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Almost everyone packs flip flops for a resort week. Almost nobody thinks about them until they hit a wet pool deck. Most cheap pairs are a flat slab of foam with a strap through the middle. The GUBARUN flip flops, however, do better. They give you a contoured footbed, a raised arch, and a rubber outsole with real tread.

So that is the reason they are here. One pair for the pool, the beach and dinner means one less thing in the bag. We haven’t worn a pair ourselves. Instead, what follows comes from the listing, the specs, and what buyers keep repeating in the reviews.

The sole, the strap, and the grip

The whole shoe is rubber. Rubber outsole, rubber footbed, rubber strap, with a TPR midsole doing the cushioning. But that matters more on a trip than at home. Nothing in there soaks up pool water or sits damp in your bag overnight. As a result, you rinse them under a tap and they are done.

The part people notice first is the arch. Most flip flops are dead flat. As a result, an hour on your feet leaves them aching. These have a raised arch and a thicker heel section. That is why buyers keep describing them as comfortable from the first wear, with no breaking in.

Above all, the outsole earns the price. It is a lugged, skid resistant rubber that holds on wet tile. Between the pool and your room, that is the surface that matters.

From the pool deck to dinner

They come in brown, khaki, black and coffee, in sizes 7.5 through 14. The brown and khaki read as almost leather from a few feet away. As a result, they pass at a casual resort restaurant. A bright foam flip flop does not. The listing also puts them at the pool, the beach, a campsite and a water park. In short, that is a fair description.

What they are not is a hiking sandal. The tread suggests otherwise, and that is worth saying, because the sole on these is far more aggressive than a foam pair. It is still an open thong. So these belong on the pool deck, in the sand and on the walk into town, and something closed is still the answer for picking your way over rocks.

Who the GUBARUN flip flops are for

Someone who wants one pair of sandals to cover a week away without spending much on them. In other words, they suit anyone who has given up on flat foam and wants something under the arch. If your feet are wide, order up half a size.

Heading somewhere with a rocky shoreline? Want a sandal for real walking distance? In that case, buy the proper thing for that job, and pack these as the easy second pair.