Summer to me is about casual comfort. Usually that means open toe sandals, usually with a single strap, because when its hot "less is more".

However, there are times, when choosing what to wear, when you gotta think "gear" not just "comfort" because footwear isn't just attire. Footwear is also gear and I sometimes forget that at my peril.

Footwear has to perform. Most times I measure performance by the "comfort standard", i.e., just how good does it feel when I put it on? While I'm a comfort-seeker by nature painful experience has taught me to choose the right gear for the occasion.

Open toe sandals are great for casual walking, walking on sandy surfaces or grass, strolling on sidewalks. "Open toes for open roads", you might say. Open toe sandals or footwear performs wonderfully when the demands are low, like the demands of pure comfort or style.

But what about when your toes will be exposed to uneven surfaces, when there's rocks, roots, anything that might imperil your toes or grab hold of your toenails? Like when your moving from yard work (on the grass) to working in the garage (where I never quite put everything away). What about moving from yard work to visiting Home Depot? (A store where I lost a toenail to a manly effort to help an elderly woman move a lumber cart.)

When is it time to ditch the open toe sandals to for a closed toe sports sandal? When the benefit of comfort is seriously outweighed by the environmental risks to your toes. That can be more times and places than you realized, so stop and think before putting your naked toes in harm's way. Just like it's wise to put a helmet on your head your toes, too, sometimes appreciate a little extra cushioning or cover.

So be nice to your feet and get them both open toe and closed toe sandals and plan to wear the right one for the occasion.

Remember: Open toes for open roads. Closed toes for off-road. But if it's summer it's sandals all the time . . . 'cept when it's sneakers. ;)

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Cleaning Keen Sandals is simple: just throw them in the washer or handwash them in the sink. Do not, however, put them in the dryer. They aren't made to handle those temperatures. Even their leather sandals are designed to be safely washed and then air dried.

For normal washing, just use a small amount of detergent and wash in cold water on the gentle cycle.

If your Keens have a funky smell that's a more involved issue. Normally, it should be an issue since Keen sandals are treated with an anti-microbial treatment that should keep the baddies at bay. But if the stink sets in anyway, you can move up to products specifically designed for the purpose:

Nikwax BaseWash - 10 oz. Buy from REI

Nikwax Sandal Wash Buy from REI

• Nik Wax Base Wash is intended for getting the smell out of outdoor gear and might work on your shoes. Hand wash in the sink.
• Keen recommends Greased Lightning. That's a new one on me - it's a household cleaner and degreaser. Spray and let sit for an hour.
• Tea Tree Oil, Odor Eaters and Paxton's Sandal Saver are all recommended by the manufacturer.

If none of those work, Keen says that it could be because the antimicrobial treatment was faulty and that you should contact them regarding your warranty and they advise:

If you’ve tried everything and think this is the case, contact us via email at info@keenfootwear.com for further warranty instructions.

The truth is, with sandals and rock climbing shoes (which are also usually worn barefoot), I've pretty much never had good luck with any of those options. By all means try them and certainly try to collect on any warranty they'll honor. If you don't want to try that and want to pull out all the stops (including certainly voiding your warranty), this is the next level up in escalating the war against foot funk:

• Fungicide. I've tried everything from Lysol to industrial strength fungicides on sandals and ski boots with modest results. This is not approved by Keen.
• Nuclear bomb strategy definitely not approved by Keen — when all else fails, a solution of an ounce of bleach in a gallon of water, drench, let sit, rinse throughly, and then air dry. I only use this if it's come down to either getting the stink out or throwing away the sandals, because this may well ruin them. I've never actually ruined a pair of shoes with this method, but I have had a pair of ski boots and a pair of sandals refuse to come aroud even after an overnight soaking (though with some improvement).
• I've seen a product for rock climbing shoes, but can't remember the name. Since they're usually worn barefoot, that would probably work for sandals too. Please leave a comment if you know the name.

At a certain point, you'll have to give up your old favorites, at least in the company of others.

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Keens have closed toes, Chacos are super comfy and Tevas are the old standard and not really best at anything

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