Earth Runner Adventure Sandals | Do They Live Up to the Hype? | Review 

Did you test if you were grounded while wearing them?

Thank you very much!

Glad it was helpful!

I'm glad I could help!

Awesome! I'm happy I could help you decide.

I love salty briches and body glide. I'll definitely try out the body glide the next time I wear them all day. Which Shamans do you have? I've been thinking of getting a pair

@@FeetFirstAthletics I’m rocking the Shamma warriors and Chargers. Great sandals 🩴 in my book.

I actually haven't worn any casual shoes with cushion (aside from my running shoes) or heel drop in about 2 years. At work and on weekends I wear my cheap whitins I got an Amazon, Xero shoes, or my Earth runners. I have absolutely no real reason, aside from it just feeling better and I'm used to the lack of cushion. I've been very tempted to get some oofos for post race/run recovery and try them out but have been waiting for a sale. Sometimes after a race the minimalistic shoes feel like torture lol

(1) Life expectancy is 400-800 miles according to Earth Runner. I'm assuming 400 would be 100% of your time running hard on tough surfaces like asphalt, and 800 would be trails and dirt. I have around 400 miles on mine from trail, road, and everyday walking and they are looking really good with some wear in the heel and forefoot, but nothing crazy. I expect them to last well over 800 miles (see (3) below for my usage breakdown). (2) Once the sand wears out I'm keeping the straps and hardware and will attempt to build my own with an old tire. The athletic straps are very well built and show absolutely no signs of breakdown. (3) It'll do it all, from running to walking. I mostly use them as my everyday (when not at work) footwear but have put around 150 miles of running on them. I've worn them running, rinsed them off, then worn then out shopping the same day. If I had to break down my percentages of use I'd say 60% everyday general use, 30% trail running, and 10% asphalt running. (4) My biggest issue with sandals in general is that small twigs, pebbles, and other debris will get between your foot and shoe. Most debris can be shaken out, but there are times when I have to stop and remove the sandal because it's in a weird spot. Happens maybe once or twice every few runs and not a big deal, but still something that happens. Side note: I have since bought a few pairs of Luna sandals and I like Earth Runners more overall, but Luna has some advantages. I'll be doing a review on them soon.

The sand isn't too bad. It gets between your foot and the sandal, but clears out after a few steps. Also, unlike a flip flop, they don't really kick up much sand as you're running through it since they stay so close to your foot and don't have much extra material in the front and back. In fact, I'm probably using these for a race over sand dunes this summer!

Good catch! I'll admit I was focused on filming at a weird angle and getting "good" shots. I noticed when I was editing that I was hell striking like crazy buy was too lazy to go back outside and get more shots with a better stride, and was hoping no one would notice lol. It actually did make me more self aware after viewing the clips to make sure I wasn't hell striking without the camera, so that's a positive. My natural run now in sandals is mid to forefoot strike and I try to carry that over when I'm wearing shoes as well.

@@FeetFirstAthleticsit was the first thing I noticed 😁

how often does the slipping occur? I've noticed some slippage during recent runs and have to adjust once or twice per 8ish mile runs. Two options I can find...one would be to get a heel cushion from Earth Runners. This would provide a snugger fit and hopefully add some friction to help them stay in place: www.earthrunners.com/products/heel-sleeve The second option is a strap that Shamma and Luna use to anchor the strap around your ankle: www.garagegrowngear.com/products/power-straps-by-shamma-sandals?variant=43225303679163&currency=USD&gclid=CjwKCAjwitShBhA6EiwAq3RqA-Mi3pSDsiBM0OHJ12CFGq5ZG3jd996bN1_xDWDhh8_ZAkSDfQpUzBoCGesQAvD_BwE You can also try adjusting the straps to give more/less strap on the heel, but this may affect where your foot lies on the sandal.

@@FeetFirstAthletics I just got them so the first day walking around with them even though they felt like they were quite snug the heel kept slipping. And honestly I’m not enamored with the idea to spend $28 to buy the EarthRunners special little Doohickey for the back that seems kind of crazy. On the other hand they did include a silicone bracelet that held the sandals together in the box and I’ve actually cut that into pieces and I’m thinking of using some E 6000 and taking some of that silicone strip and putting it back by the heel area :-) I really like the idea of a free solution to this problem. Other than that I really love them! after the initial fitting with a few of my favorite, four letter words, I calm down and was able to walk in them and appreciate them!

Ok, they are pretty new, so chances are with some breaking in they could fit better. The free solution is always an option as well if you have the parts and patience lol. I swear every pair of sandals I get the fit is all off and I hate them. For instance, my left foot is either shaped odd or I walk weird, because a new sandal will always "drift" from my heel and my foot will be at a weird angle. After breaking them into my footshape the problems seem to go away. I almost threw a new pair of Luna sandals into the trash because I was so fed up, but now they fit really well (so I'm glad I didn't use more of my four letter words lol).

Altra Lone Peak 6. I highly recommend them, awesome for trails (not so much road). Altra actually just released the Lone Peak 7's, but I heard they're a downgrade from the 6's. You can pick up a pair of the 6's for under $100 if you shop around.

From my research Vivo barefoot have about a 6.5mm sole height, so they'd be slightly thicker than the 5mm Earthrunners. However, I am unsure if they have more cushioning, so the overall feel may be very different. I'm actually looking at getting a pair of Vivo's soon so I'll make sure to update you with how they feel, and maybe do a review video :)

@@FeetFirstAthletics oh ok, these have 4mm.

I'm sorry to hear that! Disheartening to hear their customer service wasn't good. Maybe try Luna sandals? Those seem to have way more adjustable lacing options and I've heard good things about their customer service.

Nice to see I’m not the only who had bad experience with these shoes. They are hands down the most uncomfortable shoes I’ve had on my feet in 15 years.!Customer service talked at me like a cult member trying to convert me for a long time. Ignoring the fact that the shoes are extremely uncomfortable after trying every possible adjustment. I don’t have 10-15 hours to break them in. I like to actually enjoy walking/hiking. I don’t have have for endless adjusting, calibrating, troubleshooting etc. nor do I want to suffer the excruciating pain of these medieval torture devices. In the end customer service conceded that they may just not be right for me and not worth the pain.

As far as the earthing goes, I figure it's there if you believe in it and it doesn't really have an effect if you don't. They don't claim it cures diseases or anything wild, so I don't see the claims as harmful. A good alternative to Earth runners is Luna sandals. I've just started using those and really like them for different reasons. I plan on making a review of the Luna Oso Flacos and Origen 2.0's soon.

Here's a published scholarly article on the proven benefits of Earthing "BS" www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/

​@@Jdb63 Interesting. Tks.