Most warm weather footwear for men sits somewhere between forgettable and actively uncomfortable, and the mule sandal has historically suffered from both problems at once. Too casual to look considered, too flimsy to wear for more than an hour without your feet paying for it later. We’ve been looking specifically at options that solve the structural side of things first, because a sandal that looks good but destroys your arches by lunchtime is not a sandal worth recommending. The ones here have proper footbeds, materials that don’t turn hostile in heat, and a silhouette that works with linen trousers, shorts, or even a relaxed pair of chinos. Leather is our preference where possible. It moulds, it breathes, it ages better than anything synthetic ever will. We’ve also kept an eye on sole thickness because that’s where a lot of otherwise decent options fall down completely. These are the ones we’d actually wear somewhere that matters.