Luna Gordo Review: Initial Thoughts

I finally got my hands...Er....feet on a pair of Luna sandals. I have been watching their developement since their website first launched and they hand mad their sandals based on tracings you sent in. 

 

I am a Born to Run fan, having refs the book and I still listen to the audio book on long runs sometimes.  So I am very familiar with the story of Barefoot Ted and  Manuel Luna so the brand had always carried a bit of mystique for me.

Read Born to Run before the movie comes out.  I can't imagine how the movie will be but the book is a really good read and one of my favorite books of all time.

So why did it take me so long to finally buy a pair?  I run barefoot occaisonally, I run in Vibram Five Fingers heavily, and hav even ran in my own homemade huaraches.  That is what has kept me from ordering until recently.  Luna's until recently have been very homemade looking, in a good way, but they still looked a lot like the ones I could make myself.

The new straps and countersunk bit that replaces the knot underneath started to tip me over. Then because I was doing a review I got a discount and that tipped me over.  I am not a mercenary reviewer, I cannot be bought, but when opportunities present themselves I am an opportunistic reviewer!

So enough of this back story and exposition....

I ordered my Gordos and here is what I found in my mailbox today....

What?  I was expecting this....

I tell you the rough life of a reviewer.

Once I opened my envelope

I received two of my favorite pieces of schwag, stickers and a buff head wrap.

This multi wrap is awesome!  Anyone who knows me knows I am a head wrap fan.  They are the runners Swiss Army knife. 

So initial thoughts...

First off the MGT surface that your foot touches is awesome.  Feels tacky, grippy, and durable yet doesn't loose it's grip when it gets wet.  So top side is pretty awesome so far.

Bottom feels grippy. And it had those two words I love to see on runner soles..."Vi, Bram".  Vibram just makes really great rubber, it's the Vibranium/Adamantium of the running shoe world. (I love that Avengers and X-men are the popular culture now so people can actually get that reference).

 

The straps...

I really like the straps conceptually.  The adjustable pull across the top of the foot is excellent.  The straps have little bits of neoprene in strategic places to stop the heel back from sliding and the keep straps from sliding.

I really love the extra strap that loops through the heel strap.  When I tie my huaraches I do a similar technique where I loop through the heel section to keep it from falling back down and tightening the fit.

So far they are very comfortable, they feel  very well constructed.  Sturdy quality materials. My only initial concern is the strapping where it goes through the ankle area. 

I don't like knowing I am walking on the straps on the ground.  If these were homemade huaraches I would not mind. But Luna has already taken the time to improve the sandals by replacing the old knot through the sole with a plug.

That is my concern.  I would love to see some solution to this and then I think finally Luna's can become the 

super running versions of Chacos.

So the next important step is to take them out on the trails and the roads to beat the crap out of them!  I think this will be a daunting challenge as the materials feel very well made.  

So thanks for reading,  gotta run!