OutdoorGearLab Presents the Best Women's Flip-Flops

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - April 13, 2014 - PRLog -- This week, OutdoorGearLab released its newest side-by-side comparison: The Best Flip-Flop Sandals for Women Review. In this updated review, the company’s testers tried out 11 of the industry’s top-rated women’s flip-flops, including brands like Reef, Teva, Sanuk, OluKai, and Crocs. These products underwent creek crossings, endured rugged uphill hikes, and sat through long mornings at the coffee shop. Testers wore these pieces on beaches in Georgia, window shopping in Boulder, and rock climbing in California. After logging miles of walking and hours of beach-side lounging in all the products, gear reviewer Amanda Fenn rated each piece according to five metrics: stability & support, comfort, water resistance, traction, and style.

She found that sandals with contoured footbeds that are molded to anatomically fit the foot provided the greatest amount of support and stability. The four top-scoring products in the review all have molded footbeds and OutdoorGearLab recommends these types of flip-flops for women who demand high-performance from their open-toed footwear. Fenn explains that the stability and support provided by a contoured footbed will help keep the arches and joints healthy. The review also gave considerable concern to overall comfort. Testers took into account both footbed and strap comfort, giving higher scores to products with plush, cushiony footbeds and wide, non-chaffing straps.

OutdoorGearLab published its first women’s flip-flop review in 2011 and awarded top honors to the OluKai Ohana and bestowed its Best Buy Award upon the Reef Sandy Sandal. In the updated review, the OluKai Women’s Ohana again took home the Editors’ Choice Award, while the Teva Women’s Mush II overthrew the Reef Sandy for Best Buy. OutdoorGearLab also chose the Reef Women’s Fanning as the Top Pick for Spring Break.

Read on to learn more about each of these award-winners, or view the full review here:

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Flip-Flops-Womens-Reviews

OluKai Women’s Ohana

The women’s Ohana excelled across almost all of OutdoorGearLab’s review metrics, making it a clear pick for the Editors’ Choice award. This product has a contoured footbed that provides enough stability and support for all day wear and even light hiking. Moreover, it has a grippy inset ICEVA footbed that maximizes comfort and keeps the foot in place. The straps are wide enough that they do not dig at all into the foot, but not so wide that they give the Ohana an overly athletic look. During water resistance and traction tests, the Editors’ Choice award winner dried very quickly and its sole proved to be quite grippy even across slick, wet obstacles. Although the OluKai Ohana is one of the most expensive products in the review ($65), OutdoorGearLab highly recommends making the investment in this high-performing sandal.

Teva Women’s Mush II

One of the least expensive products in this review, the Teva Women’s Mush II earned the highest scores of any sandal under $40. Ringing up at $25, the Mush II provides plenty of comfort and some support at a significantly lower price than a contoured footbed model. The Mush II has a foot-molding footbed that remembers the wearer’s foot over time. Although this is very comfortable, it doesn’t compare in stability or support to a contoured footbed. However, if you’re not ready to make a $50 or more investment in a pair of sandals, then OutdoorGearLab strongly recommends its Best Buy Award winner. The Mush II comes in a variety of fun colors and patterns and provides more arch support than any other sub-$40 flip. Additionally, it dries fairly quickly and offers decent sole traction.

Reef Women’s Fanning

In every review, OutdoorGearLab awards a Top Pick to a product that stands out for a specific purpose. In this side-by-side comparison, reviewers decided that the Reef Women’s Fanning should receive the Top Pick Award for Spring Break! The Fanning is a wide thong-style sandal with athletic styling and an integrated bottle opener in the sole. Overall, the testers agreed that this casual flip is geared toward a younger demographic and perfect for water activities by the beach. In addition to its spring break vibe, the Fanning provides excellent stability and support and earned top marks in traction. Its wide, athletic straps are very comfortable and lined with fun patterns that add just enough sass. At $50, this product is more affordable than the Editors’ Choice winner, but still twice the price of the Best Buy award winner.

About OutdoorGearLab:

Headquartered in Cheyenne Wyoming, OutdoorGearLab LLC strives to create world’s best outdoor gear reviews. The company’s website is a free resource for people who participate in activities such as hiking, climbing, backpacking, and camping, or who simply love the outdoors. OutdoorGearLab Gear Editors across the country test outdoor equipment side-by-side and publish the results in comparative reviews. Products receive scores across a range of weighted categories, competitors are ranked, and awards are given to top-performing products. See more at http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/.