I love chacos, despite their rather ugly appearance. They have great arch support and I don't have to worry that they'll cause problems if they get wet or muddy. Simply pop them in the wash and they're good to go.
One year an assistant crew coach at Willamette lured a bunch of rowers back to Montana for the summer to work as river guides. I didn't go but it looked like a neat experience and there are times when I wish I had. It was a brilliant idea, really. Rowers are perfect river guides. Anyway, they all came back to school with perfect "chaco tans", of which they were incredibly proud. I was definitely a chaco convert after that.