Teva Dozer
The multi-purpose sandal was still a slightly odd idea when this was written, and the review's ambivalence was fair. Two decades on the category has settled and the honest advice is clearer.
What a closed-toe sport sandal is actually for: water. Rafting, kayaking, river crossings, boats, wet approaches and beaches with rocks. In those places it is far better than any shoe, because it drains, dries and protects your toes from what you cannot see under the water.
What it is not for, which is where people go wrong: it is not a hiking shoe and not a town shoe. It has no real support for a loaded pack over distance, and the closed toe holds grit against your foot in dust.
The specific model is long gone; Teva and Keen both still make the type, and Keen's closed-toe sandals are the best known version of the idea.
What to check when buying: a heel strap, not just a toe post, so it stays on in current; a sole with real siping for wet rock; straps you can adjust while wearing it; and quick-drying webbing rather than leather.
The care advice that decides whether these smell: rinse them in fresh water after salt or river use and dry them out of direct sun. The odour is bacteria in damp footbed foam, and it is preventable rather than curable.
For most travellers, a pair of these plus one pair of proper shoes covers nearly everything, and that combination is why the category survived.
Part of the guide to boots, shoes and sandals.