I started earth grounding six months ago. Since then I got a promotion at work, my golf swing improved, my kids started respecting me again, and my erectile dysfunction was cured. Thanks, copper rivet!
I have a pair of Shamma warriors, and I love that the sole is thin enough to conform to the arch of my foot. It's the closest feeling to a PNW boot in a sandal I've ever felt. Instead of feeling like I'm manipulating a foam platter under my foot, there's complete interface between the entire bottom of my foot, and the ground. I love having full-bottom-of-foot perception, which is the exact reason I like high arch footwear with little padding. My favorite sandals by far.
I have 2 pairs of Earthrunners and have been really happy with them. I hike, and bike in them, and wear them around town. I can’t attest to the grounding claims but I didn’t buy them for that reason to begin with, as I cared more about the barefoot benefits. Once you get them broken in, they’re extremely comfortable because they conform to your foot shape really well! I was skeptical about walking on the straps as well when I bought my first pair but after the break in period, that area sort of flares up more to wrap around the side of your foot so there’s not as much contact where the straps hit the ground as it seems like there would be. The bunching issue with the straps is definitely present in the beginning and can be a little annoying but it’s also part of the break in period as well, and goes away eventually once the straps become a little more flexible . I also like that if you do break a strap, you can order a replacement on their website and thread the new one through yourself without having to send them in for repair.
They’re not in this video but Shamma Numa Alpha sandals are my favourite, mainly because I like the way they look very similar to normal flip flops. Bedrocks are good but I don’t like the way they look, plus they’re narrow
I have close to 600 miles clocked in bedrocks on the Appalachian Trail including Mt. Katahdin. They work really well. Just now getting to the point of resoling them 2 years later
I bought 3 different models of xero sandals 3 years ago on clearance for an average of $15 each. The Xero Treks are my favorite and still going strong. I will buy them again.
I wore a pair of Bedrock's older line every day for 4 years before they finally gave out. They endured rural mountain living year-round, as well as hard hiking. I put well over 10k offroad miles into them. The new EVO line isn't as wide as their old Adventure line or I'd be wearing a pair. The models with the gray outsoles grip well when it's wet, including on ice.
I have used both the Lunas & the Bedrocks with complete satisfaction. I find them durable & comfortable. I use them as 3.5 season footwear, only leaving them at home if it snows. Unlike our host, I much prefer sandals to shoes, as I have trouble getting a shoe or boot to fit comfortably. Also, I have not had any issues with the Lunas having the straps attach to the sole like they do.
You really should do a video of Shamma Sandals. After owning all the brands you showed they are hands down the best lacing/strapping system and have the most sole options.
Bedrock cairns hands down the beefiest hiking sandal there is. They’re also great for strapping to your harness for walking down after rock climbing since the vibram soles are so grippy. Shamma trail stars probably one of the best trail running sandals. The toe loop lacing style anchor your feet to the foot bed but I’ve had durability problems with the laces
Luna Sandals have an interesting story. Odd that Im here commenting on this, but back in the day, before all the maximalist running shoes, like 20 years ago, minimalist running was all the rage thanks to books that came out around 2008 or so like Born to Run. In the book, the author uncovers an indigenous group of people in the copper canyons of Mexico that routinely run these crazy races of hundreds of miles at a time, on terrain similar to the grand canyon, wearing sandals made out of leather straps and old car tires. Very similar actually to the Masai warriors in Kenya. These people are routinely shot and used by the cartels and to smuggle drugs, and one of the guys down there, Manuel Luna, had his son shot by the cartels. In the book, one of the characters, Ted Macdonald, befriends Luna and learns to make sandals like they do, and he founded the company to spread the word about minimalist runnings and to help create a fund for the Tarahumara people down in Mexico...The straps on that sandal you have are done the way these people make their sandals that allow them to run forever, so it cant be that weak of a design
The Luna Origin is the sandal that is closest to what those people would have worn. It uses tire rubber. If you want the closest approximation, go with those.
@@drygnfyre agreed. My point was just that the construction choice here is actually based on a type a sandal used by people who wear sandals made that way in very rugged terrain and have ostensibly worn sandals of that type for a long time. Maybe 15 years ago or so I went as far as to make my own by buying a sheet of vibram outsole rubber and some leather straps and they held up fine for hundreds miles. I’d rather just wear normal running shoes now, but it’s a design choice based on real authentic sandals worn by indigenous groups and isn’t dissimilar from styles worn by Roman’s or Greeks of old
Bedrock Cairns are the one pair of hiking sandals I always go back to. Not the lightest or thinnest, but they're rock solid and really hard to beat on the trails. Sometimes I combine them with the thickest Injinji toe socks and it's a really good combo that can rival hiking boots. But for more casual, everyday wear, I tend to prefer either Luna or Earth Runners. Luna in particular are a little softer, whereas I find the Cairns tend to be overkill if you just need to wear sandals for going outside or walking around the mall or something.
For the Bedrock Cairns, you can fit your second toe through the webbing. This can make the fit a lot more secure as it will keep the sandal from sliding laterally. I don't think this is really intended, but I've tried it and it's not painful. If you find the sandals sliding too much, it's worth a shot.
I don't know about the other brands, but Bedrock also has a factory resole program. So likely at least the outsole and foam top are attached in the US.
I have owned most of those sandals and I am a solid fan of Bedrocks. Those to me have been the best sandals I have ever owned. Also the mules/ clogs I and my girl friend own them and they are super comfortable and seen very well built.
I will say I really like my Bedrock sandals. Out of all the sandals I've worn, they seem to be the best in terms of comfort and durability. At least for me.
@william8217 not really. The straps are actually a lot more comfortable than choco straps for example. There is a lot of tiny adjustments you can do with the straps, and it leafs to basically no break in. And the foot beds are flexible.
Check the monk sandals please they seem to have a great leather insole and be really lightweight (I think it is pro you missed of the ones you meantioned being “cheap” and having several cons which for sure they do)
love my bedrocks. havent tried the rest cause the ones i got from ebay in practically new condish are still going strong. done countless adventures on em. one thing i recommend for long sockless hikes is to get some spray antiperspirant and give ur feet a once over. just helps keep your feet cleaner if dusty situations.
You rock. I love your honesty... I'm getting into these to see if it helps future bunion growth.. also, my feet always feel so cramped after wearing other footwear styles that cramp my toes or have too much arch support.
Bedrocks are tough, ive done some serious hiking in them, good grip, good firm footbed that protects your feet from rocks, once you get the straps adjusted they fit like a glove too.
I have had my Bedrocks for almost 6-years now. I've used them as my dedicated canoe camping and hiking sandals. Have had to resole them once so far. I can't recommend them enough.
My all time favorite sandals were my Teva Pterodactyls... with thicker, wider straps than any of these, and a thicker, more durable type of sole. Mine lasted 7 years of hard summer use. I am currently in, for the past 4 years, a pair of excellent Salomon sandals. Very comfortable, but over $100.
I have Lunas and I should have gone with the winged edition because I need the tech straps with the regulars due to my foot shape and having a high-volume foot means that the tech straps barely fit. I just don't love the strap system. I think I'll try a pair of the bedrocks next.
It is hard to explain but you can: Cut the very end of the webbing (the sewn 'nub') off and remove the webbing to the point where the toe strap is the only part connected. make 2 round loops with paracord and girth hitch it through the holes at the heel. Rerun the strap through the paracord loops, making a half turn as you do similar to how the were initially threaded. The new setup will be much higher on your foot and you will have plenty of extra webbing. This setup is hard to adjust after wearing for a while but has made my pair wearable after modding them.
For Luna sandals, I recommend rethreading them so that the buckle is behind the "wing" instead of in front. This only takes about 5-10 minutes to do and is much better. It gives the sandals more of a true huarache look and feel, making the Luna closer to Earth Runner. And because of that, you can also get a slightly more secure and snug fit. The way Luna come out of the box, they have a tendency to tighten over the top of the foot, leaving a lot of space. By rethreading them, they will tighten much closer to the ankle and just have a cleaner and more secure fit. Once I did this, Luna easily became my favorite because I love the feel of them, they have a nice balance of softness and rugged Vibram soles.
Last year I bought the Xeros and the Shammas featured here. I didn't use them for trail hiking, but for running (on cement). They were both comfortable for running. I returned the Xeros because the stitching unraveled within 4-6 wears. I love the Shammas (and still have them) but their issue is that if you bend the footbed a certain way (like when you trip) the clip that secures the toe piece can break. I tripped and the clip on the right sandal broke. Oddly enough, this is not catastrophic; it makes a clicking noise when you walk, but the strap never slipped through nor loosened. I complained about the broken clip and Shamma sent new straps, but I continued to train in the broken strap, and only replaced the strap right before a race. Fast forward to this year, and the Shammas were the first pair of barefoot sandals I pulled out because they're comfortable and I like them. On my first run, I tripped and the left toe clip broke. I still wear them and have not yet replaced the strap, even though I have an extra on hand. (I don't have any upcoming races.) Being a fellow leather worker, I prefer the leather footbed on the Shammas. I believe the length of the sole is what's causing me to trip. I've thought to just trim them closer to the shape of my foot (now that my footprint is clearly visible in the leather after a year's wear), but I'm too chicken that I'll botch it and make them misshapen. (Incidentally, I ended up making two pairs of minimalist sandals last year. One with just a leather sole, with the other, I cut a narrow groove in some Vibram sheet and stitched/glued it to the leather sole. That construction is hard on the hands, so I don't think I'll be repeating it any time soon.) Thanks for the review; I'll check out the Bedrocks next time I'm in the market.
id love to see you go in depth about the materials and analyze the validity of these products. I just can NOT wrap my head around why those should cost that much. If they made those sandals for 30 bucks or whatever I'd buy them right away, but there seems to be no excuse for me. Bought Tevas for 40, didnt like them. At least they werent 120.
I've worn my xero Z trek for 4 years and it's only just about breaking down. Doesn't do well when wet but apart from that very comfortable and has held up pretty well. Out of all the barefoot shoes I've worn, I think only Feelgrounds has better ground feel (but it suffered on durability). I also prefer the horizontal straps VS the T strap. Nonetheless I think I'll go try on some bedrocks.
I've had my earth runners for almost two years and I've worn them all over the US. They've held up super well other than the buckle on my right foot shipping broken.
Bedrocks are easily the most durable pair of footwear I own. I wear them all the time. I also have a pair of their Mountain Clogs, and those have become my go-to for Fall and Winter.
Earth Runner Alpha’s do have a vibram brand outsole, and straps are adjustable so you can get a better fit around the ankle. I am a bit biased because I own a pair but I think in general you could’ve given some of the sandles more of a chance. 😂 Love all your videos and would love to see a cut in half!
Thank you for this video. We live in Florida, so sandals are pretty much a way of life. Since you asked for similar suggestions - could you please review and/or compare Waldi Finn Comfort sandals vs. Birkenstock sandals? Thanks
I’ve had the xero shoes model for two summers now. I was looking for a minimalist alternative to chacos: they’re sorta ok, but I miss the toe loop I had with the chacos. I just ordered a pair of Bedrock Cairn EVOs
I had those same xero sandals and they fell apart pretty quick. The rubber tab holding the strap ripped off My earthrunners have been very durable for years now. My use case for both was mostly swimming in the river, scrambling around on small boulders, and some casual city walking
watching this video made me wonder - have you considered expanding your channel beyond just footwear? Not sure how much research or consulting it would take, but I think it might be interesting to see dissections of coats, jackets, shirts, underwear, shorts, pants, etc.
I think that the price of sandals and “barefoot” shoes in general is outrageous! That said, I have some that were purchased on sale and were returns. I would NEVER buy any of these at full price, but I like the ones I have.
I have two pairs of Bedrock sandals. First pair was Carin 3D. This spring I got the new Evo C cushion sandals. They are the most comfortable sandals that I have ever worn. I've worn them practically every day for the last month or so. Years ago I tried wearing Teva sandals and they made my big toe go numb almost instantly. I really like the Bedrocks that go between your first and second toes, no numbness.
Oddly enough, I haven't had the best experience with the EVO-c. They are the only Bedrock pair I own that have had to be broken in, and they gave me blisters. I can wear them but they also take a while for the cushioning to be felt. My overall experience with them hasn't been great, so I ended up not liking them as much as I'd hope. I find them best worn in shorter increments, whereas I can wear something like Luna sandals all day.
You should do a test to see if the copper rivet thing even grounds you at all. You can take a multimeter, touch it to different parts at the top. And the other probe touching the copper rivet. And check it it completes a circuit. Obviously even then that wont prove that grounding does anything for your health. But it will prove if they are lying or not about jt grounding you.
And compare that to other shoes and see how much of a difference it makes. Vehicle tires typically have a grounding strip through the center of the tread to reduce static build up with the newer compounds. You don't really see that with shoes, yet I don't run into issues with static when walking around outside even in the desert. That leads me to believe that the voltage potential between the ground and my body is negligible. Besides, whether I'm grounded or not makes no difference as far as my biological functioning goes. The only potential impact is if a significant difference exists then I may get a tiny shock when grounding myself. That copper rivet will only ever make a difference if you're at a gas station and forget to ground yourself to your car prior to filling up.
I'm about 99% sure the whole "grounding" thing is just marketing BS to sell the sandals. It should be noted there is a paper that was submitted to some scientific journal, but it was written by the founders of the company. Earth Runners are great sandals overall, I own a few pairs, but they really don't need to cater to the more "new age" beliefs that have very little solid science to back up the claims.
When I was looking for good sandals a year ago, I skipped right past Lunas because of the grounding BS lol so ridiculous. Got shamma mountain goats. Great sandals
hey, thats a cute idea, I guess I should do copper studs in my shoes. I do believe/love the grounding stuff, not sure the copper rivet does what its believed to do, but I love the idea.
Dawg this is rose anvil 2, he never cuts anything in half here and literally 50 seconds in he says if this does well he'll do main channel videos where he cuts them in half
When I was looking for good sandals a year ago, I skipped right past Earth Runners because of the grounding BS lol so ridiculous. Got shamma mountain goats. Great sandals
Couldn’t care less about all the claims of earth runners… but man I love my pair and they have lasted so long. I wear them all the time specifically for hiking
They are hard to find out the tightening, but once you have that set they are fantastic. Will be getting some shamma or Luna next though. I go running in mine and bed rocks are easily the worst for running
I have a pair of earth runners, they are the shoes I wear the most. Two years later the soles have held up great. Very comfortable once you break in the straps
I really liked the $10 pair of "sandugo" sandals in the philippines a few years ago. forget paying $70-$120 for a pair of sandals. seems like the kids book: "the emperors new clothes" paid a bunch of money to basically be naked.
This video is specifically about minimal hiking sandals. Chaco are not minimal due to lacking the zero drop heel and not having a wide toe box (it's curved, you can tell the difference when they're side-by-side). Chacos are nice, I've got a few pairs myself, but they aren't minmal.
This video is specifically about minimal hiking sandals. Teva are not minimal due to lacking the zero-drop heel and not having a wide toe box (it's curved, you can tell the difference when they're side-by-side). Tevas are nice, I've got many pairs myself, but they aren't minimal.
You can by some Vietnamese made sandals, and they are way better price over material. They have leather sandal as well; people wear them through out the yearn no issue. Sandals are the only thing can't yield to US made.
I heard from Dan Winter that I think sweden (or was it Norway? or maybe Iceland?) got PHENOMENAL improvements in children school performance when they went barefoot (good for grounding). you might be able to turn that into a business, by getting the best of both worlds, where you get protective shoes for your feet, but still get grounded. maybe useful
None of those are "minimal sandals" in any way. This video is specifically about minimal sandals, which generally include zero drop heels and wide toe boxes.
I'd rather go for Chacos. Had a pair that lasted 5 years wearing them all summer ever summer. Hiking and canoeing are a breeze and they have great grip. They form to your feet pretty nicely too.
My favorite part about eco-conscious brands is their diehard commitment to replacing components made from renewable resources with components made from petroleum products instead. Oil does come from the earth, amirite?
Did you ever find your barefoot casual sneakers? Also, not a fan of thongs either that….. rope btw the toes thing I hate which is why I would love a slides sandals showdown.
Sorry, but you half-assed that one a bit. Good sandals are real craftsmanship and it is hard to find durable ones with comfortable and secure straps. Sandals can be pain to walk and others are comfortable and secure enough to run in them...
Quite a few of these companies do leather options if you prefer. Shamma offers leather, as do some Luna models. Earth Runner offers leather footbeds as an option instead of canvas.
@@drygnfyre Too bad Lunas, from what I can see, doesn't offer their winged version in a leather topped option. I don't love the strap system on their normal model (I have both the Origen and Oso Flaco Winged). Maybe someday.
I’d take my crocs over any of these all day. I have a 20 year old pair that I wear around the house, go hiking, camping, to the beach, vacation, boating. Everything.
