These sandals are by far my favorite sandals ever. Far better than Chacos in my opinion because of their unique style, microfiber sole top, minimalistic look and feel, cheaper price tag, and they are more comfortable. I have had a pair of original universals for about a year and they were great. They held up to the abuse that I gave them and I still wear them. I upgraded to these original universal backpack because I wanted a different color and I loved that these original universal backpack sandals have a microfiber liner over the sole and that it came in the jasper green color which looks great. And yes the backpacks compared to the original universals are much more comfortable to wear around because of the microfiber sole top which is very soft and cushy. Though I feel that the original universal sandals with the rubber liner over the sole will withstand better in water and on trails like my old pair did; only time will tell with my new ones. I gave these sandals 4 stars because of their lack of traction. The sandals do great walking around campus, but when you start walking on trails or wet rocks you will find that there is not much traction at all. I have managed with them but I hope that Teva will eventually redesign the soles and make them more durable and have better traction. That is one of the only things that Chacos have over Teva is their traction and durability. Maybe Teva can team up with vibram like Chacos did!