Most Liked Negative Review

Still OK, not as good as previous Hurricanes

I've been wearing Tevas of one flavor or another for the last 17 years, and they're what I wear most days. Apart from a couple of one-off purchases, they've all been Hurricanes, mostly Hurricane 2s. I've hiked at least a couple hundred miles a year in them for the last five or six years. Last year I... went up Conejos Peak in them, and I've pretty thoroughly tested their capabilities on a variety of other terrains in the west. The Hurricane 2 was wonderful. Hurricanes since, with the new sole and deeper tread, are not. It looks like a more aggressive tread for hiking, but the sole is too thick and squishy. It reduces my ability to feel the ground. Balance is harder because I can't always predict how they're going to squish around under me. On a side slope, it compresses more on the downhill side of the shoe than the uphill, making them more likely to roll your ankle. Bottom line, they're less stable and it's harder to keep yourself planted on rocks or sideslopes. If you're just poking around town, the squishiness also means a bit of a gain in comfort and it's probably a step up from the Hurricane 2. But if you're going out onto any remotely difficult terrain they are much worse. I stocked up when when the Hurricane 2s were discontinued, and got a couple pairs of XLT2s as that pile dwindled, hoping they'd be OK. Now I'm down to my last pair of Hurricane 2s. After those give up the ghost, I guess I'll just have to look for alternative hiking sandals. I don't really consider any of the post-Hurricane 2 sandals suitable for hiking except in pretty level and easy terrain. Looking at the rest of the current Teva lineup, it looks like they've gone with the thick squishy sole approach across the board. If anyone at Teva is reading--could you please create something more like the Hurricane 2s?