I’ve wanted a pair of Sanuk Yoga Sling sandals ever since I laid eyes on them on store shelves. Not only did the unique knit design catch my eye, but the yoga mat footbed reminded me of my memory foam pillow. Now imagine having your feet take each step into comfort. It’s no wonder Sanuk is known for its range of “never uncomfortable” sandals.
Sanuk is a Thai word meaning getting the most pleasure out of something you do. This word captures the spirit of the brand ever since the company began in 1997 as a “backyard brand”. Sanuk strives to innovate fun yet functional products for outdoor adventurers. The shoe company even sponsors professional athletes including surfers and rock climbers.
Where I Wore Them
While planning for my trip to New York City and the Caribbean, I knew that I wanted to pack a versatile sandal that would take me from the beach to a fancy restaurant. I specifically chose the Yoga Sling 2 sandal in black since it’s an easy color to match, doesn’t get dirty as easily and black always looks chic for dressy occasions.
It was fun wearing the Yoga Sling 2 sandal in these different places, each with a different type of terrain:
Beach
I wore my Yoga Sling 2 sandals to Horseshoe Bay Beach in Bermuda, and Maho Beach and Great Bay Beach in Sint Maarten. Usually I love walking on the sand in my bare feet, but the sand at the height of summer was so hot, it felt like a torture walk on hot coals! The Yoga Sling 2 sandals kept my feet cool and the casual design complimented my beachwear.
Cobblestone
The old town of San Juan, Puerto Rico is characterized by colonial Spanish buildings, cobblestoned streets and gentle slopes and hills. The more I wore the Yoga Sling 2 sandals, the more the yoga mat conformed to my feet – just like memory foam. The comfort was key when walking through the cobblestoned streets and around the massive Castillo San Cristóbal.
Sightseeing
The hardest part about sightseeing in a different city for me, is the amount of walking. At home, I usually have the luxury of driving door to door. I clocked in over 20 000 steps in NYC! Pretty impressive, and all in my Yoga Sling 2 sandals. The style was casual enough for the day visits to museums and shopping, but minimalistic and chic enough for trendy restaurants and hip bars by night.
What Makes Them So Great
- The Yoga Sling 2 sandals were super comfortable because the yoga bed was soft.
- As the yoga mat started moulding to my feet like memory foam, there was a good amount of support overall in the arch and heel area that allowed me to wear them for over 20 000 steps in NYC.
- The stretchy two-way stretch knit sling didn’t chafe any part of my feet. I also wore another pair of rubber-based sandal on the trip, which ended up giving me a blister due to extra chaffing in the heat. After that, I wore the Sanuk sandals for the rest of the trip.
- The sandals hardly take up any room in the suitcase, making them super easy and light to pack.
- The versatile style was casual enough for daytime wear and trendy enough for night life.
What Wasn’t As Great
After wearing my Yoga Sling 2 sandals to the beach and getting them wet, I found the yoga mat material took a long time to dry. After drying them for 15 hours, the footbed was still damp.
The fabric straps are secured into nooks in the footbed. These nooks filled with sand at the beach and buried quite deep into the cavity of the nook. I was still discovering granules of sand days later. I didn’t mind the sand as much, but it would be nice for the yoga mat to dry more quickly.
Final Verdict
I thoroughly enjoyed wearing my brand new pair of Sanuk sandals and I would pack them again for future trips. Black worked well for my trip to the Caribbean and NYC. I would also consider trying a more “fun” color next time like turquoise, coral or a patterned design.
Disclaimer: Sanuk provided a complimentary product for me to conduct a review. I only recommend products that I enjoy using for my travels and think other travellers would benefit from. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Safe Travels!
xx Deb
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