From the makers of the highly raved hyperburst foam, Skechers creates a pair of recovery sandals featuring a full length hyperburst midsole. Featuring a high stack hyperburst midsole and a full length Goodyear outsole, the Skechers Hyper Slide is a durable recovery sandal that your feet will thank you for standing in post run.
Specifications: Self measured
Weight: 7.2 oz (Men's 9.5)
Stack Height: unknown
Drop: unknown
Classification: Recovery Sandal
HIGHLIGHTS
David: The Skechers Hyper Slides provide nicely contoured design on a highly plush foam that feels great to wear post run and walking around casually. The slides are made with nothing but high quality materials including Goodyear outsole, Hyperburst midsole, and a leather wrap around the dorsum of the foot.
Matt: The Skechers Hyper Slides are a super comfortable and simple recovery slide that uses premium materials. The thick full length HYPERBURST midsole provides awesome cushioning for beat up feet, the wrap holds the foot decently well and the Goodyear outsole provides great grip and traction.
FIT
David: The fit of the Hyper Slides appears to be TTS and similar to most sandals I have worn. Without an upper holding the foot down or creating shape around the shoe, sandals always seem to be slightly bigger than recorded size number. If you are a half size, sizing down would be advisable if you plan on walking around a lot in the slides, but a half size up is fine if it is used for recovery purposes post run and minimal casual/daily walking use in the community. The foam creates a side wall at the heel medially and laterally nicely cupping around the heel with a slight upward curve into the navicular and midfoot region and ultimately a nicely wide forefoot platform. The leather wrap is nice with a softer texture on the portion that is in contact with the dorsum of the foot. If you are a half size up it may be a little spacious, making stairs or hills a little tricky since it may be a little loose. If they are worn true to size or a half size down this the hold should be just fine for all uses. One unique thing to this sandal I have not seen before is a contour at the metarsal head region where it curves down and then rounds up through the remainder of the toes. This creates a nice resting position for the toes when standing around and recovering with minimal activity post run.
Matt: The fit is fairly true to size for sandals. My normal size 10 fits me normally. The leather strap is very comfortable again bare skin and I have had no chaffing issues on the tops or bottoms of my feet. The platform fits a little wider, so a variety of foot types should be able to fit on this. This is NOT a running shoe, so do not expect super high security.
RIDE
David: The ride of these slides is like walking and standing on clouds. With the consistent foot shaping and contours, walking in these slides is still pretty comfortable with distance. One thing I like is the versatility of the shoe in terrain for I have walked on rocky trails, sand, road, grass, and other surface with the shoe feeling great in all of the terrain. The Goodyear outsole provides a good amount of traction of a sandal and is reliable. The most notable factor of the slides is how plush these are. After several long runs or trail runs my feet thanked me so much for standing in them afterwards. Even walking they are nice. On a camping trip I ended up walking about 6 miles in these with no problems.
Matt: There is tons of HYPERBURST cushioning in this recovery slide. It is soft, bouncy and rolls super smooth from heel to toe. Perfect for beat up feet and legs, the super soft foam has great flexibility AND has a mild heel bevel. The deep flex grooves provide a smooth ride and the amount of HYPER BURST provides total protection from the ground.
STABILITY
David: The emphasis of the Skechers Hyper Slides is to be plush and provide a good platform for recovery. When a shoe is this plush it will always lose some stability. The stability lost by the plush midsole is made up for though with small details in the contouring of the slide and the dependable outsole. The higher medial and lateral walls prevent the foot from translating around and the Goodyear outsole provides traction whenever necessary. The metatarsal and phalangeal region of the foot place the joints in a position where they can rest statically (more will be discussed on this later).
Matt: This isn't a shoe that one should be looking for stability from, but the contoured side walls around the foot actually do a decent job of keeping the foot on the platform. The amount of HYPERBURST provides a ton of soft cushioning, so this isn't a great option for those that need a ton of stability. However, the mild sole elevation under the metatarsals acts as a mild metatarsal lift, which actually provide gently stability in the forefoot.
SPEED
David: Umm... I'm not sure if recovery sandals are the best for speed but they handle fine at normal walking paces. Maybe a little quicker than other sandals in adverse terrain with traction from the Goodyear outsole. But they weigh 7.2 ounces in Men's 9.5?
Matt: We should have taken this section out, but we didn't. To be fair, with the bouncy HYPERBURST cushioning, I can actually walk pretty fast in these. Although that is not their purpose and the lack of additional lock down prevents this from being a fast walking shoe. That is NOT the purpose of this RECOVERY slide.
DURABILITY
David: There are no concerns with durability in the Hyper Slides. The Goodyear outsole will last incredibly long and the high amount of cushioning from the hyperburst will remain plush with time to come. You may never need another sandal again... unless the white gets dirty?
Matt: The full Goodyear outsole has worn extremely well over the variety of surfaces I have used these on. The HYPERBURST has not lost any cushioning after almost 5 miles of walking, so I am very impressed. Skechers, please keep using this much Goodyear outsole rubber!
THOUGHTS AS A DPT
So this is from a purely theoretical and subjective standpoint, but I want to look at the contouring of the sandal for the DPT section today. When you look at the heel the midsole wraps from all directions, less harsh from the posterior, and more steep medially and laterally to create stability and less translation on the platform. The slide does a good job of taking high pressure areas and giving them a small plush platform up against these pressure points to rest and be "lazy" on (as seen in the navicular and arch region). This feels sublime after they have been working over the course of a long run before putting the slides on. The most interesting contour is the forefoot to toe off transition. The slide contours inferiorly at the metatarsal region, then superiorly through proximal interphalangeal region, and ultimately inferiorly again distally. This mimics the shape of a human foot. At rest this design allows for the joints to be lazy and rest since the slide isn't making them move or stabilize to any accommodating positions. This is good for RECOVERY and being lazy though, this design could end up making the foot "claw" and "grip" while tensing up the foot intrinsics and restricting great toe extension in a running shoe or with long walks. But these are recovery sandals and if you let them be that, it actually feels really nice. I have never felt a contour like this in a sandal before. The distal contour wouldn't work in a shoe I don't believe, but here in a recovery sandal works very well.
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: I love the leather material and underside for comfort when walking around, though the wrap portion may have a little excess volume even with foot swelling from long runs. So my only real suggestion would be making the wrap portion a little more snug or even potentially adjustable.
Matt: My only suggestion would be to add a little more security to lock the foot down. I know this is a recovery slide, but I would love to see this as a secure sandal for longer walking. Maybe the Skechers Hyper Sandals?
WHO THIS SHOE IS FOR (Conclusion)
David: The Hyper Slides are a recovery sandal for those who want a slide that feels like a bed of clouds underneath them. I have had yoga mat sandals in the past and these put the cushion in those to shame. Highly plush with good traction. I could see this being an awesome option for getting your recovery on after a trail or long run.
Matt: The Skechers Hyper Slides are a fantastic recovery sandal for post-run, workout and race activities. The HYPERBURST feels like a wonderful cushioned cloud to walk on and the Goodyear outsole provides great durability and traction. Definitely a great comfortable walking slide to help cushion your feet after your training!
GRADING
David
Fit 9.5/10 (loose strap slightly, but contours and side walls hug foot nicely)
Ride 9.75/10 (Great cushioning and traction, prolonged walking, contours may get a little irritating)
Stability 9/10 (Slightly loose strap makes difficult for technical walking, but great for intended use)
Speed 8.5/10 (expect normal speed of sandal?)
Durability 10/10 (I might not ever need another pair of slides)
Matt
Fit 9/10 (Contoured nicely around foot. Would like a little more security with additional straps)
Ride 10/10 (Super smooth ride. Great flexibility and cushioning)
Stability 8.5/10 (Super soft HYPERBURST not the most stable, but subtle stability from metatarsal lift)
Speed (Not appropriate for grading)
Fit 9/10 (Contoured nicely around foot. Would like a little more security with additional straps)
Ride 10/10 (Super smooth ride. Great flexibility and cushioning)
Stability 8.5/10 (Super soft HYPERBURST not the most stable, but subtle stability from metatarsal lift)
Speed (Not appropriate for grading)
Durability 10/10 (I might not ever need another pair of slides)
Total Score: 93.6% (D: 9.35/10 M: 9.375)
Thanks for reading!
TESTER PROFILES:
Dr. Matthew Klein is a 140 lb male with notable PRs of 14:45 for 5k and 2:32:44 for the full marathon. He typically runs 70-100 miles per week and trains at a variety of paces from 8min per mile recovery runs to 4:40 per mile 1k repeats. He prefers firmer and responsive shoes with snug heels and medium to wide toe boxes. He is particular to less cushioned shoes and close to the ground shoes, but can handle a little cushion when he gets beat up.
Dr. David Salas is a 135 lb male with notable PRs of 3:54 1500m, 14:56 5k, 31:06 10k, 1:08 for half marathon. He typically runs 40 to 50 miles per week and trains from about 7:30 recovery runs to fast shorter efforts at 4:30 pace. He normally prefers neutral shoes with a firmer ride, but is completely open to other types of shoes. He is a footwear enthusiast at heart and will always appreciate a high quality shoe when it comes around. For updates on training or testing, IG handle: @docsofrundavid
Dr. Brown is a 155 lb male with notable PRs of 18:18 5K, 39:25 10K, 1:29:01 half marathon, and 3:54 marathon. He typically runs between 20-40 miles per week at a variety of paces from 7:30-8:30 min/mile for recovery runs to 6-6:45 min/mile for tempo runs. He typically prefers shoes that provide some cushioning underfoot but still maintain a more firm and responsive feel. Current goals for 2020 are to break the 1.5 hour half marathon and 3:30 marathon. IG handle: @nate.docsofrunning
Editor's Note: As always, the views presented on this website belong to myself or the selected few who contribute to these posts. This website should not and does not serve as a replacement for seeking medical care. If you are currently injured or concerned about an injury, please see your local running physical therapist. If you are in the Los Angeles area, I am currently taking clients for running evaluations.
Matthew Klein, PT DPT OCS FAAOMPT
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist
Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists
Nathan Brown PT DPT MS
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Masters in Anatomy and Clinical Health Science
Movement Performance Institute Certified in Advanced Functional Biomechanics
David Salas PT DPT CSCS
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
***Disclaimer: These shoes were provided free of charge in exchange for a review. We thank the people at Skechers for sending us a pair. This in no way affected the honesty of this review. We put at least 35-50 miles on trainers and 10-25 miles on racing flats prior to reviewing them. As these are recovery sandals, we do not have a mileage requirement, but currently we have 8 miles (David) and 5 miles (Matt) on our pairs. Our views are based on my extensive history in the footwear industry and years testing and developing footwear. If you are a footwear rep looking for footwear reviews or consultations on development, we are currently looking to partner with companies to assist, discuss and promote footwear models. Partnership will not affect the honesty of our reviews.
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