00:00The Echo Off-Road is engineered differently than most sandals.
00:04It's built on an anatomical last, meaning the shoe is moulded to match the actual curves of a human foot
00:10for a more natural fit.
00:12The construction uses a direct injection process to bond the sole to the upper without glue, making it incredibly durable.
00:21It also features receptor technology, which supports the foot through every phase of a step, from heel strike to push
00:28-off.
00:28It's a lot of impressive tech on paper, but how do they actually stack up in real life?
00:35Hi guys, so I'm here to tell you about my experience with these awesome Echo Off-Road sandals.
00:42Now, the fact that I used the word awesome just then will surely give you a clue.
00:49These are fantastic.
00:51And no, I have no affiliation with the company whatsoever.
00:55And I'll tell you the story of how I actually found these.
00:59So these are my, these are Merrells.
01:01And Merrells, if anyone knows about sandals or power-walking sandals, Merrells is a really good brand.
01:08And I've had Merrells a lot throughout.
01:10Like, these are probably about my fifth pair.
01:12And so I bought these Merrells a couple of years ago.
01:14And not to take away from the Merrells, but they, I mean, they were okay.
01:20But the back strap was sort of bugging me a bit on these.
01:23And they weren't quite as sort of, they didn't have quite the padding that I was sort of after.
01:28So I went shopping for new power-walking sandals.
01:33So I went to a big shopping centre we have here on the Gold Coast, Pack Fair.
01:38And I went to a number of shoe shops, including shops that are not traditionally just shoes,
01:43like Kathmandu and a couple of other, Rebel Sport and a few other shops that sell a lot of sort
01:50of sporting gear plus shoes.
01:52And I basically went everywhere looking.
01:54And then there was this small shoe shop, I shouldn't call it small, but there was a small shoe shop
02:00on,
02:00I think, the ground floor near where I go to Proud Smile Dental for my whole Invisalign journey thing.
02:07And so I just thought, well, I'm just, I'll check out this shop.
02:10And so I walked in and on the right-hand side, there was a shelf.
02:14And I spotted them immediately.
02:17And on this shelf, there was like about five of these sandals that I hadn't seen before.
02:23And I really did see them instantly.
02:26And so I went over and I looked at them, I picked them up and I thought, wow, these look
02:30really awesome.
02:31And then I asked the sales assistant if I could try some on.
02:34So she found my size.
02:35I tried them on and basically it was, it honestly was love at first sight.
02:40So I, and I saw the ECCO, like Echo, and I'd never heard of Echo.
02:46And the other good thing going for me that day was that there was a sale on as well, Fairco,
02:52which will help you if you can find these on sale.
02:56Let's just say that.
02:57But then, so I bought them.
02:59So I tried them on and, and instantly I knew that they were, they're fantastic.
03:03Like basically, because my foot's got a little bit, I've got a bit of a broader foot.
03:08And so there are a lot of shoes that don't really, that feel too tight on me.
03:12But these, they, as soon as I put them on, like they had enough room.
03:16And happily, I was even able to go a half size smaller than I normally do because they've got that,
03:24that width here at the, at the toe end.
03:27Because usually my sandals are a little bit floppy.
03:30They're a little bit too big just to accommodate my sort of toe area.
03:34Not with these.
03:35And the straps were beautiful.
03:37They were comfortable.
03:38And unlike this back strap here that really bugged me, and a lot of the other walking sandals that I
03:43went looking in the shops, had all these fancy straps.
03:48Like they've got straps going up their, up your, up your ankles and all this sort of fancy gear that
03:54might look fantastic.
03:55But I'm a mum of two kids.
03:57I'm a mum of a toddler.
03:59So, well, technically Spencer is now over three.
04:03So I think he's technically not a toddler anymore.
04:05But a mum of a young child, basically, and I power walk.
04:10I'm a real power walker.
04:11I use power walking in the morning to sort of off, offload any sort of stress that has accumulated.
04:17So I really need a good power walking sandal.
04:21And I need them to be durable and sturdy.
04:23And so basically I needed sensible straps, which these have got.
04:27And look, everything about them I loved.
04:29So I bought them.
04:31And now I have been wearing them for a while now.
04:34Not too long because they still look sort of semi-respectable.
04:37Despite being in sand, despite being in water, despite being in dirt and grass and all the rest of it.
04:44They're still looking quite good.
04:47But, oh, look, they're beautiful.
04:49Truly they're beautiful.
04:50So what I love about them is, yes, this broad toe here.
04:54And also I didn't need to break these in.
04:57And I think that's because this company, now I'm going to start sounding like an ad.
05:02This really isn't an ad.
05:03This really is my experience.
05:05This company fit a shoe.
05:08They make a shoe to fit your foot.
05:11They don't design a fancy shoe and then try and force the human foot into that shoe.
05:18They look at the human foot first and then they design a shoe to fit that foot.
05:23And so I did notice that as soon as I put these on.
05:27And to say, honestly, I've never heard of Echo.
05:31So I was curious, obviously.
05:33So when I bought them, I put them into Google, as you do look up stuff.
05:38And it turns out they're a Danish brand.
05:41So as soon as I saw that, I thought the penny started to drop.
05:45I mean, they really are good quality.
05:47And I do think you will find good quality from European brands.
05:51Overall, I know that's probably, you know, overarching statement.
05:56Perhaps there's going to be things that aren't.
06:00But overall, I do think that you'll find good quality from companies there.
06:05And also, when I saw it, I thought it sort of looks a bit IKEA-like, you know.
06:10And I know IKEA is a Swedish brand, but basically Denmark and Sweden are very close together, neighbours.
06:17So they're sort of my IKEA sandals.
06:20But, oh, look, they're just, yeah, no blisters, basically.
06:25I didn't have to wear them in.
06:26And that's because it really does fit the human foot beautifully.
06:29And it really does.
06:31And so they've been fantastic.
06:33I didn't have to break them in like you do traditionally.
06:37Also, the grip on these is phenomenal.
06:40And why that matters for me is because I am frequently found at the top of slides and pirate ships
06:50and rocks now.
06:52Because Spencer's getting more exploratory.
06:55And so Spencer will climb up these rocks.
06:57And guess who has to climb up after him to rescue him?
07:01And that's mum.
07:03And when I first wore these in a playground base, or not a playground actually, it was Mackintosh Island Park.
07:09And there's a lot of rocks there that Spencer likes to climb up.
07:11But when I was wearing these and I went to climb up on the rock, I was really surprised.
07:16This actually gripped on to the rock.
07:18So it was almost like if I lost my balance, this was going to keep gripping on.
07:23Like it was such a good grip.
07:24And then also in the playgrounds when I'm climbing up metal staircases and all that, this will just help me
07:31grip.
07:31So look, I recommend these so much.
07:34And I've had so many experiences with sandals where the sole comes off really quickly.
07:40So, you know, the whole injecting thing.
07:42So with their sole, they have this special method of sort of they'll have the mould of the shoe.
07:49And rather than stitching or gluing the sole on, they've got that fancy injection type thing where they'll actually put
07:57this fluid sort of material into the mould of the shoe.
08:01And then once that, I think, grips onto the leather or whatever mould there is that they're working with, it
08:09then totally solidifies.
08:11So it becomes like one seamless thing rather than an upper and a separate sole that they're sort of trying
08:17to glue together.
08:18And that does really make a difference for durability.
08:22These are known to apparently be really, really durable, which is just also fantastic because a really good pair of
08:30shoes is when you find a really good pair of shoes, there's nothing worse than the sole coming apart in
08:34a year or something.
08:36Because then obviously you have to go shopping for another really good pair of shoes.
08:39And so I'm really hoping that these will last the distance.
08:42And I sort of really do think that they will.
08:44And also they've got this receptor technology as well.
08:48There's some sort of shank or something in here somehow.
08:52And then that gives you that support of your front as your foot sort of takes off like this, gives
08:59you that arch support and also gives you that support on your heel as your foot comes down.
09:05So they've sort of got, as well as designing the shoe for your foot, they've also got all this fantastic
09:11technology in the shoe to give your foot that really good support that you need.
09:17And I really needed as well as a shoe that was going to, pretty much, because we live in Queensland,
09:24it's hot all the time.
09:26But I needed a sneaker, a sneaker type saddle, basically.
09:30I needed something I could run in.
09:31I needed something I could power walk in.
09:33And I also, and I know this might be a bit of an oxymoron, I also needed something to look
09:40like so I could just wear my summer dress with these and they still look nice, you know, so I
09:47could just go shopping in them or anything.
09:49And to be honest, I think these fit, I think these tick every single box.
09:54I really, really do.
09:55They're practical, they're comfortable, they're protective of my foot and also your joints too.
10:02That's really important.
10:03Like if you're power walking, I mean, that's a no brainer.
10:05That's obviously why you need good padding here for not just your feet, obviously your ankles, your knees, your hips,
10:12everything.
10:13So I needed something practical, something protective, something that looked nice enough that I could wear with summer dresses out
10:20and about and something that was going to last.
10:24And yeah, so basically Echo, for me anyway, Echo has just ticked and is ticking all the boxes.
10:32So to say I recommend these really is true.
10:36Like this really is my honest experience.
10:39I'm in no way affiliated with Echo.
10:41Echo, I probably wish I was because I do think they're probably a very good brand.
10:47But yeah, so basically if you've never heard of Echo's, check them out in your shoe shop and try them
10:53on because yeah.
10:54And if you're lucky enough to find some on sale, then I would certainly grab them if I was you
10:59because I did find mine on sale.
11:01And yeah, I have not looked back and absolutely love them.
11:05I give them an A plus plus.
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