near a wearable configuration, still loose in all the right areas and over an inch too long on the admittedley well protected toe area, i'm not even confident a size 8 would work for me either as i fear they would be way too wide which is a shame beacuse i do like the idea of them.

The sole seems capable for what they are, the grip looks good and should last well if not used on rock constantly, i'd be a little reluctant to use them anywhere too gnarly at the price though which does seem a little steep in comparison with some.

Overall then.

Build - excellent imo.

Comfort - Obviously i have trouble judging this due to the above but if they did fit i'd expect them to be very comfortable and easy to wear due to the materials used and the well thought out design, the toe protection would fill me with confidence out on the hill too.

 Fit. - Stupid, just stupid.

Conclusion. - Pricey but if they fit, your feet are in for some happy times whether it be on the beach, trail, campsite or hill, build quality seems good on my limited trial which i can't extend due to the fit.

Well made for hobbits and yetis but for your average Joe try out first at your retailer and don't buy online until you've done so, they really are a weird fit.

Build. 9/10

Fit. 1/10

Comfiness. (judged as best as possible) 9/10

Design. 9/10 or 1/10 (allowing for the above)

Twiglegs, that's very interesting.  My and my wife's problem with the similar Karnali Wraptors was that despite both having "normal" feet, the design turned out to be too narrow, although they seemed OK around the house. 

The narrow maximum strap width at the front meant that after a couple of hours on the trail and the no-doubt natural swelling of our feet, the strap in effect became a vice which wouldn't give with our feet.

My wife gave up wearing them after 1 day on the Chamonix-Zermatt walk, but I stupidly wore them for just over 2 days from Chamonix-Champex, hoping that they'd give, despite having large blisters after one day.  The pain and huge blisters I had was incredible and I really suffered for the remaining 11 days.  The shoes were nothing more than dead weight in our packs.

I had many emails with Teva in the US, who admitted that some other people had had similar problems,  but like most car manufacturers they refused to admit a design error.

It could be that the wide design of the Itundas is as a result of that fiasco.

twiglegs wrote (see)

Well made for hobbits and yetis but for your average Joe try out first at your retailer and don't buy online until you've done so, they really are a weird fit.

Hmm... I may have to try them

I've got a set of these on test as well, and I kinda like them. They are wide at the front and that suits me, but fit is such a personal thing so trying on is the only option.
The big thing is the outsole, it has a mix of tread patterns, some of which will grip loose terrain, and some which won't. I'm hoping the soft compound will pick up some of the slack there on the trail.
The upper is good, very cleverly done.
I've got the Keen equivalants as well, and these do feel different. The best one will be what fits your feet.
I didn't know they were £75 though.