Chaco Footwear Fit for Adventure Tour 2015

At first, the name Gathering of the Vibes seemed…strange. After experiencing the weekend with festival attendees, affectionately called the VibeTribe, we realized that it truly is a gathering of good vibes, both in the people and the music.

This festival was born 20 years ago in the wake of Jerry Garcia’s death as a way for people to continue the tradition of music and community. And Vibes definitely delivered on both this year.  And with its strong roots in the Grateful Dead community, it was a perfect location to rock out with our Grateful Chacos and deck people out in Dancing Bear and Steal Your Face Chacos!

The festival kicked off on Thursday, despite predictions of rain, and we got our first taste of the Vibes community. People of all ages poured into the booth to say hello and swap stories of their summer adventures. When the rain finally came, no one retreated and the streets soon filled with puddle jumping shenanigans, strangers sharing umbrellas and impressive, rain-soaked dancing and hooping. We got a chance to do some product testing with our Outcross EVOs and talk and laugh while we waited out the storm.

Festivals are not typically a great place for families, but Vibes did an amazing job of not just allowing kids, but encouraging them to attend. There was a whole family area where ‘little hippies’ could learn to hula hoop and practice yoga, design their own hula hoops and jam out with tambourines and drums. 

Not to be outdone, we got to see an amazing range of musicians rocking’ out for the VibeTribe. Derek Trucks hit the stage with Greg Allman, reconnecting the Allman Brothers live, Turkuaz brought the funk, Warren Haynes, being’ Warren, inspired us all by hopping on stage with Railroad Earth and then again with Seaside Allstars.

For our final stop on the tour, we made sure to get some team time in before we part ways. Continuing the tradition we started at our first festival in Virginia, we all jumped into the refreshing water of the Long Island Sound in our full Chaco uniform. Other highlights included eating fresh lobster in full bibs, rocking’ out to old school We are incredibly grateful for our four months together on the road, getting to see so many beautiful parts of the country and meeting so many amazing members of our beloved Chaco Nation.

There is something about escaping the heat and humidity and finding yourself in the crisp ocean air; donning a sweater, indulging in amazing seafood and watching the sun set over the bay. Welcome to Newport, Rhode Island.

We learned very quickly that when you are in New England, you eat seafood. Every day was another opportunity to feast on a fresh delicacy from the sea, from lobster rolls to clam ‘chowdah' to fried oysters. We all got ridiculously spoiled and will now be ruined when we return to our respective landlocked states.

The other thing we learned? When you are in Rhode Island at THIS time of year, you MUST attend The Newport Folk Festival.

The Newport Folk Festival takes place in Newport Harbor at Fort Adams, the largest coastal fort in the U.S. The historic brick and rock walls surrounded by the ocean filled with sailboats, kayaks and motorized boats provides the perfect backdrop for a weekend of amazing folk, blues, rock and many more genres of music. The variety of stages and “venues” to take in the music is as diverse as the endless musical acts booked in for 2015.

Rich in musical history and steeped with legends and stories like few others, the Newport Folk Festival is a unique stop on the summer circuit.

From its roots in 1959, Newport has seen major historical moments.

Bob Dylan “plugged in” and electrified folk music in 1965 and this year, commemorating that 50-year anniversary, a slew of artists rocked out, including Dawes and Kevin Hayes, to classic Dylan songs as the sun set over the bay.

The Newport Folk Festival has become known for their unscheduled and sometimes unknown, musical talents. In 1959, a little known Joan Baez performed at Newport. This year, we were surprised and delighted and quite frankly, elated to get to listen to the exquisite vocals of James Taylor serenading the masses with “Fire and Rain” and “Carolina in My Mind".

One of the most powerful performers we got to witness was Brandi Carlile playing an entirely acoustic set. Brandi jokingly thanked the crowd for allowing her to play without her full band and at numerous times brought tears to our eyes with her honest words and haunting melodies.  

Newport Folk Festival may have ruined us, as we will now be comparing all other festivals to our wonderful weekend in Newport by the sea.

Louisville is most commonly known for two things: The Kentucky Derby and Bourbon. After spending a week in the heart of the city for Forecastle Festival, we can guarantee you that music and culture will soon be making that list.

Forecastle is an urban festival that takes place in Louisville’s Waterfront Park, along the banks of the mighty Ohio River. Despite the heat and ominous weather, over 60,000 people showed up to attend the festival, some from all over the world.

A huge focus of the festival is to bring local music, art and food together for a weekend of fun on the river. From local food trucks to eclectic downtown print shops to neighborhood jam bands, the Louisville culture was alive and well at Forecastle.

One of this weekend’s biggest draws was Louisville’s My Morning Jacket that brought together one of the largest crowds of the weekend. For the Chaco Team, we experienced our second evacuation of the tour! Sam Smith’s set at Forecastle was unfortunately interrupted just before 11pm on Friday night as 60+ mph winds caused an evacuation, followed by a torrential downpour that sent fans running through the streets of Louisville. Ah, when it rains, it pours! 

We have seen our share of this country’s landscape on the Fit For Adventure Tour. For months, the cross-country travel has taken us to the wine country of Napa, to the city lights of Brooklyn and to the bustling waterfront of the Windy City.  This week’s stop: The hills of West Virginia for a weekend with some of the most refreshing and vibrant scenery in the country.

All Good Music Festival took place in the serene countryside of rural West Virginia; the perfect backdrop for celebrating music. The giant Buddha the festival brought in sat high on the hillside overlooking the two main stages and set the vibe for love and kindness to all festival attendees.  And there was much to love when the music kicked in.

The stages came to life and featured performance after performance after performance. It seemed like a nonstop stream of tantalizing music and soul. The eclectic offerings of music from classic favorites like Cake to jam bands like moe and Lotus to the transcendent folk of Elephant Revival made it hard to pick a favorite.

We saw lots of Chaco family around the festival that traveled from the mid-Atlantic to enjoy the good vibes from All Good. We even ran into a group that had been following our adventures since our stop in Napa! The time we had traveling to and staying in West Virginia reminded us that the Chaco nation is truly a special group. Everyone has a story about his or her adventures with Chaco and if you have a pair yourself, you understand the feeling of sharing that story with others.

Until the next chapter,

This Fourth of July weekend marked a historic event in the world of music: The Grateful Dead reunited to commemorate their final show at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Fare Thee Well shows were a tribute to decades of amazing music, people, food, community and art.

The weekend centered around Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, for three nights of amazing performances by The Grateful Dead, excluding late front man, Jerry Garcia. The surrounding field was covered with venders peddling commemorative t-shirts, elaborate tapestries, delicious Jerry Rolls and, of course, dancing bear themed everything.

Our Chaco setup was next to a food vendor who invented and had been serving up Jerry Rolls to deadheads on Shakedown Street for over 30 years. Imagine a hand-rolled egg roll, roughly the size of your face, deep fried and stuffed to perfection with curried chicken, Sriracha sauce and duck sauce, and you have the Jerry Roll. This delicacy is the perfect lunch to last you all day or late night treat after a Dead show lets out.

Deadheads came from all over the country and world to farewell to the Grateful Dead. Memories of Jerry Garcia were on everyone’s mind, but all were beyond stoked to come out for the show, sporting their tie-dye, VW vans and faded Dead tattoos.

Just outside the field, throngs of deadheads parked up with their grills, tie-dye flags and handcrafted Dead memorabilia. Walking through the sea of people, endless stories were being swapped about Dead shows of years past, guesses about song would be the last song ever and, of course, endless debate over the best combination of Dead band members.

This weekend will forever live in our hearts as a fantastic sendoff to one of the greatest bands to ever live. In the farewell words of the final song from The Grateful Dead, "When there was no dream of mine, you dreamed of me”.

Much love to our Chaco Nation.

We arrived in Rothbury, Michigan with anticipation for this mythical place called Electric Forest. In the weeks leading up to The Forest, we watched on social media as festival-goers shared previews of their costumes, packed suitcases and collections of glow-in-the-dark and light up accessories. We soon learned that one does not simply attend Electric Forest, one experiences it. Once you are at Electric Forest, you are immersed into a new world. Few festivals can rival the elaborate creativity seen throughout the venue.

Thousands of people from all over the world descend upon this tiny town in Michigan for four days of music, community and magic. The spirit of community is very potent at The Forest, with groups naming and decorating their camp sites, everyone carrying extravagantly decorated totem poles to keep the groups together and many having gifts for anyone they encounter, from stickers to pins to free hugs.

In the heart of the festival lies Sherwood Forest, one of the most incandescent and alluring places we have been to. It is an area covered in thousands of colored lights, has intimate stages, huts and nooks to sit in, and hammocks. Seemingly thousands of hammocks. You feel as if you are in a different world when you enter the Forest. It appears endless, as if you kept walking, you would simply encounter more contiguous worlds of art, music and community.

While the music is outstanding, it really is all the energy and atmosphere that make Electric Forest one of the most unique and beautiful festivals. The majestic Sherwood Forest, the world record group hug, afternoon naps in a hammock, and the love from all Forest friends; the experience and memories made here cannot be replicated.

Much love to our Forest Family and everyone we met this weekend. See you next year!

Firefly Music Festival 2015 may be remembered by two words:  Music and Mud.  Everyone has his or her story about festival adventures. For all the festival-goers at this year’s event, we’re sure their stories will include the epic dose of Mother Nature that blew through!

Even though Thursday was a rainy day, festival-goers still pulled into their campsites with excitement and the anticipation of four days of music, over 100 performances available, and a breath-taking atmosphere known as The Woodlands.

We made it through Friday with sunny skies, muddy feet, and a graveyard of single, lost flip-flops throughout the festival grounds. We couldn’t have asked for a more illustrious day, as the evening was topped off listening to a living legend who can still rock on, Paul McCartney. We jammed to Hey Jude and Live and Let Die and watched in awe as music, visual effects, and fireworks brought together an amazing performance.

On Saturday, evening sets were just starting to rev up as the weather evacuation order was announced and 90,000 + people began the exodus from the festival grounds as the rain started to fall and lightening lit up the sky. Even with the ankle to knee-deep mud and soggy conditions, nothing could dampen the spirits of those around us. 

Few festivals can rival the sheer beauty of Firefly.  The Woodlands provided the perfect backdrop with its lush forests and meandering walkways. You might turn a corner to find a hammock hangout, eclectic food vendor, impromptu yoga class or an intimate acoustic session taking place. The experience was as much about the music as it was about the people you’re with and the memories you create. This year, it’s safe to say that the days spent at Firefly will stay with us all for a very long time.

To most visitors, the must-sees of Brooklyn consist of a bridge, Coney Island’s Cyclone, and hotdogs at Nathan’s. While these infamous attractions are noteworthy, we were able to spend time in Brooklyn areas new to us. Neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Greenpoint that hosted Northside Festival completely won over our hearts and gave us a new perspective of Brooklyn. These neighborhoods are covered in open-air cafes, historic brick buildings, beautiful graffiti art, vintage clothing shops, and refreshing parks. 

With its urban spin, Northside Festival’s mix of talent in music, art, film and innovation energizes nearly 30 different venues across North Brooklyn: from tiny band rooms in the back of local bars to stages set up in alleys between buildings to the back patio of the local brewery. 

The Fit For Adventure Tour shared McCarren Park with some amazing musicians who performed on the outdoor concert stage, trendsetting entrepreneurs who showcased their ideas and innovations, and food trucks with creative cuisine. The broad offerings that the Festival provided brought a diverse crowd that we were able to connect with throughout the weekend, many of who were new to the Chaco brand. To those who we met: Welcome to the Chaco Nation. 

The time spent exploring and meeting Brooklyn gave us a new appreciation for the spirit of adventure and reminded us of the power of perspective. Adventure can be found on the dirt trail, miles from any town, or it can be found on the cobblestone streets of a city you have yet to discover. 

This past weekend was the seventh installment of Free Press Summer Festival in Houston, Texas and our second year at the festival. We were excited to get to Texas to see some familiar faces and be surrounded by the Chaco nation! 

In wake of serious rain and flooding the week before, the city of Houston and surrounding communities rallied to ensure the show could still go on. Event producers changed the festival venue from Eleanor Tinsley Park to the NRG Stadium in order to preserve the park, which has been sitting under 23 feet of water the week before. With lots of community support and endless efforts behind the scenes, the gates opened and festival-goers streamed in, grabbed a snow cone to beat the heat, and laid their blankets down to secure a spot for their favorite acts. 

For two days, the parking lot of the NRG Stadium was transformed into an artist haven, including musicians, chefs, and graffiti artists. An eclectic mix of music spanned six solar-themed stages, and our booth was within perfect viewing of the Saturn and Neptune stages, both of which boated a wide variety of music including Weezer and St. Vincent. The festival began as an outlet to showcase local musicians and artists, and while it has grown in size, it still holds strong to the local feel. 

At the Chaco booth, we got to meet some Bayou river rats and some Big Bend backpackers who shared endless stories of their Texas adventures in Chacos. We even spotted our first pair of Grateful Dead Chacos since we’ve been on tour! 

Cheers to everyone who rallied behind Houston FPSF, braved the heat, and made this event one to remember. 

If you missed BottleRock this year, make sure it’s added to your festival list for 2016. Set in the heart of Wine County, Napa Valley hosts this festival that boasts an impressive yet diverse lineup with over 70 musical acts, out of this world eats and of course, beverages to make any wine connoisseur’s heart soar. 

For three days, people came from all over California and the US to experience this vibrant festival. Wineries had lounges placed around the festival to provide an upscale and comfortable place to watch music from a distance. Breweries had lawn games and hangouts for the active festival-goers. And no one should have missed the Silent Disco! We found tons of people with headphones on, dancing like no one was watching. 

And at what other festival can you find Snoop Dogg cooking on a Culinary Stage? None that we know of! We were able to see him and other artists like Michael Franti cook up some gourmet meals during the day. 

With hundreds of local wines being poured and enough music to keep you entertained all day, BottleRock was an awesome event. #ThankyouBottleRock!

We kicked off our much anticipated Chaco Tour at the nation’s largest outdoor sports and music festival: Dominion Riverrock in Richmond, Virginia. At first glance, one might easily overlook Richmond as a destination for the outdoors and culture. Five minutes in Richmond will totally change your mind.  

We pulled into Richmond as the sun was setting, weary from a four-day drive across the country. Our spirits were immediately lifted at the sight of the city. The James River was bursting excitedly through the heart of downtown, hundreds of people were out running, biking and hiking through extensive trail systems and the whole city felt alive and vibrant.

Riverrock is a three-day festival for outdoor, music and food loving adventurers. Based on Brown’s Island and the James River, the festival has endless opportunities to get your Chacos dirty, including SUP, bouldering, slack lining, yoga and trail running, not to mention free concerts from bands like Blues Traveler and our friends at Greensky Bluegrass.

Over the weekend, we got to meet thousands of rad folks and spread the Chaco love to the Chaco family and new friends alike. A trip through the Chaco booth included a virtual shoe try on experience, limited edition stickers, a sneak peek at our new “shandal” (shoe + sandal) and, of course, a Chaco prize from our Drop & Win game!

The perfect culmination to our weekend of festivities was a splash in the James River with our friends from ENO and GoalZero. It’s officially festival season, friends. See you all in Napa, California for BottleRock Festival!

Much love,

The Chaco Footwear Fit For Adventure Tour 2015 is back again! This year we have outfitted our tour vehicle to go to outdoor and music festivals around the Chaco nation. The Chaco road crew is going to be sharing their stories along the way so if you can’t make it to the festivals, you can still see the fun. We’re excited to see some familiar faces and make some new friends along the way. Our first stop is this weekend at Dominion Riverrock in Richmond, Virginia. Follow #ChacoTour!

Here are some photos from the first leg of our trip: California to Virginia.

Pulling off a Charlie’s Angels pose a Joshua Tree National Park

Yee Haw Ranch in Texas!

Pulling through Nashville and right by LP Field, home to the Tennessee Titans. 

We had to stop and show some love for one of our favorite colleges. GO VOLS! 

Why not yoga while we wait in line for the truck wash?

Our first fan to show us their Chaco sandal as they drove by! If you spot the Chaco Tour, show us your Chacos! 

If you follow the Blue Ridge Parkway through miles of winding roads and idyllic southern mountains, you come to a road that takes you deeper into the wooded green space, past pastures and cattle farms, and into a vast area that rises up and reaches out over an enormous valley. This is Floyd, VA and this is Floydfest ‘14.

 The Floydfest grounds are massive and expansive, covering miles of wooded land overlooking wilderness and mountains. It’s also meticulously maintained and landscaped, with funky fountains, patios, and handcrafted wooden furniture scattered across the way. Throughout the woods, hundreds of tents covered every bit of habitable land, while string lights and canopies criss-cross overhead. With thousands of attendees, 6 stages, and dozens of bands performing (rain or shine), there wasn’t a single dull moment.

The Chaco crew set up shop just off the main stage, which meant we had an awesome view of each set and a steady stream of Chaco-clad festivarians making their way through our trailer. Hundreds of folks from all walks of life popped by to get fit, grab stickers, and snag a Chaco Wrist Wrap. Just a stones-throw away sat myriad artists, vendors and food trucks serving up local wares and amazing food (everything from curry to pork belly to wood-fired pizza). Late at night, DJs and funk-fusion bands like Brooklyn-based Lettuce kept our feet moving and grooving. In short, we ate well and danced hard at Floydfest – in Chacos.

 Highlights from the main stage included an electric blues performance by Ben Harper (who performed with harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite), a late-night set by Ms. Lauren Hill, and the global beats of Ziggy Marley and Thievery Corporation. Michael Franti found his way into the crowd and performed amongst the people during Spearhead’s set, and the festival wrapped with a killer performance by Ray Lamontagne. Around the 5 other stages, talented touring acts and up-and-comers wooed the crowd over with energetic sets from sun-up to sundown (and sun-up again).

 So yes, an amazing Floydfest has come and gone, and we’re off to the next event. A huge thanks to everyone who came by the trailer, got fit, and shared the Chaco love – we loved meeting you and we can’t wait to see you again!

Forecastle was an exceptional experience! 

Around 65,000 folks attended Forecastle this year to hear amazing bands like OutKast, Jack White, Beck, Jenny Lewis, Lord Huron, Nickel Creek and many more. The Chaco Booth was super fun and we were only 100 yards from local Louisville retailer Quest Outdoors. 

Some of the musical highlights included Lord Huron:

Jenny Lewis:

and Nickel Creek:

Our favorite part of these festival is actually meeting you!

We loved meeting members of the #ChacoNation :

And Talking Chaco!

Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio was one for the books! Speaking of books, Bunbury comes from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and means “to have a made up excuse to get out of doing something boring” and as it turns out Cincinnati has plenty of those excuses. We had a blast checking out the Queen City from the immaculate Cinci skyline at Devou Park to nifty finds like the National Steamboat Monument and the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge. We also got to check out a little reggae music at Fountain Square before we were off to share some Chaco love to Bunbury festivarians.

As soon as we got to the venue, we knew we were in for a great festival. The six stages scattered across the beautiful Yeatman’s Cove Park each had their own feel with backdrops of bridges, the downtown skyline of the ‘Nati, and the Ohio River. Friday night Empire of the Sun put on a show that made us almost feel as if we were in Vegas, never mind the never-ending fireworks lighting up the sky from the Cincinnati Reds game. The Ohio River was packed with boats lackadaisically floating by, checking out the music coming from the River Stage where Robert Delong –whom we’d seen at Wakarusa-kept an upbeat vibe after a crazy monsoon of a thunderstorm on Sunday.

Even though Bunbury took place in a city far from Gotham, Batman himself took time to stop by and try on Chacos; a real cherry on top of this festival!

       The Chaco Tour celebrated the 4th of July a little early at the Stars & Stripes River Festival in Oklahoma City. The Boathouse District was packed with competitors of all ages for the different kayak, canoe, and dragon boat races on the Oklahoma River throughout the day. During breaks between competitions, festival goers were flying through the sky on the Riversport Adventures Zipline set high across the muddy river.

After the a quick but heavy thunderstorm ran through, the weather was perfect for game after game of bags at the Chaco Tour trailer while music from DJ Jotti Notch and later, Phil Marshall, filled the air. The night ended with a crowded riverwalk as a spectacular fireworks show boomed over the Oklahoma River.

This week, the Fit For Adventure Tour arrived at our most westward stop of the summer, the 41st annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Nestled in a box canyon miles from Colorado’s biggest cities, Telluride is a former silver mining town frozen in time. With aged brick buildings, babbling rapids, and gondolas criss-crossing its sloping mountain barricades, Telluride is like few other mountain towns. And though it may be best known for its killer ski runs, Telluride has packed its summer months full of incredible festivals celebrating food, art, and culture – the crown jewel of which is the annual Bluegrass Festival.

Festivarians all around us were rocking some serious #festivalstyle with their Chacos, and with so many rad folks in Z’s and Flips, we had a field day shooting the best looks (and when we were lucky, #sockos). Check out our festival fashion Pinterest board to see more of our favorites from Telluride.

Highlights from the main stage were Nickel Creek, who proved that a 6-year hiatus does nothing to diminish their phenomenal stage show; Bela Fleck, who performed classical banjo movements with the backing of the Colorado Symphony; and a ridiculous Saturday line-up including Punch Brothers and Andrew Bird. To catch a live stream of the rest of the festival, check out Telluride’s KOTO FM here.