When I first saw the Kalai’s from Olu Kai, I imagined myself wearing these out to dinner in Hawaii or waiting for summer to roll around in Seattle so I could show them off at a BBQ or two. As it turns out, they’ve been a great sandal for me in Italy. The fact that they’ve got this interesting Romanesque-look is coincidental 🙂
Yes, I should have broken them in prior to my trip, but I didn’t. Instead, going against my better judgment, the first time I wore them for any length was on what turned out to be a 9-mile walk. This was from my hotel (Valle di Assisi) in a village outside of Assisi, all the way up into this hillside village and back.
Before setting out on the walk, my biggest concerns were that I might get blisters on the backs of my feet where the zippers are located and that my feet would simply get tired because there’s very little padding on the footbed. Neither of those things happened.
Amazingly enough, the soft leather uppers never rubbed uncomfortably anywhere on my feet. No blisters. No scratching. Nothing. And, you can’t even feel the zipper in the back.
The sizes are true to fit – I’m an 8 and these were perfect.
The only area that gave me a little bit of a rub after a few days of really long walks was the thong between my toes. But even that was so minor so as hardly to be worth a mention.
I’ve become a fan of Olu Kai shoes (see my review of the O Waho’s) and, while all the styles don’t suit my needs, the ones I have tested out have far exceeded my expectations. I’ll be an Olu Kai fan for a long time!
Travel Well,
Beth
Related links:
Keen Newport Sandals
Jackie Shoes from Ahnu
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