sandals v. desert boots

After walking 700 km in sandals without a blister (only a few early rubs dealt with by using surgical tape over the back of the heel) I can surely state that for sandy desert conditions open toed sandals with plenty of adjusting straps are way better than desert boots. Everyone else on the expedition who wore boots got blisters of some kind. They're hard to avoid as your feet inevitably get hot and sweaty even in the lightest of boots. Any sand that creeps in acts as an abrasive and pretty soon you have foot problems. With sandals you just tip 'em out and keep walking. Only on rocky uphill stretches do boots work better. Of course there are some downsides to sandals: your heels and ankles have to support a lot more so they take a pounding. They're cold in the early morning- but you can solve that with socks. But don't walk far in socks as only in bare feet did I get blister free walking. Leather always works best- my sandals were Clarks with a leather insole and leather straps with velcro adjusters- a great piece of kit.