When I told my range buddies I was testing Combat Flip Flops, not one of them thought I was serious. I was, and am, quite serious.
I tested two products: The Shadowban High Tops and Floperators de la Muerte flip flops. The Shadowban is a high-top sneaker with advanced features. Floperators de la Muerte are EDC for your feet.
Combat Flip Flops manufactures its footwear and accessories in conflict and post-conflict areas. The company was started by a couple of Army Rangers whose real-world experiences prompted them to redeploy to places affected by military conflict and help native entrepreneurs manufacture commercial products for peace. They ship these manufactured products worldwide, helping thousands along the way. Their mission is business, not bullets.
The current mission of Combat Flip Flops is One More Wave, an organization that provides custom surfing equipment and a surfing community for disabled veterans. This is a healing mission. Before One More Wave, they set out to educate girls in Afghanistan. That mission ended in August 2021. By this time, founders of Combat Flip Flops had put about a thousand girls into schools in Afghanistan before…well, you know.
Floperators de la Muerte
The first thing I noticed when I tried on my Floperators was the tackiness of the soles. Not tackiness like wearing shorts to a wedding, but the way they provided extra grip on most surfaces. In fact, I had a run-in with some wet concrete after donning my Floperators, and they prevailed.
In full disclosure, I am a serial flip-flop wearer. I don flops first thing in the morning. Due to my obsessive nature, I also own several pairs, including some that cost over $150. I have a pretty good scale by which I can rate flip-flops.
The Floperators de la Muerte have a three-layer construction, sandwiching dense EVA over their proprietary outsole. The arch support is cut into the midsole, which also dictates the heel drop. The toes turn up just enough to encourage the natural rocking motion of the human gait. I know these are Floperators, but the contoured fit doesn’t even flop. They actually stick to my feet when I walk. While I wouldn’t exactly fight in them, if I’m chasing someone around the pool, the rulebreaker that I am, I would win.
The sides are higher than the center, all around the footbed. No, they are not water-carrying vessels, but they do hug the feet, preventing them from shifting away from conventional cushioned comfort. I have wide feet, and my foot stays squarely in the footbed, without anything hanging over the side. I believe this design is why you can walk for miles in these flip-flops and why they are the best for beachwear.
The nylon webbing straps are wide enough to distribute their support evenly while being narrow enough to allow for a good flop tan. If I had to be critical of one thing, I would prefer the webbing between the toes to be more round than flat. In their defense, I broke them in, and they are working just fine.
The straps have hook-and-loop patches where you can add morale patches or other things. I immediately changed the labels to “Chanclas de la Muerte,” whose patch was included with the kit. There now, much better.
I put miles on my Floperators de la Muerte. I originally was going to test them as aprés disque golf wear, relaxing after my search and rescue efforts around baskets with chains. I found them to be so comfortable, I wore them everywhere. I got them soaked, walked on some challenging surfaces and just socialized with them. All this time, my Floperators allowed my feet to breathe while complementing my wardrobe.
Sizes run ½ size small. Go up a size.
| Shop the entire Floperator collection here, or shop on Amazon.
Shadowban high top shoes
Shadowbans are basically a board shoe design with a higher top. One thing I considered when looking at these shoes was their potential for duty wear. After all, they are black, with a leather toe. For some assignments, they meet uniform regulations.
Shadowbans have a wider toe box than similar products. Their proprietary outsole is similar to the stickiness of the Floperators de la Muerte. Usually, a stickier outsole means it wears down faster than harder rubber compounds. I began wearing my Shadowbans on concrete surfaces to see if I could initiate some measurable wear. I did not. However, I did find them to be extremely comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that I replaced the cotton laces they came with with elastic “no-tie” laces. Everyone in my family knows that when I add elastic laces to my footwear, I have officially adopted them.
| RELATED: Shop “no-tie” laces on Amazon.
The Shadowban shoe has a tightly woven sock lining that gives the interior an unusual softness. One thing I did to test them was to wear them without socks. For anyone considering them for uniform wear, the breathability alone makes them worth it.
The leather tongue is integrated into the toe cap and constructed in a way that does not show external stitching. This seamless construction is used throughout the boot, eliminating “hot spots” or potential blister areas. The tongue is not gusseted or padded, but the resulting flatness of the construction prevented any debris from entering the boot. I had the chance to walk through areas with those sticky things that usually get in your socks. They didn’t get in my socks, nor did they penetrate around the tongue or even stick to the boot.
The boot isn’t particularly water resistant, but a little Nikwax fixes that readily.
My Shadowbans have only moderate arch support, but there is something to be said for the firm footbed and the springiness of the outsole. The heel counter is also moderate, but the full complement of laces across the instep and the webbing across the tongue hold everything in place.
The Shadowban comes in an Oxford too, called the LT-22. I’m pretty sure I’m going to try these too.
| Shop the entire Combat Flip Flops collection here, or shop on Amazon.
