Chaco is best known as the brand that made river sandals universally popular. Head to any rocky creek and you’ll see colorfully-webbed, heavily-soled, surprisingly technical sandals on most feet.
Building off that foundation, the new Chaco Chillos take the now-classic design, and relax it. The Chillos are named for the level of activity that you should probably engage in: chill.
The Chaco Chillos on a sunny California winter’s day.
Whether it’s around a campfire, at the beach, a backyard BBQ, or on the way to yoga, the Chillos will give you support, functionality, and ease. They relax the strapped webbing that Chaco is known for and function as a simple slide sandal for men and women.
Unique Features of the Chaco Chillos
The uniqueness of the Chillos is just how mellow they are, yet how much support they give. The Luvseat Footbed is built into most Chaco sandals, and the Chillos are no different. This footbed is Podiatrist certified, and remains a key feature of most Chaco sandals, because footwear should be about support.
With a podiatrist certified footbed and basic yet functional tread, the Chaco Chillos don’t skimp on support.
You can wear the Chaco Chillos all day — with the glorious assumption that you’re chilling all day — and your feet will feel well-supported.
This is coupled with uncomplicated straps that secure your feet, yet keep things feeling loose. Unlike more complex Chaco sandals, the Chillos’ webbing has only one adjustment point, and this tightens or loosens the main strap over the top of your foot.
The Chaco Chillos (women’s version pictured here) have a single adjustment buckle for tightening.
We can slide into the Chillos without hands and slip them off just as easily.
Camp Sandals, River Sandals, or Hippy Sandals?
The biggest unique feature of the Chaco Chillos is the weight. We weighed a Men’s size 8 Chillo, and it came out to 5.8 ounces per sandal. For those who care about weight, and know how much sandals can weigh, that’s impressively light. The pair will run you well under a pound.
Other Chaco sandals are notoriously heavy, so this reduction is something people will love.
Where will you take your Chillos?
It also makes them perfect as your camp sandals, because you can backpack with them or throw them in the car without a second thought. Yet they are functional enough to remain river sandals, as long as you’re not embarking on super technical terrain.
And for those who know the Chaco aesthetic, they remain hippy sandals. Even more so, because they are so chill.
Who is Chaco?
Chaco is known for technical, supportive sandals. They got their start in river rafting, but have spread to college campuses, hot-weather hiking, and beyond. The company has a thriving repair program and continues to make unique sandals that serve the outdoor community.
Update: The Chaco Chillos have been a massive hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, to the point that the brand has released new colorways that are very funky. Check them out.
See the new Chaco Chillos, and learn more about Chaco.
This article is sponsored by Chaco.
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Chillos slides are actually not adjustable. The webbing that zig zags across your foot is sewn to the attachment points and can’t be tightened. The little tab you can put through the buckle is a separate, short piece of webbing and does not help tighten the shoe to your foot. Poor design.
Hi Donna,
Thanks for reading and commenting. The Chaco Chillos are slightly adjustable – they have a single strap that you can pull and tighten slightly at the top of the foot. While this adjustment is small, it will tighten the top strap to your foot.
That said, they are not nearly as adjustable as other Chaco sandal models, like the Z Classic.
Firmly agree with this statement.
I love my Chillos but cannot get them tight enough to keep my foot secure. I was hoping someone came up with a work around for this. If not I will have to pass along to someone with a wider (?) Foot.
Hi Terri,
Thanks for commenting. Yes, the Chillos are a pretty loose fit, more like a casual sandal. There is a small buckle that tightens them a bit to your foot, but not as much as other Chaco sandals. You could try twisting the strap with the buckle so it’s against your foot – this is less comfortable but decrease overall length/slackness and may help. You could also try sizing down a half size or more.
These barely tighten at all. That was my one disappointment of the shoe. I have narrow feet and mine are very loose. I love them otherwise. I just wish I could tighten more so my foot wouldn’t slide forward. It’s somewhat deceiving in the picture and description because it appears to be adjustable. Slightly adjustable is really an understatement. The buckle is basically for decoration.
I have been looking for a lightweight, easy on/off water/camp shoe. My feet are narrow and Crocs are way too wide for my foot. I tried these Chacos and they were perfect because I can tighten them for river crossings and loosen them up around camp.