Crocs Beach review

Holy Crocs!

Lately, I've mentally split my shoe collection into two parts - Crocs and non-Crocs. I bought my first pair of Crocs Beach for the review several weeks ago, and I haven't stopped wearing them since. In the house, outside the house, in the shower - you get it. The only time I don't wear them is when I have to go to the gym or run a 5k, because you simply can't go for a 5k run in a pair of Crocs. Or can you? I was idly surfing Youtube, and I came across a video of a guy who ran the New York Marathon in a pair of Crocs, and that pair was probably the Crocs Beach. I guess this proves that there is no shortage of crackpots in the world, and you CAN run 42k in a pair of Crocs if you were daft enough to do it.

But marathon or no marathon, one thing has become clear to me over the last few weeks of wearing the Crocs: they are the most practical pair of footwear I have ever worn. I was using a comfortable, water sandal with a massage footbed before I got my pair of Crocs, but I promptly ditched them as soon as I got the Crocs. Why? For starters, they are incredibly easy to slip into. Unlike a pair of flip flops, in which you have to somewhat navigate your toe to get under the straps, the clog shape of the Crocs Beach does away with any such ceremony. All you have to do is to vaguely guide your foot towards the clog, slip 'em on, and you're all set. It also has a foam 'bucket' strap which can be positioned at the heel area, so if you think there is a danger of your shoes slipping away from you (such as when you are in shallow waters at the beach), you can pull the strap over your heel. I haven't been to the beach yet in my Crocs, but I use it for short dashes to the neighborhood store to shop groceries, and the strap across my heel gives it a sandal kind of feel.

No crocodile tears here: The now famous smiling Crocs logo. The foam 'bucket' strap is simple in design, but superbly functional; keep it on the upper (towards left in this picture), or position it backwards to help clasp your heel.

I have to admit that the Crocs are one of most hideous looking pair of shoes I've seen in a long time. Well, not as bad as Reebok's 'Fish Fry' collection, but comes pretty close. Randomly perforated like a chunk of Swiss cheese, the Crocs are bulbous, ugly, and display an utter disregard of aesthetic sense. But somewhere in these goofy design cues lies the key to why a pair of Crocs is so comfortable, practical and utterly addictive.

Apart from easy slip on and off, there are a few more things which prove that function wins over form if the two ever get into a direct face-off. One basic element sets the Crocs apart from all other sandals and closed shoes - the Crocs is made of 99.99% foam. Barring the smiling Crocs logo on the side which is made of TPU, the entire pair of Crocs is made from 'Croslite foam', a variant of injection (a manufacturing process) molded EVA (Ethyl Vinyl Acetate). Generally, flip flops and sandals are made from a combination of different materials like foam, PU (Polyurethane), leather, mesh or fabric, but Crocs does away with everything else except EVA. Very few shoes or sandals use complete foam uppers and soles, and this particular construction gives the Crocs its characteristic feel. Before I bought the Crocs, I thought that walking in them would be unbelievably soft and squishy - what else can you expect out of a shoe which is completely made of foam? But when I wore them for the first time in the shoe store, it was not. Instead, it was firm and seemed somewhat resilient, and I realized that it was not a bad thing at all. If the foam was too soft, you would have problems with stability and durability, which is not good. The hardness of the foam is just right, with just enough 'give' for cushioning.

99.99% foam: A pair of Crocs is made of proprietary foam called the 'Croslite', which is at its core, injection molded EVA.

The shape of the Crocs in the front looks bulbous and bloated, but it conceals one of its secret functional weapons - width. A pair of Crocs Beach does not allow for customized fit like, say, a pair of laced up running shoes, but the forefoot has enough margin in its width to make most foot types feel at home, regardless of how broad they are. When I wore my pair of Crocs, I felt enough room on the sides to wriggle your toes around, and also the 'roof' of the Crocs upper was at least a few millimeters away from the top of your foot, so I did not feel that oppressive and closed feeling you get when you generally wear a pair of regular clogs or a closed shoe. I guess the difference between a proper sandal and a pair of Crocs is the same as the one between a pair of a tight fit vs. a loose fit jeans; you can roam around the whole day in a pair of a comfort fit jeans, but slip in to a pair of tight jeans, and you'll spend the same day trying to pull it out of your crotch every time it rides up there. The edge of the upper is also turned upwards so the foam edge does not dig into your foot, no matter how much you bend your foot towards the knees.

Swiss Cheese: Circular cutouts in the foam upper and trapezoidal openings on the side allows easy movement of air and water; ribbed footbed pattern prevents foot slide inside the Crocs.

Crocodile grip: The outsole texture reminds me of a frond and the thread of an aquaplaning tyre. It is soft, so it has decent grip.

I am gradually getting addicted to this quirky, but madly practical pair of shoes. The weird circular holes and slightly angular openings on the side make the Crocs highly breezy and quick drying, depending on where you choose to go with them. The soft foam upper cocoons your foot, and somewhat takes away the feeling of vulnerability that comes with wearing an otherwise typical pair of sandals. The sole grip is not bad, and it should remain that way as long as the texture remain in place.

But for all my incessant raving about the Crocs beach, if someone had shown me a pair of Crocs five years ago and told me that one day these ugly shoes would become a worldwide rage, I would have probably told that person to go and take a walk outside, so he can get some fresh air to clear his brain. The Crocs defies convention in many ways: it is ugly as ugly goes, it looks like a lump of Swiss cheese, it is made out of foam and when worn in bright colors it is fashion hara-kiri, to put it mildly. I am certain that the creators of Crocs would have never imagined in their wildest dreams about how successful their product will become one day. Originally, the Crocs were made by a Canadian Company called Foam creations. It did not catch the public eye until a group of three friends from Bolder (Colorado, US) - George Boedecker, Lyndon Hanson and Scott Seamans noticed this peculiar shoe and decided to market it with some small modifications of their own. They named their new product Crocs, and the rest is history. The Crocs found a huge following in children who found the bright colors and the holes intriguing, and since fashion for them is what comes to them naturally, Crocs worked its way into the hearts of the children. Crocs was wise enough to realize that - a visit to the Crocs website will tell you that. It has tie-ups with Disney (Crocs with Mickey mouse shaped holes), Marvel comics and the like; and there is a color selection which would shame sugar lollypops and ice lollies.The charm and the affordable price tag ($30) of the Crocs was not lost on adults (my ranting in this review is proof of that) and it soon became a popular adult staple.

The Crocs beach: Most of the Crocs I have seen in India and overseas are the 'Beach' and 'Cayman' models. They are very similar and virtually indistinguishable except for the 'crown' texture on the edge of the upper. (the area below the strap in this picture)

I wonder what lies ahead for the Crocs? For all its popularity, the brand is surprisingly fragile; most of the sales come from these two models, and if this happens to be a passing fad (read L.A. Gear, Keens) their skyrocketing sales would stall midair. I sense that the company realizes this, and if the stuff on their website is anything to go by, there are getting into a diverse portfolio of products, be it conventional flip flops, closed shoes, traditional sandals and even apparel. The only negative feedback this product globally has ever had was that a few pairs of children's Crocs got stuck in escalator crevices, injuring them in the process. But apart from these stray incidents, nothing has come in way of the religion that is Crocs.

I would love to peek into the future ten years from now, and see what becomes of Crocs. Will it become another Chuck Taylor, or fade away like L.A. Gear? Unfortunately, I am a shoe critic and not a soothsayer, so I'll have to wait and watch...

The Lowdown:

Shoe name: Crocs Beach.

Color reviewed: Navy (Millions of other colors available. Think of any color and chances are you'd find it in Crocs)

Retail price (India): INR 1499

Estimated US retail: $ 30

Available at: At majority of multibrand shoe stores, and Crocs stores.

Weight: 180 grams for a half pair of size XL (M's US 10~11).

Verdict: Unusual and quirky clog design but the ultimate in urban practicality. Extremely well ventilated, quick drying and lightweight.