Flip Flops or Sandals for Your Feet This Summer?

The flip flop, also commonly known as the thong, are more popular than sandals because they are comfortable. Flip-flops are also very versatile. They can be worn almost anywhere, though there are still a few exceptions. They also have extreme durability compared to a sandal for summer activities. Last, they are economical for any budget.

The Comfort of a Flip-Flop

With sandals, you get a variety of styles and colors to choose from. Straps are an essential part of a sandal which separate it from the flip-flop. While having fancy criss cross straps may look fashionable walking through the mall, they are usually a pain to figure out how to put on. Criss cross sandals were big awhile back, another fashion item that looked great on a runway but was just too impractical for a busy, daily schedule. They required criss-crossing and wrapping the straps around your legs just perfectly and tying in place. The problem was even after a half hour perfecting the appearance of the criss-cross sandal, once the wearer stood up and took two steps the entire criss cross was falling down to look like a pile of straps at the ankle. If you did manage to cut off your circulation completely to keep them holstered in place after a half hour of wearing them, your legs lost all feeling in the calves.

Sandals also become a nuisance with straps and buckles. Sometimes you just want to slip your feet into a pair of shoes and go. The other comfortable feature with a flip-flop is if you are walking in a sandy area, you do not have to stop, take the shoe off, dump the sand and go. A flip-flop will easily dump the sand as you walk, or you can stop and do a quick flip of the shoe and proceed across the beach. Flip-flops provide sufficient footwear for running errands, walking on a beach, or playing at the park. For long walks, flip-flops and sandals will both lose to the athletic tennis shoe. A flip-flop on a long walk can rub the area between your toes where the strap is held in place.

Flip-Flops are Versatile

Designers in recent years have really jazzed the common flip-flop up. Flip-flops are no longer plain or unattractive. They come in a variety of styles and colors. Some flip-flops are beaded along the strap to allow them to be worn on a casual evening out. Other embellishments that can make these a winner with a sundress for a summer night on the town include sequins, bright colors, a variety of materials used in the structure of the shoe, a variety of heel shapes, and glitter.

The regular, plain flip-flop is still available in many retail locations as well. These make great functional, daywear shoes during the hot months of the year. Flip-flops have been around far longer than other footwear on the market and have never gone out of style completely. Designers have finally realized they could have been utilizing this shoe and maximizing it's wearing potential all along. It's great to see the changes in the flip-flop market and have comfortable shoes to go out in.

Flip-Flops are Durable

In the sandal department, there are few if any other style that has the durability of the flip-flop. Going to the beach? Sand can ruin sandals. It rubs the leather and the color. Sand is not a sandal's friend. No one wants to ruin their favorite sandals by playing in sand all the time.

Another durable feature of the flip-flop is if you want to wade by ocean waves, go ahead. Want to wear them to the pool and leave them by the edge? The water will not hurt them at all. Other sandals, especially of the leather variety, can become ruined by a good soaking of water play. The flip-flop will survive all of that and more. So flip-flops are a much better choice if your going to be around water during the summer months.

Flip-Flops are the Most Economical

Granted, a label designer that has really spiced a line of flip-flops up for evening wear may charge over 20.00 for the shoe, but this is a style choice that the consumer has chosen. Almost any attractive sandal will run the consumer 20.00 and more. There have been sandals sold in average mid-America malls as high as 75.00. Even the most trendy flip-flops do not normally average more than 20-25.00. In fact, for a plain or cheaper version at retailers such as Wal-Mart the flip-flop will vary from 3.00 to 10.00. That's a huge difference in the price of sandals at the beginning of the warm seasons. Even an inexpensive pair of sandals will start in the 12.00 area. So, as you can see flip-flops are very attractive to the budget minded individual.