I tested this sandal over the summer all across Oregon and during my travels in Japan. Dozens of miles were worn into the footbed on hiking trails, sidewalks, and riverbeds. Based on these experiences, here’s my review of the Danner Joseph Leather Sandal.

Danner Joseph Leather Sandal Pros and Cons

These sandals were put to the test on miles of dirt trails and pavement across Oregon and Japan.

Design and Quality

The remarkable quality of the materials and construction is apparent the moment you get your hands on a pair of the Danner Joseph Leather Sandals. Each and every element feels and looks robust without being too bulky or heavy.

The Vibram Traction Cascade Outsole has thick lugs and a unique design that gripped as well as a top-tier hiking boot in the dirt, on the rocks, and across riverbeds. The microlugs on the sides of the standard lugs increase the surface area for added grip when you step into loose dirt or gravel.

Where the foot meets the shoe is a textured polypropylene midsole. The hex grip is lightly textured — just enough to keep your foot in place, even when it’s wet. Plus, the midsole has been shaped to create a cup around your heel, keeping your foot from wanting to slip about no matter if you’re trekking uphill or down.

The heel strap is thick and comfortable, after it’s been worn-in.

Of course, the straps do their part in keeping your foot in place as well. Here, Danner has used high-quality Leather Working Group-rated tanned leather straps. They’re durable, and they’re the kind of leather that will look and feel better the older it gets. The first hiccup I experienced with these sandals was realizing that the fresh, new leather was a bit abrasive — but that has increasingly become less of an issue the more I’ve worn the sandals. After being exposed to my feet sweat and oils and a bit of dirt over several weeks, the leather softened and lost its rough edges.

The straps latch via a magnificent FIDLOCK magnetic buckle. It’s such a cool clasp, and it seems to work like magic. The magnets make it look like the buckle is so excited to clasp shut so we can get going and step out onto our adventure. And the release is equally as fun — just pull the little red tab and –pop- the sandal is ready to slide right off. It’s a very well-designed buckle. I expect we’ll be seeing this on more Danner products soon, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it used beyond footwear in gear like backpacks and hiking pants.

One major flaw

However, the straps on the Danner Joseph Leather Sandal contain one major flaw that, unfortunately, reduces the sandal’s overall capability and comfort. There’s only a single adjustment point for the entire sandal, and the fabric adjustment strap simply isn’t enough. It’s one design flaw that causes several major fit issues.

The brown nub at the end of the buckle is the tightening strap. It’s way too short.

For one, the fabric adjustment strap is not long enough. User reviews online on websites like REI and Danner’s own site share that many are having trouble fitting their feet into the sandal because this one strap is not long enough to accommodate their feet. While wearing these sandals, I can easily see this being a limitation. For myself, there is less than an inch of strap left when it is tightened — if my feet were any larger around my ankles, I wouldn’t be able to wear these sandals.

But secondly, the fabric strap doesn’t hold it’s position well enough. This strap pulls on the thicker leather straps that crisscross your feet to tightened everything down, but it slips out of position as you move. Everytime I wear these sandals I find myself adjusting the strap multiple times during the trek.

And thirdly, there is no heel adjustment. You’re stuck with what you’ve got. The padded heel strap is very comfortable, and the cupped midsole does help to keep your heel in place, but the only way to really lock your heel in is to yank tight on that singular adjustment strap. Once the strap loosens, you have to tighten it down again or face the consequences of chafe due to loose straps.

But also, the textured footbed can rub your feet raw after a long day in these sandals. This shouldn’t be an issue, but it is because of the faulty strap. As it loosens, your feet begin to slide around slightly with each step, and your soles can get a bit torn up after several miles.

Danner Joseph Sandal Footbed

Walking Performance

Once you get past the break-in period, the Danner Joseph Leather Sandals are a reliable walking shoe. After testing these sandals on sidewalks and local walking paths for several months, I’d continue to wear them for any walk of about five miles or fewer.

Beyond five miles, the strap edge starts to rub the skin raw on the outside base edge of my pinky toes. This is due to the flaw in the strap’s adjustability. When the adjusting strap loosens, the leather strap that crosses over your toes becomes the loosest, floppiest part of the sandal. Though I do retighten the strap, it loosens itself often enough to cause a hot spot on my pinky toe after five miles of walking, or about 80 minutes.

Similarly, as mentioned, the sole of my feet start to feel a bit raw by around the 5-mile mark. If the loosening strap weren’t an issue, I could easily see myself walking in these sandals for 10 miles without issue.

They’re comfortable and supportive in all other aspects during hours of walking. For the average person, the Danner Joseph Leather Sandal is a solid go-to for normal day-to-day use. But if you’re someone who regularly walks well over 10,000 steps in a day, these may create hot spots on your feet unless you find them to be the perfect fit for your foot.

Hiking Performance

Everything about the Danner Joseph Leather Sandal makes it an excellent hiking sandal except for the one issue with that darn strap. As it stands, I’d feel comfortable wearing these sandals for short, casual day hikes. The trail difficulty doesn’t really matter — these sandals have the grip and durability to handle anything from sandy beaches to sharp volcanic rocks. It’s the length of the hike that’s the limiting factor.

I’d occasionally, maybe, push a 4 or 5-mile hike in these sandals, but nothing longer. More often, I’d choose my Teva Langdon sandals for a longer day hike, and stick to the Danner Joseph sandals for shorter beach walks or state park treks that I could complete in an hour or less.

That’s a shame because the Danner sandals can climb craggy mountains when the weather is right, but I don’t want to deal with the blisters and bleeding they’ll cause. That said, as long as you keep the hike to a couple of miles, you’ll be good.

Running Performance

No. Just don’t.

You could sprint after the bus you just missed or hightail it away from a hive of bees you angered out on the trail, but don’t purposefully run in these sandals. They’re just not made for it.

I did test these on a couple of fun runs with a local run club, but I regretted it. Strap issue aside, this just isn’t the type of sandal you would run in. Should everything fit perfectly and be cinched down as well as it could be, your sweaty feet would still slide around enough on the textured midsole and the tough leather straps would dig into your skin.

Not good for running, but a day on a paddleboard? Yeah, they’re great for that.

Should You Buy the Danner Joseph Leather Sandal?

That said, I do recommend the Danner Joseph Leather Sandals if you are interested in a stylish sandal for short walks and casual hikes. It’s not an uncomfortable sandal by any means. It’s actually very comfortable to wear until you put several miles on the ground in a single go. Then issues can arise.

But, perhaps, you won’t experience the one drawback I did. It could be that the adjustable strap will not gradually loosen as you walk in the pair you buy. If that were the case, then I would recommend this sandal without hesitation. And if you’re not someone who often walks or hikes more than a few miles, it’s worth given these a shot.