An Open Letter to Teva
Tyrell Bay (Carriacou), Grenada

You should have someone send you some Crocs - http://www.crocs.com/home.jsp - they're amazing, comfortable, and the will never, ever stink up the room. Oh yeah, they also float.

Oooo.. I have a pair of Crocks (BRIGHT, make that hot ass pink)… They are worn in hospitals mostly by nursing staff… I wore mine to the mall recently and became so embarassed from so many stares at my shoes that I changed then and there to my expensive slippers that I purchased at Brookstone. I find Crocks kind of uncomfortable over time if you do a lot of walking, but others do agree with Matt. You will for sure get attention if you wear them. The are all foam like. Tony hates his… I could sent them to you. They are banana yellow. lol

hehehe… I just might take you up on that Em!

I love it. Craig is travelling the globe, and we're talking about the pros and cons of Crocs… Nice. =) Anyway, I have my khaki ones and they're not gaudy or anything. I will say people (including myself) are prone to make comments like, "Who the HELL would ever wear those out?" until they try them on… that was my experience anyway. They've now become my official warm weather shoe.

Update

The following was received from Teva yesterday:

Dear Craig,

Thank you for your most recent letter regarding your RS Universal Sandal and I apologize for the difficulties you are experiencing with them. The leather on the sandal is waterproofed against mild conditions like walking city streets in the rain. They are not meant to be worn as full time backpacking or river sandals. When exposed to continuous moisture, the waterproofing will break down and the leather will eventually become water logged. Once in this condition, if they are not dried, the leather will begin to rot and of course a foul odor will accompany this process.

We have an entire line of hiking, running, and river sandals that are made for full time outdoor activities. They are the Trail Wraptor, the Terra Fi2, the Dozer, the Cynder, the Guide ’06, the Guide ’06 L/C, the Guide Thong, and the Universal Buckle. These sandals contain the stickiest most durable rubber on the market (either SSR, river, or spider rubber) and the uppers of each sandal are constructed from synthetic materials designed to stand up to the elements. They are comfortable and supportive. Perhaps in the future more extensive research will help you make an informed decision on the right sandal for your adventures. Please do not hesitate to contact me with further questions or concerns regarding our products. Have a great day!

Sincerely,
Steve CundySales
Center Representative

I think by "Perhaps in the future more extensive research will help you make an informed decision on the right sandal for your adventures," translates, roughly, to "Screw you, world travelin' hippie."

That's exactly what I think he meant with that comment. How funny…GG The JFG.

My current sandals are Body Glove and stink really bad, even as I write this and eat a cheesesteak, the smell overwhelms the greasy sandwhich. But my prior pair also where Teva and they smelled really bad too. I used to wash them and leave them in the bright sun to disinfect and kill the deathness, with little success. What I've figured out is that these things are planned obsolesence. The shoes include foam, even in the supposedly hard rubber part. So water (and whatnot) eventually get in, and stay in. Bacteria - smell - shoes thrown out - replaced - simple. They could make a material that didn't do this, but where is the profit in that? Consumers are so programmed to be happy to buy something new and throw out the old these days, that who is going to say anything? You might think that the greenies, the Earth lovers, would make a stink about this waste of earth's resources and energy to create sandals destined to be thrown out quickly. I guess they are more interested in other peoples SUVs then their own foot stink. Nice blog dude! Spread the word. No Justice, Hear Me Stink!

One year ago I bought the Teva Trail Wraptor after reading a glorious test in the "Consumentengids", a Dutch consumers magazine. And indeed they fit perfectly, I even used them as running shoes. I write "used" as i cannot wear these sandals any more because of their terrible stench. I have tried washing them in a number of ways but nothing will make the smell dissapear. Last month on a sailing trip to England a horrible but familiar cheesy smell hit me. When I looked down at the the feet of a companion who sat downwind i immediately recognised his Teva Trail Wraptors. He was emberrassed and disappointed, because he bought the sandals just one week ago.

Yes, it's been many months since I disposed of these sandals, and I can still vividly recall the odor.

Great stories….

So glad to find out others have experienced this same problem with Teva shoes. Bought a brand new spiffy pair of Wraptors for a hike and ended up with skanky blistered feet. The funny thing is that Teva advertises an anti-bacterial footbed on the Wraptors which is supposed to combat odor.

i can not believe i looked on google for "teva smell" and got so many hits!! how can people keep buying these sandals when the smell never stops and there is no way to stop it.. unbearably stinky teva's– why is this?

Wow! I googled "teva smell" and found exactly what i was looking for! I currently have a pair of tevas that smell absolutely horrible- I've never had any prior problems with foot odor- So wasn't sure if this was something i'd developed or because of the sandal?? I'm guessing it's the sandal… I was thinking that it couldn't possibly be the sandal- As i've heard of tennis shoes smelling bad- but had never thought sandals would be the same way- As i assumed my feet could "breathe"…Oh well Maybe it's just Tevas as i've never had this problem before

I got these Teva Volterra Alp sandal and I can feel your pain (…perhaps I should say smell…)

These sandals are very convenient if you're anti-social type of person as the smell can (and will) make every person around you move at least 15ft away. Should you need a seat while on subway just stand next to the seat you want, wait 10 seconds and voila! It's like magic

Bob NJ

I have owned a pair of Teva Terra Fi 2 sandals for about two years. Best pair of shoes ever. I wear them in all weather and for many hours of wading in salt water. Needless to say, they stink to high heaven after a while. But I found the cure. Fill a laundry tub or sink with just enough water to cover the sandals, put stones or weights on the sandals to keep them submerged, add two cups of white vinegar, soak overnight, and air dry for one day (ideally outside). No more stink, although they have a very faint vinegar smell for a day or two afterwards. No biggie. Vinegar soaking is the only way I have found to kill the bacteria that collects inside the sole (it gets in through the strap holes). For continued odor control, spray the top of the soles with Lysol once or twice a week until wet and let sit overnight.

I have owned two pairs of Tevas, and won't buy any more. They DO SO SMELL - both types, leather, and rubber.

As you note, Craig, nothing can stop the smell. Not powder, disinfectant, spray deodorant, mouthwash - nothing.

The TEVA person who replied to your original post strolled disingenuously through the opening you left him and attributed the problem to your allowing the shoes to become waterlogged. All I can say to that is that if TEVA really believed waterlogged leather was their problem, then they have no reason to offer antimicrobial-treated rubber models made exclusively from synthetic materials. But they do. I find the wet leather ploy offensive. They're mocking you Craig, and it stinks to high heaven.

In fact, identically the same smell problem obtains for the antimicrobial-treated rubber soled models. In my case it took about two weeks for this to begin versus one week for the leather soled pair. I found myself stuck in northern India with no option but to keep them (outdoors) as they were my only items of footwear. Not only did the smell raise eyebrows in every quarter, but the soles soon began to fall apart as well. I had them glued back together by a street vendor who sadly shook his head, and offered me a lifetime warranty. I told him things would be much better for American shoes with the Obama Administration coming up to speed, but I think he gave up on America then and there hunched, cross-legged over his gluepot. Nice going TEVA. We lost another one on account of you.

I found that after about a year of use (during which I stored them outdoors at my wife's request, but I can't blame her) the odor of the leather pair eventually mostly faded away. But they were still pretty interesting to my dog who eventually chewed off the straps, and I had to get rid of them. I lack the courage to try another pair. Anyway, I'd lose too many friends over that break period.

The good news is that Merrill reportly makes far less stinky, and far less fragile sandals. That's where I'm headed.

Good luck Craig.
-Rob

Good to know I'm not alone - Teva gave me some standard blow back about body chemistry reacting to the shoe materials. Right.

I first noticed the Teva stench, which I could smell over the stench of the Malaysian sewers, about a month after I started wearing the things. It smelled like I had stepped in a huge pile of dog crap and tracked it home. I've been an athlete all my life and have had a zillion pairs of favorite rancid worn out shoes but nothing compared to this. At first I thought there was something rotten in the house but oddly the smell was everywhere I checked. Hmm… Was it me? Maybe BO? Then it hit me, it was my shoes. Soaking in Detol overnight solved the problem then I didn't wear them for 2 years.

Started wearing them again, no stink, no problem until I spent a day in the rain in Melaka. Smell is back with a vengance. Scrubbing the footbed did nothing. So, I'm thinking Rob you're on to something suspecting water getting in thorugh the strap slots in the footbed.

I'll try the vinegar. But really, what's up with Teva? I've had 10 year old, dog pooh encrusted, lawn mowing Converse All Stars that smelled better than 1 month old Tevas.

My TEVA DOZERS are the first shoes I've ever had in my life that have smelled. WTH? Can't wait to try some of these tips on getting the stench out, because it is so embarassing when I wear them over to my BF's house and he wants to massage my feet- ewww! However- they are pretty comfy, once I got over the initial blistery breaking-in phase last year. Until I can figure something out, I'll be forgoing the foot rubs from my Honey, LOL… great blog, too!

You are a very smart person!

Keen's 'Venice' or 'Newport' hiking sandals - I'm on my second pair… I gave the first pair to an older man in Fiji — I had a couple thousand kilometers on them and decided 'WTH, I'm tired of these boring blue sandals, I want some snappy RED Keen's…'