Chaco Z/Cloud review

We recommend the Chaco Z/Cloud as a great choice for: 

• Those who prioritize comfort on the trails with a well-cushioned yet stable sandal
• Hikers who frequent riverbeds or rocky beaches and need strong and reliable traction
• Anyone in need of a sandal with good arch support for long days out in nature or about town

While the Z/Cloud's soft cushioning lives up to the sandal's name, its weight is anything but cloud-like. At 13.1 oz (371g) it's actually on par with a hiking shoe! For a sandal with a more lightweight and barefoot demeanor, we recommend looking into the Teva Hurricane Drift instead. 

The Z/Cloud has quite a wide platform and the forefoot strap isn't adjustable. This means that narrow-footed hikers might have a difficult time adjusting the sandal so it sits securely on their feet. For a less broad option, we recommend checking out the Teva Original Universal.

Using our caliper, we measured the Z/Cloud's stack to be 26.4 mm thick, putting it on par with our current lab average. 

This amount of protective foam and rubber underfoot gives our landings a good amount of impact-dampening while still keeping us nice and grounded. 

The Z/Cloud's forefoot stack also hovers around the average for hiking sandals at 20.2 mm thick based on our caliper measurements. As with the heel, this gives us a healthy mix of cushioning and ground-feel as we test this sandal. 

Taking the difference between our two stack measurements leaves the Z/Cloud with an offset of 6.2 mm. This is also within spitting range of our average and feels rather natural underfoot. 

Pressing our durometer against the midsole gives us a reading of 24.2 HA. This is a relatively soft reading that offers a balanced level of cushioning to our strides. 

As we can see, the foam doesn't compress that drastically under our weight but manages to effectively and comfortably dampen the impact of our landings no matter how harsh the trail. 

What's more, there is a thin layer of softer foam sandwiched between the main portion of midsole foam and the podiatrist-certified footbed that our foot sinks into with a satisfying squish. 

We measured the widest point of the sandal between the forefoot straps to be 104.2 mm wide. As such, the sandal should be plenty accommodating for most foot shapes. 

However, the limited ability to tighten the forefoot means that the Z/Cloud might sit a little loose for those with very narrow feet. 

The Z/Cloud’s upper is made chiefly of polyester jacquard webbing. The adjustable straps that make up most of their entirety are networked together within the sandal’s midsole. 

Its heel risers are made of high-tensile webbing, while its ladder lock buckle is made of a synthetic material comparable to hard plastic.

It does take some getting used to, though we eventually managed to find the right adjustments to secure our foot comfortably and with a great heel hold, making us feel at one with the sandal as we maneuver the trails. 

Having that more plush upper layer of PU foam does mean that there's a bit of wobbling as our weight shifts from side to side in the Z/Cloud. This is somewhat exasperated by the toe strap which isn't adjustable so doesn't always provide the strongest forefoot lockdown. 

That said, the Z/Cloud isn't an unstable sandal by any means as we still managed to tackle all manner of tricky trails with surefooted confidence while testing this sandal. 

The Z/Cloud puts up an average level of resistance as we bend and twist it in our hands, leading us to give it a middle-of-the-road torsional rigidity score of 3 out of 5. As such, the sandal does relent comfortably to the natural movements of our foot while still maintaining a base that remains pretty level and balanced even on bumpy surfaces. 

Using our caliper, we measured the Z/Cloud's midsole to be 120.1 mm wide at the forefoot. This is on par with our current lab average, leaving us with more than enough of a platform to ensure stable landings and toe-offs. 

Back at the heel, the midsole is significantly wider than average at 100.5 mm wide. This robust base at the rearfoot means that we have plenty of surface area of grippy lugs to dig into the ground while maneuvering in the Z/Cloud. 

The Z/Cloud's slab of dual-density PU foam, while soft, is quite dense; leading to 27.7N of force being needed to bend the sandal 90 degrees in our flex test. 

This isn't quite as flexible as the average sandal, making the Z/Cloud somewhat resistant to the natural flexion of our foot during our stride. That said, the sandal doesn't come off as stiff as a board underfoot but rather feels more supportive and protective as it prevents our foot from wrapping around any obstacles we come across like rocks or tree roots. 

Despite its minimalistic design, the Z/Cloud feels quite chunky underfoot. This is confirmed on our scale with the sandal weighing in at 13.1 oz (371g), making it significantly heavier than average. 

On the one hand, that added heft gives our foot an almost armored sensation that gives us confidence as we walk over harsh or rocky trails. On the other, however, it means that the Z/Cloud does feel ever-present on our foot and doesn't have the barefoot feeling of a lighter sandal like the Teva Original Universal.

Pressing our durometer against the Z/Cloud's ChacoGrip outsole rubber reveals it to be about as hard as average with a reading of 84.9 HC. This level of hardness usually indicates a good mix of grip and durability, the former of which is undeniable as soon as we put the sandals on, while the latter will be tested in the next section. 

To simulate extreme wear and tear on the outsole, we fired up our Dremel armed with an abrasive element spinning at 10K RPM and set it against the Z/Cloud with 3.2N of force. 

After twenty-two seconds of grinding, we used a tire tread gauge to measure the indent left in the aftermath of the test and found that only 1.3 mm of material was shorn away by our tool. This makes the Z/Cloud a little more durable than the average hiking sandal, which leads us to predict that it should comfortably survive at least a whole summer's worth of outdoor activities.

At 3 mm thick according to our caliper measurements, the Z/Cloud's outsole is ever so slightly thicker than our current lab average. This gives us plenty of protective rubber underfoot to wear through over and above the robust lugs before this sandal throws in the towel. 

The lugs on the Z/Cloud's ChacoGrip outsole are arguably the sandal's crowning glory. They're quite prominent compared to our current lab average at 3.5 mm thick according to our caliper. 

What's more, the extremely sticky nature of the ChacoGrip compound along with the tread pattern means that we felt locked into whatever surface we were traversing. From dirt and gravel-covered mountainsides to wet rocky beaches, the Z/Cloud had us sauntering the trails merrily and confidently.

The Z/Cloud's jacquard mesh straps are paper-thin at only 1.5 mm thick.

However, they're made of a very soft polyester material that wraps around the foot securely and without biting or chafing our heel during our test hikes. 

Apart from its other laudable qualities we've covered so far, the Z/Cloud's midsole is treated for antimicrobial resistance so, even after dozens of (frankly sweaty) tests, stinking up the house is not a concern with this sandal.