| Chaco USA. | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Privately Owned Company |
| Founded | |
| Headquarters | Paonia, Colorado |
| Industry | sporting goods |
| Products | Performance Sandals, Hiking Boots |
| Website | http://www.chacousa.com/ |
Chaco is a company specializing in men and women's performance footwear designed for outdoor activities, such as hiking, rafting, kayaking and camping. Currently devoted exclusively to sandals, Chaco's brief excursion into the boot market was well marked by outdoor enthusiasts. A large cult following of Chaco enthusiasts incorporate Chacos into their everyday lives. A barefoot enthusiast can always be identified by the tell-tale "Z" tan lines on the uppers of their feet. Chacos are now sometimes considered acceptable business attire and several couples have chosen to have their favorite Chacos rewebbed with white webbing for their wedding ceremonies. Chaco currently offers four different lines of sandals: Headwaters, Cross Current, Flip Side, and Andale.
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Headwaters
Chaco's Headwaters line comprises the Z/1, Z/2, ZX/1, and the ZX/2. All four sandals feature Chaco's signature "grecian" sandal style. This style is a continuous wrap of webbing or similar material that loops around the foot and between the footbed and the sole. This design means infinite adjustability for increased comfort for all sizes and shapes of feet. All Chaco's footbeds are approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association.
Webbing Styles
- Z/1
The Z/1 is the original Chaco sandal. It features a wide wraparound strap or webbing and is frequently worn with socks by those in the northern regions.
- Z/2
The introduction of the Z/2 was seen as a great improvement on an already great design. A smaller strap and an added toe loop meant greater stability and a tighter fit. This design can be adjusted so that the toe loop lies flat on the footbed, making the shoe function like the Z/1
- ZX/1
The new ZX/1 essentially splits one thick strap into two much thinner ones that follow the same path through the sandal as the original Z/1. The smaller straps are designed to increase conformity to the wearers feet.
- ZX/2
The ZX/2 essentially mirrors the improvements brought with the ZX/1 but with the added comfort and stability of the Z/2.
Sole Styles
Chacos previously (circa 2005 and before) featured three different sole types (Colorado, Terreno, and Diamond Stealth) but features from the Colorado and Terreno soles appear to have been merged into the design of the Unaweep sole. Current sole styles (June 2007):
- Unaweep
Chaco website: "The surprisingly light-weight Unaweep outsole is an intelligent combination of slip resistance and traction. The angled, well-spaced lugs make this non-marking sole virtually self-cleaning." A new lightweight Vibram sole, the Unaweep is a hybrid between river and land. The reduction in weight makes it desirable for the backcountry ultralightists.
- Diamond Stealth
Chaco website: "Perfect for avid paddlers, climbers, and canyoneers, the Diamond Stealth outsole features ultra-sticky Stealth Amphibia(tm) rubber. This slip-resistant compound inspires confidence on everything from slick rocks to wet, root filled trails. (marking sole)" Designed for climbing and river running, these soles are designed to give you the most grip period. Unfortunately, these soles are trickier to find in retail stores and do not tend to last as long as the Vibram soles, meaning that the owner will have to have them resoled more often. Discontined sole styles:
- Colorado
A rafting sole to the core, Chaco's Colorado sole was designed for the water. Made with Vibram rubber, it was considered a benchmark in water footwear design.
- Terreno
The Terreno sole, also made with Vibram rubber, was designed for hiking use. With large flat areas, rocks and pebbles were much less likely to become lodged inside.
Some styles are manufactured outside of the USA
Many styles of Chaco footwear are fabricated in the U.S.A. However, some are made in China and others are made in Portugal. Check the underside of the sandal strap to confirm the country of origin. According to a Chaco representative, the following is current information as of May 20, 2007: "Chaco still makes all of our Headwaters professional river sandals (our Z1, Z2, ZX1 and ZX2 models) right here in Paonia, Colorado as we always have. We make all that we can and we sell all that we make. Still proudly in the USA. We have added a couple of lines of shoes that we do make overseas. We make some leather sandals in Portugal and we make some flips in China. These are strictly additive products - meaning that we don't have the capacity to make them here and no one lost their job when we began overseas production. In order to sell the new products, we had to find another manufacturer. We attempted to find a US manufacturer, but no one here was interested. We did find the two overseas factories and after a careful review of their human resource and environmental practices, we opted to go with these factories for those products."
Cleaning
The Chaco sandal line is designed to last the wearer the life of the footbed. Cleaning the sandal can extend the life. Sandals can be cleaned in a washing machine in a mesh bag. They should be air dried. To keep the webbing sliding freely, diluted ArmorAll can be applied to the edge of the webbing.
