Teva Women's Pretty Rugged Sandal

I previously owned Pretty Rugged 1 and 2 in the light brown leather shade and I loved both of those incarnations of the Pretty Rugged line. I love these sandals for travel as they take up relatively little space (they are also great for going through airport security if you choose to wear them during your flight), work in any terrain (I've literally done everything in these sandals from climbing Mayan ruins to walking on wet cobblestone streets in the Caribbean) , and you can walk all day in them comfortably. These sandals are also pretty stylish. They work well with jeans, skirts (long and short), summer dresses etc. Unfortunately, the previous versions of Pretty Rugged had a pretty light insole that got discolored relatively quickly even though the rest of the sandal remained in good shape.I purchased Pretty Rugged 3 a couple of weeks ago from Amazon to wear while I am away on research in the Caribbean for the next five months. I've been wearing them daily for a little over a week now and I've found that Pretty Rugged 3 is significantly different from the Pretty Rugged 1 and 2 in at least four regards: 1)the insole is now black 2)there is less cushioning under the front strap 3) because they removed the extra cushioning from the front strap, it is no longer as wide and does not feel as secure as the front strap on previous versions and 4)the sole has a different pattern and the sandal does not grip wet surfaces as well as previous versions.Overall, Pretty Rugged is just an okay sandal. I think removing the extra cushioning from the front strap was a mistake as my feet don't fit as securely in this version as in previous versions. My toes seem to slide forward past the tip of the sandal which was a problem I never had with the two previous versions. As I mentioned before, the pattern on the sole has changed and this version does not grip wet surfaces very well. I do like the darker insole and I am hoping that the sandal will show less wear over time. While these sandals look great, they don't seem as well made as previous versions of Pretty Rugged and they are also slightly less comfortable. I am hoping that Teva will give us the quality of sandal we expect from the brand in Pretty Rugged's next incarnation because even though I am unhappy with some of the features of this version, there will always be a place in my closet for Pretty Rugged.

I bought these to replace an old pair of sport-style Tevas which I had probably had for *well* over 10 years. The old pair I had was a similar style to the original "Pretty Rugged Leather" style, except that they were black (nubuck) and had padded microfiber-covered insoles, instead of being brown with leather insoles, as the original "Pretty Rugged Leather" style was. I had liked them better than the original PRL style because I preferred the black color, and Loved (I cannot stress enough - loved!) the padded microfiber insoles. Regretfully, I had to retire them this year when I noticed that the insole padding had started to collapse and get lumpy. I had worn these things for years, not only for walking, but for hiking in unfriendly (to footwear) environments while on vacation such as over rocks, on sand, and in salt water. They were faded from exposure to sun and salt water, and had sand permanently embedded in the velcro, in spite of having been hosed down with a sprayer several times, and having taken numerous trips through the washing machine.I looked at new Teva styles online, and decided I liked the "Pretty Rugged Leather 3" and "Neota" styles best, based on appearance, function, and reviews. I still needed a sandal that I could get wet and abuse as I had my old ones. I didn't care if they were water-proof (my old ones weren't), only that I wouldn't ruin them by getting them wet (like my old ones.) These two styles seemed to fit the bill, and I couldn't find either one locally, so I ordered one pair of each through Amazon early this summer. I noticed that the "Pretty Rugged Leather 3" seemed to combine the original PRL style with the style I had (I think it may have been called "Monaco"?), as the new PRL 3 comes in both black and brown, and has microfiber insoles, whereas the old styles were similar, but distinguished by being black vs. brown, and microfiber vs. leather insoles. The Neota appeared to be a whole new style, and was kind of cute while still being sporty.After trying them on, I decided the "Pretty Rugged Leather 3" sandals were more comfortable than the "Neota" style. The Neotas were cute for sport sandals, but I noticed that the ankle straps were rubbing against the undersides of my ankles, and I knew that would drive me crazy. Other than that, the Neotas seemed good. The toe straps were fine, and the soles were good, so if you have higher-set ankles, you might like the Neotas just fine.Pros:1) I found the "Pretty Rugged Leather 3" style had a lower-slung ankle strap that didn't rub against the undersides of my ankles like the Neotas (and some other footwear does.) Another thing I like about the ankle strap on my new Tevas vs. my old Tevas is that I wasn't able to drive in my old Tevas, because the ankle strap was wider, and came higher across the top of my foot, so that it dug in to the base of my shin when I flexed my foot while driving. The new, lower-slung PRL style doesn't do that, so I wear them more often. (Probably will wear them out faster as a result. ;-D)2) They come in both black and brown. (I like the black, which goes with more of my stuff. Although my old ones were gray by the time I threw them away! :-D)3) The new PRL style is cuter than the old style - the straps are a little narrower, and the toe strap angles more, making them look more streamlined and flattering.4) They are still made of nubuck, and are listed by Teva in their "water-friendly" category, so they should still be washable, and "wettable."Tips:I found them true-to-size, and sufficiently adjustable, although I did notice, as some others have commented, that the ankle strap is short enough that the velcro shows a fair amount when it is adjusted to fit my foot, and I have fairly small ankles. I can see how, if one had larger ankles, the ankle strap might barely be long enough.There was a rough spot inside one of the toe straps that was rubbing uncomfortably when I walked, but when I loosened the toe strap just a smidge, that quit happening, so, if you find something rubbing uncomfortably inside the shoe, try adjusting that strap, and you might find the problem disappears.Con (There's only one):These do have a microfiber insole, but they are not cushy and padded like my old Tevas used to be, (Remember how I said I loved that old padded microfiber insole?) and the microfiber fabric isn't as soft as that on my old Tevas, so, in that respect, I don't like the insoles on the PRL3 as well as on my old ones. However, given how much I hated the first pair of Tevas I ever bought, which had abrasive nylon straps and some kind of horrible rubber or plastic insoles which blistered the bottoms of my feet, I think I can live with the microfiber insoles on my new Tevas, even though they're not as soft and cushy as the old ones. (My old pair of sport Tevas I discuss in this review was my second pair of Tevas, and I liked them much better than my first pair.) The insoles on the new PRL 3s abraded the bottoms of my feet a little the first few times I wore them for long periods of time and did a lot of walking in them, but not anything like the rubber insoles on my first pair of Tevas (the PRL 3s did not leave actual blisters), and I got used to them after a few wearings, and don't notice any problem anymore.Basically, the insoles are the only reason I have given the "Pretty Rugged Leather 3" Tevas 4 stars instead of 5. On the upside, I doubt the new, less padded insoles will tend to soak up much water, whereas when I wore my old nubuck Tevas while hiking in water, the padding in the insoles would soak up water and get squishy, and water would "squish" out of them for a while as I walked in them afterward, until they had dried out thoroughly. (This didn't bother me, although I can see how it might bother some.)If these turn out to be as durable as my old nubuck Tevas, then I will say that this purchase was money well-spent, as I feel I got back many times my original investment out of my old ones.

Current Update after wearing this particular sandle for awhile. I am sorry to say that these are not quite the same quality as I have had before (my LL Bean-acquired pairs.) They seem thinner on the bottom, not as supportive. (My initial impressions from my first update below have proved to be correct.) I have to take them off during the day and go barefoot, or slip on something else, because my arches begin to hurt. This NEVER happens with my other Teva Ruggeds that I still have (one I have now put back to keep nicer, and I have a kick-around older pair that is about 6 years old.) I did always pay $89 for them at LL Bean...and was grateful for the price of these....butI am currently wearing my 3rd pair of these. I've been hoarding them, because I always got them from LL Bean ($89) and Bean stopped carrying this style. They are like nothing else if you tend towards foot problems (like plantar fascitis, however it is spelled...) If you can heal your feet with a pair of shoes, these would be it. I am ecstatic to find these here today.Update....I wrote the above several weeks ago and just got around to actually ordering them....the price had dropped more...I paid $53 and got Prime (free two-day) shipping. I still love the sandals, however I wanted to add that....the quality seems to have gone down somewhat. This new pair is different from the other three mentioned above. I hate to use the word, but it is "cheaper" somehow. The bottom isn't quite as padded, the straps are thinner and smoother...yet it is the exact "product description" from my other three pairs, purchased over about the span of 6 years or so...I am still glad to have them though.

I wear this almost constantly when it is warm and dry. They are easy to put on and comfortable to wear.

Teva sandals are great for my feet. Do not feel this nubuck pair are quite as sturdy as my current leather ones and not sure about the insole. I have not worn the sandals yet but initial trying on the insole did not feel as comfortable as the insole on the ones I have had over several years. But an absolute bargain price wise and am very pleased to have got them

they are confidence enough, but two stars because they smell bad. within a week the rubber went of. no attempts at copywriting, washing our cleaning seems to make a difference. never happened with a single before... very disappointed.

Teva have changed design of these sandals! which is a great shame, I've been wearing the old pretty rugged ones for years and feel bereft, what will I wear instead?

Size is perfect. They seem well made and are light but solid. As I have not worn them anywhere yet I cannot make an honest assessment so this is why only 4 stars. They have a certain elegance that so many sports sandals of any solidity lack.