The Best Sandals for Men Let Your Dogs Roam Free

Until recently, even the best sandals for men were sort of a punchline. But thanks to the popularity of brands like Keen and Birkenstock—to say nothing of the surging fisherman wave—we're now poised to enter the silhouette's golden era, with more cool-guy-approved options appearing every day. In 2024, if you can picture a sandal in your head it probably exists, alongside ones that you’d never thought of in the first place: dead-ringer repros, futuristic riffs, dialed-in classics, Maximus Decimus Meridius rips.

So we took a long, exhaustive look at the genre, aggregated a whole bunch of our favorites, tested each one for good measure, and whittled down the entire category to the 15 absolute best sandals on the market.

The Best Sandals for Men, According to GQ

• The Best Sandals for Men Overall: Birkenstock Arizona Sandal, $140
• The Best Budget Sandals for Men: Chaco Z/1 Classic Sandal, $100 $67
• The Best Outdoorsy Sandals for Men: Keen Uneek Sandal, $130
• The Best Huarache Sandals for Men: Nisolo Huarache Sandal, $150 $139
• The Best Fisherman Sandals for Men: Vinny’s Fisherman Sandal, $320
• The Best Slides for Men: Adidas Adilette Aqua Slides, $28

Take Me To: More Sandals We Love | What Makes a Good Sandal | How We Tested | Meet Our Testers

Best Sandals for Men Overall: Birkenstock Arizona Sandals

It’s best not to mess with perfection, and the Arizona is as close to perfect as sandals come. Originally released in 1973, the Arizona was Birkenstock’s third shoe ever—and first crack at a two-strap design—and the brand hasn't made many changes since; it nailed it out of the gate. The iconic iteration features two adjustable suede (or leather) straps atop a super comfy cork footbed that molds to your foot with each wear, and a rubber outsole for added traction and an overall smooth ride. They look great with shorts, with pants, with socks or without, and are the rare sandal that can handle some serious summer miles without wrecking your feet. In other words, the only sandals you need, every day of the week. (Oh, and if you’re *really* trying to maximize comfort, make sure you get the Soft Footbed.)

“I’m an avowed Boston-wearer—I (literally) wear through a new pair every year—but it was actually the Arizona that made me fall in love with the pillow-soft cork footbed and the slightly bulbous toe box,” says GQ contributor Reed Nelson. “Even after adding a few other sandals to the shoe rack," Nelson says, "there’s none that I wear more consistently (or more recklessly) than these. They’ve yet to let me down.”

Best Outdoorsy Sandals for Men: Keen Uneek Sandals

As its name implies, the Keen Uneek is one of the more inimitable sandals out there. For starters, it’s got as much sneaker DNA coursing through its veins as it does sandal—particularly in regards to the grippy outsole and bungee lacing system—but due to an upper made almost entirely of cords and an open back, it also wears like a sandal, albeit an impossibly comfortable, super supportive one. Do they dress up? Not really, but that’s not the point. Think of these instead like a specialty shoe with everyday aspirations. Or maybe just like a hammock, but for your feet.

“These are easily some of the most comfy sandals I’ve ever worn,” says GQ style commerce writer Gerald Ortiz. That’s saying a lot coming from a guy who’s sole slip-ons of choice for eight years were Birkenstocks. Ortiz notes that the EVA sole, in tandem with the cork insole, feels squishy but supportive and the webbed upper is plenty breezy, but doesn’t give the world free tickets to the Little Piggies show. According to him, they look equally great peeking out beneath baggy trousers and anchoring knee-length jorts.

Best Fisherman Sandals for Men: Vinny’s Fisherman Sandals

The Fisherman Sandal’s rise has been meteoric. There are a few reasons for this—big-time cosigns, killer options, a creeping sneaker and/or loafer malaise—but we think it’s also because they’re just cool-looking shoes that look good with an unexpectedly large number of pants and shorts. And the Vinny’s Fisherman Sandal is as good as good gets: they can get all dressed up under a suit, look delightfully insouciant with a pair of white socks and big shorts, frame the ankle nicely when worn barefoot, and generally turn a good outfit into a great one. They also happen to look best with a little wear, so smoke 'em if you got ‘em.

Since 2020, Vinny’s has been hawking best-in-class hard-bottoms to guys weaned on rare sneakers. From the outset, the upstart Danish brand imbued even its swankiest shoes with a no-frills, laid-back bent befitting its Scandi provenance. It’s sublime fisherman sandals, though, lean into the silhouette’s dressy vibe—and are all the better for it. “Are these the fanciest sandals on this list?” GQ commerce editor Avidan Grossman asks rhetorically. “Absolutely.” But, Grossman notes, they just might be the most deceptively versatile, too. In the last week alone, he’s worn them with fraying jeans and a striped button-up; sawed-off carpenter shorts and a white tee; and a gloriously rumpled linen suit and what he calls a “tie”. Grossman prefers to wear ‘em with socks, but he wouldn’t fault you for ditching the hosiery. When in doubt, he says, think “WWAD—What Would Armani Do?” and orient your outfit accordingly.

For more, take a look at our complete guide to the best fisherman sandals.

Best Outdoorsy Sandals for Men: Chaco Z/1 Classic Sandals

There’s a reason that basically every river guide I’ve ever encountered wears Chacos. They have the traction of a hiking boot, the support of a sneaker, last forever, and are more comfortable in the water than most creatures with gills. Really the only thing to consider is whether you want to lock in your big toe or let it stretch out a bit. After much consideration, we opted for no toe sling, allowing for added sock—and thus trail—potential. The bottom line: if you’re trying to get off-road this summer, prefer a sandal, and need one that can keep up, they don’t make them any better than this.

“The first time I ever ran a river, I wore Teva’s because I liked Teva’s and because Teva’s are essentially unbeatable all-terrain sandals,” says Nelson. “But every single person who was hardcore about running rivers was out there wearing Chaco’s,” because, found out, Chaco’s absolutely rip in the outdoors, and they last forever. “I kept my Teva’s for a while longer, but once I made the switch, I ran the Z/1’s for years on end.”

Best Huarache Sandals for Men: Nisolo Huarache Sandals

We love a huarache around these parts, mostly because they provide a cheeky, extremely practical middle ground between the breathability of a sandal and the elegance of a loafer. And when it comes to huaraches, no one does ‘em better than the comfort- and sustainability-minded Nisolo. Their hand woven uppers break-in easily, allowing your feet to breathe on even the hottest days, while the no-slip rubber sole helps them handle everything from the pool to the bar. Which means that if you find yourself with room for just one pair of shoes in that weekend bag, pack these.

You know who else really likes Nisolo’s huaraches—besides for, like, every dad with a sprawling “cottage” in Westhampton? Chris Pine. When he’s not gleefully freaking it on the red carpet or en route to the gym, Hollywood’s shaggiest Chris swears by the brand’s flagship silhouette, wearing ‘em with an enviable disregard for occasion we've saluted time and time again. Much to his chagrin, GQ commerce editor Avidan Grossman is not Chris Pine. (In person, Grossman insists, the physical similarity is uncanny.) But Grossman praises Nisolo’s huaraches for the exact reasons we imagine Pine prizes them: stellar craftsmanship and all-day comfort, at a price that belies the quality involved. “Fellas,” he says, “to misquote the poet laureate of our era: let those dogs breathe.”

For more, take a look at our complete guide to the best huarache sandals.

Best Slides for Men: Adidas Adilette Aqua Slides

This was a harder category to decide than you’d imagine—the power of the slide means there are a lot of players in the space, but it’s just a big ol’ problem for the competition that the Adilette is still undefeated. Comfortable, affordable and as classic as any piece of modern footwear, regardless of genre, the original remains the best. Do these dress up? Not even remotely, but that’s not their job.

“You can try to find more comfortable or more interesting sandals, but you really don’t have to,” says Nelson, who thinks the beauty of the Adilette lies in its simplicity. “There’s no added weight on the strap, no hardware to adjust—just pure, uncut comfort a single shuffle away. Oh, and they're cheaper than ordering pasta on DoorDash.”

If you’re looking for some all-terrain sleds without the cross-strap, the Teva Original Universal Sandal remains a perennial contender, and also clocks in a few dollars cheaper than the Chaco Z/1. And know that the Teva team has also innovated year on year—upgrading the sole unit, and incorporating recycled materials throughout—while making sure the quintessential sandal still absolutely crushes with a pair of Baggies.

Japanese-born Yuki Matsuda’s California-founded Yuketen has quietly been pumping out some of the nicest, most authentically-made classic footwear in all of menswear for years now, employing methods, materials and the kinds of expert craftspeople that are all too rare in 2024. That fastidious nature shines through every slit of the Alejandro, which were made in Mexico using traditional techniques, and are hand-cut, hand-woven and perched atop a hard-hitting, height-boosting Vibram 2060 Outsole—the fully-loaded huarache, if you will.

If there’s a pair of shoes Paraboot can’t make staggeringly well, we haven’t found them yet, so it came as no surprise to us that the Ferret Crossover Sandal was one of our favorite Fishermans. The supple, matte leather wears comfortably out of the box and wears in beautifully over time; the cemented rubber sole is both refined and useful, and the vamp looks incredible bumping up against the hemline of some pants or riding solo with shorts. You might not need a pair of fisherman sandals, but you’ll never regret having these on deck.

We love some well-worn Reefs as much as anyone, but if you’re off the boardwalk and still wanting to run some thongs, you can’t go wrong with the Gizeh. The leather upper and familiar cork footbed is as comfortable as any we’ve tried, but the more substantial design unexpectedly also shines with jeans, short shorts, big shorts and basically anything else we’ve tried to stump ‘em with.

Turns out there’s absolutely nothing stopping an adventure sandal from having leather straps, killer hardware and serious trail chops, as evidenced by these from Danner. The straps are made from sustainably-tanned leather, the Vibram Traction Cascade outsole is an absolute unit, and they’ve even tacked on a sick magnetic buckle to keep everything locked in.

Summer is the time for dainty footwear, and the Jacques Soloviere Biarritz Sandals are some of the most balletic we know—not to mention some of the lushest. Handmade with a supple suede, single-piece upper and outfitted with a double-padded leather insole, they’re the kind of sandals that will have you welcoming the dog days—and the kind that will conceal the wear-and-tear your toes have incurred.

As much as we love molded slides (a lot, they’re super comfortable and the gym bathroom floor gets nasty), they have their limits. But the cool thing about slides is if you turn the dial just a few degrees, tweaking the materials a touch, they can even hold their own with a summer suit.

If you’re trying to hike hike in your sandals, it’s damn near impossible to beat the plush ride of the bombproof Cairn Evo Sandals, which were made with nails-tough nylon straps and (resoleable!) Vibram XS Trek EVO outsoles that provide the kind of stability normally reserved for hiking boots. Don’t just take it from us—people out there have put 2,800 miles on ‘em and they’re still trucking.

Fans of the John Mayer and/or A$AP Rocky wardrobe know that a maximalist sandal can go off with the right supporting cast. And when it comes to maximalist sandals, no one packs a punch like Suicoke, and we love the souped-up KAW-VS. Overlays, straps, chunky soles and patchwork combine for a futuristic slide that welcomes socks and pants graciously.

Your Sandals FAQs, Answered

Yes, wearing socks with sandals is perfectly acceptable! In fact, under the right circumstances, we actually encourage it. But like many a swerve, socks-and-sandals require a little extra consideration when it comes to both outfit and proportions. Thicker sandals should always be paired with hefty socks, for instance. A pair of hiking socks with Arizonas, pleated shorts, and a rumpled Oxford shirt? LFG.

That depends on the sandal and on the dress code. If it’s a garden wedding or something on a beach, absolutely—you can mess around with some huaraches, something strappy, or even a two-strap design, assuming they’re still looking presentable. On the other side, however, there aren’t many sandals that we’d advise wearing to a black tie function.

Having been with us for centuries, there are now types of sandals to be worn for every activity under the sun. Whether you’re on the hunt for a comfortable sandal for long walks or a low-profile leather design to complete your next date-night look, you’ll of course want to buy something to meet your specific needs. With that in mind, here are a few important things to look out for:

• Fit and function: Sandals are, of course, shoes, but there are notable differences from dress shoes and sneakers when it comes to finding your size. This is a good thing: While you don’t want to be spilling over the edges, there are usually fewer confines with sandals, meaning you can allow yourself a little less room than you would with a closed-toe shoe—too much room and you’ll be left with a lot of visible footbed. Straps should fit snugly without being tight, and do remember that leather straps will stretch over time.
• Looks and comfort: When it comes to comfort, always note the footbed and sole. The most forgiving tend to be made of rubber, but a soft cork bed will compete with anything else. Those made of leather tend to require a bit of break-in, but they’ll mold to your foot over time. And along those lines, leather sandals tend to work better in the city, while something that can handle the elements is preferable on the trail.
• Quality construction: If you want a sandal to last the long haul, keep materials in mind. For the purposes of this guide, we chose to prioritize sandals that were made with real leather and nylon webbing, as well as time-tested methods and hardware—forgoing any made with synthetic leather or rubbers that wear down quickly and can’t be resoled.

To kick off the process, we enlisted GQ staffers who, naturally, all have a deep appreciation for footwear. We then leaned on everyone’s collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indy favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then, we narrowed down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across our categories.

When it comes to price, we tried to ensure that there were options in every category across the spectrum, without getting into the extremes. (There are plenty of sandals under $15 and quite a few that will run you north of $1,000, but those poles come with their own kinds of baggage and don’t often deliver on the promise they’re making.) After finalizing the initial list of over 20 sandals, the heavy-duty testing began.

Our testers owned some of the sandals on this list already, but because they’re primarily a seasonal offering, a whole bunch were totally new to us. So after some intensive wear, we recorded our observations and rejiggered our selections accordingly. Based on those evaluations, we ran the numbers, collated the anecdotal evidence, and emerged with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best sandals for men right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs. Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be a pair for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)

• Gerald Ortiz, GQ Style Commerce Writer
• Michael Nolledo, GQ Associate Commerce Director
• Reed Nelson, GQ Contributor
• Avidan Grossman, GQ Senior Commerce Editor