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Ecco Yucatan - Women's Review

With a soft and supportive interior, these narrow sandals are comfortable, stable, and easy to put on and take off
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Ecco Yucatan - Women's Review (The Yucatan are an impressively comfortable pair of sandals.)
The Yucatan are an impressively comfortable pair of sandals.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Price:  $140 List
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Manufacturer:   Ecco
By Maggie Nichols ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Aug 13, 2024
81
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#5 of 17
  • Comfort - 25% 9.0
  • Traction - 25% 7.5
  • Stability - 20% 9.5
  • Adjustability - 15% 6.5
  • Versatility - 15% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Ecco Yucatan is a sandal with a vibe. It offers excellent security and stability, and some of the best comfort we've come across — if it fits your foot. This pricy sandal runs quite narrow and has no wide sizes available. With impressively cushy footbeds and midsoles and soft, flexible straps, the Yucatan is both comfortable and supportive for even long days in the sun. They have solid traction, even when wet, though their plush components take extra time to dry. They're some of the heaviest sandals we tested and their bulk is hard to understate. But if you want a sandal that still offers the cushioning of a shoe, this is a great one. See how it compares to the rest of our lineup in our review of women's sandals.
REASONS TO BUY
Supportive soles
Soft and comfy to wear
Fully adjustable straps
Good traction
REASONS TO AVOID
Run rather narrow
No wider size options
Bulky and heavy

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards Top Pick Award
Comfortable and Secure Yet Casual
Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Women's Sandals
Top Pick Award
Minimalist Straps but Adventure-Ready
Top Pick Award
Best Barefoot Sandals for Women
Best Buy Award
Best Value for Women's Sandals
Price $140 List
$113.71 at Amazon
$99.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 3 sellers
$115 List
$115.00 at REI
$79.95 at REI
Compare at 3 sellers
$39.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 4 sellers
Overall Score Sort Icon
81
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65
Star Rating
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Bottom Line A very comfortable sandal for narrow-footed folks, with solid traction, great support, and adjustable velcro on all strapsThese adventure sandals are ready for even the most intense warm weather expeditions and are long time favorites for a reasonEasily adjustable minimalistic straps and soles with great traction and flexibility make these sandals a great adventure-ready choiceFor the true barefoot enthusiast that just needs a little help crossing sharp surfaces and entering establishmentsAn adventure ready, packable sandal for the casual traveler at a very nice price point
Rating Categories Ecco Yucatan - Women's Chaco Z/Cloud 2 - W... Bedrock Cairn Evo -... Xero Z-Trail EV - W... Teva Original Unive...
Comfort (25%)
9.0
8.5
8.0
7.5
6.0
Traction (25%)
7.5
9.5
8.5
7.5
6.5
Stability (20%)
9.5
9.5
7.0
7.5
7.0
Adjustability (15%)
6.5
9.0
8.0
8.5
6.0
Versatility (15%)
7.0
9.0
8.0
7.5
7.0
Specs Ecco Yucatan - Women's Chaco Z/Cloud 2 - W... Bedrock Cairn Evo -... Xero Z-Trail EV - W... Teva Original Unive...
Measured Weight (per pair) 19.8 oz 18.2 oz 14.1 oz 8.0 oz 11.1 oz
Sole Material Rubber Non-marking ChacoGrip Vibram XS Trek EVO rubber FeelTrue rubber Rubber
Upper Material Leather with neoprene lining Polyester jacquard webbing Polyester and nylon webbing Nylon REPREVE recycled polyester webbing
Footbed Material Microfiber LUVSEAT PU Minimalist EVA BareFoam EVA
Midsole Material Molded EVA Women's specific LUVSEAT dual-density PU (Not specified) TrailFoam Molded EVA
Width Options Medium Medium, Wide Medium Medium Medium

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Ecco Yucatan is a narrow sandal designed with comfort in mind. They have a microfiber footbed paired with molded EVA midsoles and rubber outsoles, topped by three velcro-adjusted leather, neoprene-lined straps. A pair of size 7-7.5 weighs 19.8 ounces. They come in just one width — that runs narrow — and dozens of color options.

Performance Comparison


ecco yucatan for women - we were pleasantly surprised with how much we liked the feeling and...
We were pleasantly surprised with how much we liked the feeling and performance of the Yucatan.
Credit: Maggie Nichols

Comfort


When it comes to support and soft materials, the Yucatan are some of the best sandals we've tested. Their microfiber-lined footbed covers a pleasantly squishy molded EVA midsole. Leather straps are lined on the inside with neoprene, providing a comfortable feeling directly on your skin — even when wet. They're exceptionally supportive for long days on your feet and offer comfort we tend to associate with plush walking shoes rather than sandals.


Their only downfall in this metric is that they run quite narrow and are clearly meant to be worn tightly. If you're the type of person who prefers a looser fit or has wider feet, these sandals will probably drive you crazy. Because of the attachment point locations for the straps, there's no flexibility when it comes to accommodating wider forefeet or toe spreads. And unfortunately, they're not available in wide sizes.

ecco yucatan for women - on pavement and trails, the ecco yucatan's soft footbed and...
On pavement and trails, the Ecco Yucatan's soft footbed and neoprene-lined straps offer all-day comfort - as long as their narrowness fits your foot.
Credit: Maggie Nichols

Traction


The rubber outsoles of the Yucatan provide solid traction on most surfaces. They're a little bit less flexible than some of the more adventure-focused sandals we tested, but they still performed well walking up steep hills and across wet docks and rocks.


The microfiber footbeds help to pull sweat away from your feet, adding more traction to your foot on the actual footbed of the sandal. Even when totally soaked after walking through a flooded, muddy trail, the Yucatan didn't seem to lose any footbed traction that we could notice, thanks to that soft footbed surface.

ecco yucatan for women - the yucatan have sneaker-like traction that works well in most...
The Yucatan have sneaker-like traction that works well in most everyday scenarios.
Credit: Maggie Nichols

Stability


Though the Yucatan weigh well above the average for sandals we tested, they're securely attached to your feet, offering both balance and security no matter where you roam. The well-placed straps keep these sandals snug against your feet, making them more stable than most others.


We had no issues with the long velcro strips ever coming loose during our extended testing period. The straps have just the tiniest bit of stretch to them, adding a bit of flex while maintaining strong connections between the shoe and your foot. Even our side-to-side rock hopping felt stable and secure in the Yucatan.

ecco yucatan for women - the secure straps of the yucatan provide great stability, even over...
The secure straps of the Yucatan provide great stability, even over uneven surfaces.
Credit: Maggie Nichols

Adjustability


All three straps of the Yucatan are fully adjustable with velcro strips, making it easy to get them on and off and simple to adjust to your preferred fit.


While this may seem like it would make this sandal highly adjustable, the rest of the Yucatan design cuts down on that quite a bit. The shape of the footbed and the cradle made by strap placement creates a very specific shape for feet to squeeze into. Some of our testing team felt like these squeezed their toes too much and couldn't adjust them to fit better.

ecco yucatan for women - every strap is fully adjustable via a long strap of velcro - though...
Every strap is fully adjustable via a long strap of velcro - though the strap anchors doesn't accommodate wide feet.
Credit: Maggie Nichols

Versatility


The Yucatan are solidly adventure-ready sandals. Their softer materials can be a detriment for people who want to partake in water sports and those battling foot odors, but their performance across a multitude of terrain is admirable. Their overall bulk and weight take them out of contention for most trips with limited space in your carry-on luggage.


Not all of our testing team digs the style of the Yucatan, but if you do, these sandals come in a wide array of dozens of possible colors. From subdued earth tones to bright, sporty hues, there are a plethora of options to choose from.

ecco yucatan for women - from hiking to driving, the yucatan have the performance to be a...
From hiking to driving, the Yucatan have the performance to be a solid all-around sandal.
Credit: Maggie Nichols

Should You Buy the Ecco Yucatan?


These aren't the cheapest pair around, but they are some of the most comfortable women's sandals we've had the pleasure of wearing. They're not for everyone though, and are likely to let you down if your feet are on the wide side, you prefer a loosely-fitting shoe, or you're searching for a sandal that's great for getting wet. But if you have narrower feet and like secure sandals that have shoe-like support, the Yucatan are a great investment.

ecco yucatan for women - the yucatan are some of the most comfortable sandals we've tested.
The Yucatan are some of the most comfortable sandals we've tested.
Credit: Maggie Nichols

What Other Sandals Should You Consider?


For ladies who like a secure and encompassing fit but need a little wider space or a sandal that doesn't hold onto water (and foot sweat) as much, the Keen Newport H2 is a better option. For those truly jumping into bodies of water, the Chaco sandals — both with and without toe loops — are some of our all-around favorites for stability while wet.

Maggie Nichols