SUMMER FLOPS : Say Goodby to ‘Blowouts’ With Beach Sandals That Borrow the High-Tech Features of Athletic Shoes

They have been called many things: go-aheads, zories, thongs, flip-flops, flaps, beach walkers and, in Hawaii, slippers.

That’s a lot of names for a simple rubber sandal that was forever falling apart or suffering “blowouts,” when the strap pops out at the beach.

Like bikinis and Hawaiian shirts, flip-flops have become a summertime classic. One can still find a basic rubber thong for under a buck at most drugstores.

Over the years, the thong has evolved from the crude Cro-Magnon flip-flop of the past to the sophisticated, virtually indestructible beach sandal of today. The new thongs borrow the high-tech features of athletic shoes and often cost as much. Still, even many souped-up sport sandals have stayed true to the basic three-point design and rubber sole of the early thongs.

The flip-flop was a hit almost from the day it landed on the sandy beaches of Southern California. To be sure, the definitive history of the flip-flop has yet to be written, but surf historian Allan Seymour, 52, of Capistrano Beach, has pieced together a likely scenario of thongs’ origins.

Flip-flops originated in Asia as rubberized descendants of the wooden slippers worn for centuries, Seymour says. They were imported to the United States during World War II, when soldiers began wearing them in Hawaii.

“They needed rubber sandals for people to wear when walking around in the submarines,” Seymour says.

The Korean War also saw an influx of flip-flops.

“I grew up in Laguna Beach, and I first saw guys coming back from the Korean War wearing these really cheap sandals,” he says.

The rubber sandals adapted easily to the laid-back California beach lifestyle and became an instant hit with beach-goers. Seymour recalls seeing bins of thongs selling for 29 cents a pair in front of liquor stores and markets in Laguna during the 1950s.

“We called them go-aheads, because you can’t walk backward in them,” he says.

Unreliability is part of the flip-flops’ lore.

“There was nothing like running down the street and having one blow out on you,” Seymour says. “At low tide in Laguna, you’d walk the beach and find flip-flops with one side blown out. If you got a month [of wear] out of them it was a major deal.”

No one really minded that the sandals didn’t last, because they cost only pennies.

“I blew out my flip-flop. Stepped on a pop top,” sings Jimmy Buffett in “Margaritaville,” immortalizing the flip-flop’s dismal track record.

Over the years, innovative sandal makers have set out to design a better flip-flop.

Doug Otto was raised on Balboa Island, so he knew a thing or two about flip-flops. In 1973, he began making thongs out of leather and selling them at craft fairs. A year later, he was making more durable flip-flops out of nylon straps and heavy-duty neoprene soles.

“They were expensive by flip-flop standards. They cost $10 to $20, but they revolutionized the industry,” Otto says. “They were the first utility flip-flop.”

In the early ‘80s, Colorado River outfitter Mark Thatcher created a hybrid between the thong and a running shoe: a sport sandal tough enough to be worn hiking, river-rafting and mountain-climbing. Otto’s company, Deckers Corp. of Santa Barbara, now makes state-of-the-art sport sandals based on Thatcher’s invention under its popular Teva label.

The ‘90s have seen a boom in increasingly sophisticated sandals with high-tech features such as contoured soles, arch supports and heel cushions.

“All of the technology developed for tennis shoes is being applied to sandals, “ says John Cobian, general manager of Nexo Footgear in Vista.

Despite the advances in flip-flop technology, some companies are choosing a different path and sticking to the classic thong. They’re remaining true to their rubber soles.

Surfside Sandals of Santa Ana, Reef Brazil and Flojos all offer simple three-point rubber thongs that are more durable than the dime-store variety but lack any high-tech wizardry.

“We’ve gone back to the real simple rubber sandals. That’s our forte. There’s always a need for a basic rubber thong,” Cobian says. His company makes rubber zories under its Nexo Footwear label as well as the Flojos name.

Flojos cost about $8, but they’re more durable, thanks to high-quality rubber.

“They’re more expensive, but they last all summer,” says Duke Edukas, owner of Surfside Sports in Newport Beach.

For Reef Brazil, the rubber thong is also a staple.

“Our customer is the real beach-goer,” says Jeff Kelly, national sales manager for Reef Brazil in San Diego. “We’re countering the onslaught of sport sandals by going back to the basics.” Reef sandals sell for about $18 at Laguna Surf & Sport in Laguna Beach.

“They’ll last a few years,” says Eric John, owner of Laguna Surf & Sport in Laguna Beach. “And you don’t get fatigued the way you do when you wear flat flip-flops.”

For purists, there’s no substitute for the old-fashioned, unreliable flip-flop that can be found at Sav-On drugs for 89 cents. They’re still the footwear of choice for Seymour.

“They last three weeks,” he says happily. “Then they totally compress and blow out.”