Chaco sandals and boots.

In the late 1980s, Mark Paigan left his custom shoe and boot cobbler business in northern California to guide fly-fishing and whitewater-rafting trips in southwestern Colorado. Thanks to his footwear background, he quickly realized that the mass-market rafting sandals that dominated the market were not up to task. So Paigan made his own sandals, and his guide buddies, green with envy, asked him to make them pairs, too. The endeavor snowballed until Paigan officially launched Chaco the company in 1989. Like its "Made in Paonia, Colo." label, a Chaco sandal's distinguishing features remain the same today as they were 14 years ago, said National Sales Manager Rich Weight. Heavy-duty rubber soles and a polyurethane foot-bed "support the bone structure of the foot," he explained. Chaco debuted a new line of breathable hiking boots this year, made in Italy out of top-grade leather. The last three years have been especially kind to Chaco, with the number of employees nearly tripling to 110 as sales swelled 700 percent. "When you have a good product, you tend to be a bit immune to economic conditions," said Weight. Performance sandals: $70 to $100 retail. Boots: $180 to $240 retail.

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Made by Chaco Inc., Paonia, [phone], www.chacousa.com. A dealer list is available on the Web site.