As you may already know, I'm a huge fan of "barefoot" shoes-- shoes with minimal soles, especially those that can be worn barefoot. Yes, I'm too busy for socks. I really liked a lot of things about Vibram FiveFingers, but their synthetic materials always ended up smelling bad, forcing me to spend a lot of time washing them. After a while I switched to huaraches made by invisible shoe, which I had few problems with. But a couple weeks ago, Michael from Earth Runners asked if I'd like to try a pair of his barefoot sandals.
I haven't put many miles on the Earth Runners yet, but they've already taken the place of the invisible shoes. The two major advantages they have are the build quality and a much more reliable lacing system. The Earth Runners looked great in pictures, but they're even better in person. They were custom made from a tracing of my foot, and the quality is top notch. When my friend Todd first saw them, he immediately commented on how well made they look. They feel really great, too-- I like the leather footbed and the neoprene is a much better sole than I expected. I imagined something like wetsuit material, but it's actually pretty dense and molds quickly to your feet. Not much cushion, but that's how I want it anyway.
If I had any gripe about the invisible shoes, it was that the knot that extended through the bottom of the sandal was prone to break. This didn't happen often-- maybe once or twice a year, but I once found myself in the middle of Bogota wth a broken sandal and no immediate way to repair it. The Earth Runners have a flat patch of rubber on the bottom, shielding whatever holds the nylon strap laces in, leaving no way for the pavement to eat away at the laces. On the sides of the sandal are metal loops that guide the nylon webbing straps. At first I thought that they would scratch my floor, but when the shoe is laced they lift into the air a little bit. Because of the sheer nature of the laces, they really have to be exactly the right tension or they slip off. It took me a few adjustments to get mine right, but there's quick release clasp that makes this pretty easy.
As much as I'd like to, I can't write this review without talking about the earthing properties of the sandal. I'll start out by saying that I've done very little research on the topic, but what little I did do had more than a few people calling it pseudoscience. I'm inclined to agree. The shoes have copper plugs through them which conduct electricity between you and the earth, thus grounding you. I fully believe that the Earth Runners are successful in doing this. I just don't think it matters. I could be wrong, though-- maybe Michael will reply here with some links to offer a counterpoint. On the other hand, I always get static shocks when I'm in the dry carpeted environment in Vegas, and these shoes prevent that. And, to be honest, the copper things just look cool, so I'm glad they're there.
All in all, these are really great minimalist sandals. They're durable, comfortable, and VERY nicely made. I really like things that are built with care and high quality materials, and these are the best built sandals I've ever seen. Other than my Five Finger boots I wear for motorcycling, the Earth Runners are the only shoes I wear.
Right now they're doing a Kickstarter campaign, which you can check out here. I'd love to see them get fully funded, and love to see more people wearing their sandals.
Besides giving me this pair AND making me another pair that I'll wear for a hike I'm doing in Peru in a couple weeks (special camping version of the gear post coming), Michael has offered to give a pair away to a reader of Tynan.com. Here's how the contest will work:
Contest Rules
Step 1. Leave a reply to this post, just to "register" and be eligible for the contest .
Step 2. Leave a high-quality reply to any other post on Tynan.com or DanielOdio.com OR start a thread in the community section of either site about anything. Whoever's post has the highest rating wins a free custom pair of Earth Runners. If there is a tie and one entry is a community post and one is a reply to a post, the community post will win. If they're both the same type of post, whichever has fewer downvotes will win.
Do not try to cheat. Cheating includes stuff like posting to Facebook and saying "Upvote this post to help me win!". If I think you've cheated OR if your post is so bad that I can only assume you must have asked people to vote for you, I reserve the right to disqualify you.
Awesome! Im in need of new shoes, since my Vibrams are falling apart and these sound like a perfect replacement.
I am loving my Earth Runners. And although working through some kinks, for me these are definitely the way to go! Feeling secure knowing that I am grounded while wearing these - thank you Michael for designing these much needed sandals. Have already been using an Earthing sheet and Earthing pad to keep me grounded as much as possible - these sandals are an extension of this! So as a Barefoot Newbie - count me in as an enthusiastic convert. Already the discomfort between my shoulder blades that I always felt after long walks or runs - is gone (not lessened, but gone). Barefoot style is my new mantra!
Awesome!!! The grounding feature is pure genius.
Here's a picture of me right at this moment with my grounding mat while I work. And yes, I sleep with her too. She's relaxing for a change.
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Thanks for the review Tynan, it is great to hear how others are enjoying our sandals.
So is grounding the human body pseudoscience or does it have legitimate benefits? This is for you to decide.
The one fundamental concept that seems to get lost in the many earthing discussions about antioxidants, free electrons, and free radicals is the idea of a reference point. An electrical ground is a reference point built into the electrical circuit, used as a baseline when measuring other electrical currents. This being said, the hypothesis from the Earthing book is that grounding leads to a much greater physiological stability because the diverse bodily rhythms are coordinated not only with the light/dark cycle, but with the natural rhythms of the environment.
Like the majority of the population I found this to be an intriguing concept, but I had my doubts with the limited scientific backing. Being the experimental type of person that I am I decided to test this for myself. The most effective ways to do this was to walk, run and sleep grounded. The way I did this was by putting copper insets in my sandals and also running a wire from a stake in the ground through my window and attached to a conductive anklet that I sleep in.
Having my own experience and hearing about others online, along with reading the many controversial discussions, I have developed my own understanding to the integration of earthing technology into our society. To run a full fledged study cost A LOT of money, must pharmaceutical companies acquire government grants before moving forward with this process. The government is inclined to fund studies for pharmaceutical drugs due to the lucrative business is will generate. This being the case I don't think earthing technology will ever become mainstream- there is nothing lucrative about it. After you purchase your earthing product your body will continue to experience greater physiological stability at no additional cost.
Here is a link to all the earthing studies that were funded by the authors themselves.
Check us out on Kickstarter:
I've been eyeing these sandals for some time. I've read that leather conducts the electricity- and yet, being a vegan, I am trying to move away from leather products... hmmm. Thanks for the review:) ~Juliane of www.StyleNectar.com
If you have ever been around a radio or TV signal and found that by changing your position or touching the arial in a different position you change the reception quality it is apparent that the body is a conductor or enhancer of electrical energy. Highly energetic people seem to emit more of this force.
This is no doubt something you have looked into - just observation on my part but may have something to do with the grounding of the sandals like lightning rods for the feet. Tynan said he didn't get static electrical shocks from the rugs in Vegas. Athatjz
I've read that grounding the body as often as possible helps to re-balance the body's
electrical system and neutralize any excess and potentially damaging
radiation. And that the body benefits from the free electrons of the
Earth which are naturally anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant in nature. It's my understanding that being grounded also allows 100% of the body's energy to be utilized
where it is most needed - for homeostasis. I hope I win. I'm in recovery from a health challenge and dedicated towards wellness. Thanks to all involved for your innovative contributions.
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The Most Minimalist Shoes in Existence
I had a bit of a love affair with the Vibram Five Fingers. Todd got a pair right before we headed to Tokyo on Life Nomadic 2008, and I was jealous the whole time. Near the end of the trip Vibram graciously sent me a pair (intentionally delayed until after the running of the bulls, because they didn't want to be associated with that), and I wore them as my only shoes for a couple years afterwards.
I love how the Five Fingers feel, I love how they look, and I love supporting such an innovative company, BUT.... they smell terrible.
If you wear them as your primary shoes, you have to wash them every five to seven days or they smell really bad. When you live in an RV, this is difficult to do well, and when they're your only set of footwear, it's annoying to wait for them to dry. So I began searching for a replacement.
Dirt and Skin
On like an appleDo you like to walk barefoot? I spent much of my childhood running barefoot around our farm. Not because I didn't have shoes,but because I preferred not to wear them. Also, we never wore shoes in the house. I guess because of the manure on our shoes.
I still don't wear shoes indoors, unless I have to. But I usually wear them outside. My feet have gotten less used to walking directly on the earth.
But when I do go barefoot, I swear, I feel a sort of charge in my feet. The textures and temperatures and curves and edges. Grass is the most wonderful, but even the roughness of concrete, the dust of dry dirt.
It feels great. I always find myself thinking that our feet were made to touch the earth we walk. Our skin yearns for sensation, and our feet are no exception.
I was thinking about this tonight as my youngest son, playing with toys he got for his birthday, got involved in moving muddy water from a deep puddle to a shallow one. In time he was stepping barefoot straight into the puddles. Watching him I could remember that cool, slick, gritty bottom of the puddles I loved to play in the same way in summer.