Olukai Ohana Review

The 'Ohana possesses all of the qualities we look for in a pair of flip flops. First and foremost, the feeling of slipping these on after a hard day of hiking, running, or working is amazing. The comfort is off the charts. After hurdling the critical comfort step, the 'Ohana proved to be durable, grippy, and versatile. There are no gimmicks, just a simple, well made flip flop that speaks for itself.

Performance Comparison

The footbed on these flops is soft out of the box and grippy even when wet.

Photo: matt bento

Comfort

Like most flip flops, the 'Ohana sole is formed from compression-molded EVA, but it also has a uniquely comfortable ICEVA drop-in footbed. The footbed really is the "ICEVA on the cake." They are comfortable right out of the box, but after months of wear, they only become more formed and supple. Our past experiences with comfortable flip flops led us to believe that often comfort is achieved with the sacrifice of durability. The 'Ohana proves that theory wrong by holding up as well as our Editors' Choice while retaining top-notch comfort.

The gears of war would come screeching to a halt if everyone on earth had a pair of 'Ohanas. The powers that be would be so chilled out because of the comfortable footbed the omnipresent angst for the enemy would melt away.

Photo: Brian Martin

Support and Stability

The attention to detail and ergonomics are exceptional on the 'Ohana for providing solid and consistent footing. The combination of the firm grippy footbed, high arch support, and dense tacky sole adds up to superior support and stability all around. Our main tester even uses these flip flops while at his standing desk as they provide excellent ergonomics and all-day wearability.

The 'Ohana sticks to rock like few other flip flops. Combined with the grippy footbed and perfect strap the support and stability is fantastic.

Photo: piper

Traction

The "coral reef lug" outsole on this flip strikes a nice balance between having big grippy lugs without them being so big as to loose traction on wet smooth surfaces, and the non-marking rubber grips incredibly well. The 'Ohana rubber stacks up admirably to grippy "stealth" rubber like you can find on climbing shoes. We find this flip worthy of scrambling around the wet granite boulders of our favorite swimming hole, something we wouldn't do in just any ol' pair of flip flops.

Even a 40-degree granite slab isn't too slippery for the 'Ohana. There are "approach shoes" that would slip on this surface...

Photo: Brian Martin

Versatility

The 'Ohana has mastered all of the elements that make a flip flop highly versatile. The sole is grippy and durable, the footbed offers plenty of support, and the straps are snug but soft to keep uncomfortable rubbing at bay. This is basically the Captain Planet of flip flops combining the power rings of grip, durability, comfort, and style to defeat evil.

On top of the outdoor versatility, the non-marking rubber soles let you transition indoors without scuffing up the floor. Of note: after splashing around in puddles and streams, we did notice a significantly longer drying period for the footbed than some other flip flops.

The fact that the 'Ohana is comfortable, grippy, and looks good makes it very versatile. Comfortable enough for an afternoon of wandering around shops and durable enough to be used as a camp shoe for summer backpacking.

Photo: Brian Martin

Durability

The durability of the 'Ohana is something other flip flops should strive for. With our oceans rapidly filling up with plastic, disposable flip flops should be a thing of the past because the materials break down so slowly. The durability of the 'Ohana will surely keep a significant amount of flip flops from the garbage because they seem to last forever. Throughout our testing period, there was no sign of footbed/sole delamination, and the only breakdown we noticed was the footbed conforming to our feet.

Out of the box, solid construction and heavy materials are apparent. The 'Ohana is one of the heaviest pairs of flip flops we tested, which might count as a negative if you're bringing them along on your next backpacking trip, but it means the durability is astounding.

Heavy, durable materials are used exclusively on the solid 'Ohana. Out of the box, the quality is instantly apparent.

Photo: Brian Martin

Style

The Beauty and the Beast isn't just a strange children's movie that reinforces harmful gender stereotypes — it's also a statement that perfectly sums up the 'Ohana. Simple but attractive lines and the ability to stomp on crustacean's shells (not live ones, we aren't monsters) without cutting through into your feet was a pleasant surprise.

On top of that, there are a plethora of different color schemes to choose from with the 'Ohana, and even the color options are understated and appropriate for a wide variety of occasions. The bulk of our testing took place in Tucson, Arizona, where the flip flop is king, and the 'Ohana rarely came off of our feet.

The lugs on these flops are deep enough to grip dirt and gravel, yet still stick to bare rock slabs as well.

Photo: Matt Bento

Value

When a pair of flip flops performs as well as these do, we are prone to opening our wallet and allowing the company to grab however much cash they want. That being said, the 'Ohana's price-to-performance ratio is actually very high, as they aren't even the most expensive pair of flip flops we tested. It's safe to say the performance and style justify the price.

Conclusion

Having multiple pairs of OluKai flip flops in our field of competitors made selecting an Editors' Choice excessively hard. The 'Ohana was solid competition, and we have absolutely no reservation in recommending them to anyone looking for a great all-around flip flop.

Our testers loved hanging out in these flops at the end of a long day.

Photo: matt bento