I've now had a chance to take the Gordos out for a few dances. A few dry trail runs, wet road runs, dry road runs, and nasty wet trail runs. There was maybe a moist run in there somewhere.
Please check out my initial thoughts post first before you read this part.
Here's my proving grounds:
So let's start from the bottom
The sole of the shoe...
The tread was adequate. I think by their nature huaraches function fairly independent of tread due to the way you can stab the ball of your foot into the ground. Trail was muddy and wet for two of the runs I did, no real issues with slippage.
The cushion. Being a huarache there is no rock plate. The Gordos are thick enough that roots, small stumps, and rocks were not deadly. But the soles are soft enough that I could still feel everything.
The soles is a dual layer with a firmer layer on the tread side and a softer layer on the top side. Which brings me to the top...
The MGT, monkey grip technology, top is awesome. It's like skateboard grip tape for sandals. Even wet...
The grip was still phenomenal . Huarache style sandals can suffer from slippage issues when you have to get technical. This can lead to bad slips and toe thong wedgies that can often lead to strap pull throughs. The grip in fact was so tacky that I began to develope a hot spot on the bottom of my right ball of my foot.
On to the straps
I like the evolution of of the straps on the upper. The wide nylon straps are very comfortable and feel very sturdy. They are a bit hard to adjust at the two lateral points through the sole.
Luna's tech strap is a brilliant, simple solution to the issue of heel slippage. Just put a strap from each heel section and attach them. Brilliant!
There are nice details like a softneoprene rubber on some of the heavy contact areas, the back of the heel and the instep.
So overall one of the best modern takes on huaraches I have ever worn, and probably the best on the market with the potential to become the clear winner.
Here comes my complaints that I have...
The first is that with the details in the straps of the added Velcro bits and the logo pieces lead to some rough plastic edges. They are easily taken care of with a little fine sandpaper or an emery board.
The second complaint is the strap attachments. I love the concept behind the sole plug that attaches to the strap through the toe split hole but it leads to pull throughs when the strap gets overloaded. Yes this is miles ahead of the old days of make a knot big enough that it won't pull through but not so big that it feels like you have a golf ball under the ball of your foot.
And the worst part is in adherence to the traditional simple design I hate the fact that I am running on part of the strap at each side of my ankle. I realize that there is really not a lot of wear on them in dirt trails but where I really love my huaraches is the road. Huaraches on the road are like convertibles with the AC blasting!
I have been a Luna Sandals troll for years. Watching the site evolve from kits like this...
To the evolution of their first strap plug
It has been wonderful to watch a company basically form and grow and evolve. But I want the next evolution.
I want modern huaraches with an attached toe thong section like a Teva or Chaco sandal. I want to see the straps actually run through a ring or strap section that is above the sole, not contacting the ground.
For me the strength of being able to replace and change out straps is a great strength but also then becomes the greatest weakness for me.
I feel that Luna's are about one to two more evolutions from becoming the perfect running sandals.
As they stand now they are still really awesome. Super comfortable, super durable, and they look good too. Especially there all chocolate leather ones, damn! Sexy!
If you have read Born to Run and enjoyed it I feel that Luna's are a way to connect to the feel of the book. And a way to support players in the book, ok it's mostly a way to support Barefoot Ted and his company. Which leads me to my last and final reason to buy a pair.
These guys are awesome! I have never had such friendly and personal emails from a company. There is no hint of a corporate mentality. The emails I got started out with "howdy".
So if you want to support a growing company that really does seem to be made up of people that truly enjoy their work with a passion, buy a pair. If you are huaraches curious and don't want to make your own pair, let Ted and his monkeys make you a pair. You won't regret it. At worst you will have a pair of comfy sandals. At best you will be changing the way you run and the way you think about what running can be.
Thanks for taking the time to read this review, appreciate it. Please leave me some comments at the bottom. I would love to here any feed back, but for now I gotta run!
When you decide you want to buy a pair please use this link
https://lunasandals.refersion.com/c/78f5a
It helps the site, so if you liked this review and decided to get a pair, please help support
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