Chaco Brio
Color: Dark Olive / Wren
Size Reviewed: 10 US / 43 EU
Weight per Shoe (with insoles): 532 & 546 grams
MSRP: $125 USD
Reviewer’s Feet:
• Left foot: 270mm long; Right foot: 275mm long.
• C-width, narrow heel. High arch, high instep.
The Chaco Brio is a rather distinctive (especially in the Dark Olive / Wren colorway), great looking, mid-height boot with a very comfortable full-grain leather upper.
More than the Ahnu Harris, and far more than the Vivo Gobi, the water-resistant Brio can effectively double as both a light hiker (the outsole has 3.5mm lugs) and as a nice town shoe.
Fit / Sizing
Chaco boots and shoes have a reputation for running a bit large, so I opted to drop down 1/2 a size to a 10 US / 43 EU. The 10/ 43 fits me pretty well, but I suspect that I would be just fine in my typical 10.5 / 44. So if you tend to be a solid half size, I think you may want to stick with it.
(For the record, I wear a size 10 in Chaco sandals, since their sandals don’t come in half sizes.)
LUVSEAT Footbed
This is the most important thing to consider about the Brio, and it’s been true of other Chaco boots I’ve tried on, too. Chaco’s removable, cushioned, LUVSEAT polyurethane footbed provides a significant amount of arch support. Many people love it, but I find it to be too much, even with my relatively high arches.
But again, I prefer minimal to zero arch support in anything other than my ski boots. Your preferences may vary.
The good news is that if those footbeds don’t work for you, they are removable, and you can just insert a more minimal footbed instead. I’ve done this and it works great. And I think the Brio is a sharp enough, versatile enough boot that this is worth doing, should you need to.
Bottom Line
The Chaco Brio is a great looking, versatile boot that could easily receive year round use. And if you like a lot of arch support, then you’re really in luck.
Next: Bogs Carson
The Gobi’s look like a modern take on what we used to call “fruit boots”, which used to cost maybe $20.