EXODUS sandals….who’s in?

Ryan,
Thanks for your response to my concern and your offer.
Since I only use sandals for fording, think I'll just throw something together from some cheap EVA offerings from Walmart. Really need the neoprene sox to keep the feet warm enough in freezing water to feel what's under them, and thus prevent injury. Appreciate your honesty about the need for the toe loop.

No problem, Samuel. Sorry it didn't work out but if I can help you out in the future just drop me a PM.

We are at 27 pair so far..,tonight after work and a t-ball game, I will be working like mad getting everyone into the log with strap colors, etc. so I get materials ordered tomorrow!

Still time if anyone else is interested…

Thanks,
Ryan

First of all, I would like to give a huge THANK YOU for everyone who expressed interest and taking a chance on some newbie's sandal design. I hope to not disappoint and will do my very best to make sure that everyone is satisfied, but please provide feedback if there is anything you are not happy with along the way.

I am still working on organizing all of the information, colors, foot tracings to streamline the process once the materials get here but will do my best to keep everyone updated. Again, the best place for this will be at twitter.com/exodussandals and right here on BPL.

I will follow up with updates as frequent as possible so there are no surprises. Thank you again!

Ryan

p.s. if there are any that are interested, I will honor it as long as I get the paypal tonight. thanks.

One pair for Down Under if that's OK; $$ sent, email with size will follow. Let me know how much extra I owe you for postage – email fine, kk aaaat dcsi d-o-t net dot au.

Great project! Will save me some MYOG time. Looking forward to the XOs!

KK

Just wanted to let everyone know that all of the materials were ordered late last night and the rubber today. Hurry up and wait :-)

I also completed the customer log (late) last night to make sure I wasn't missing anyone, as well as added a couple very late night ;-) stragglers.

Thanks again everyone, I will keep people posted.

My plan, if it works for all here, was to update via twitter (i.e. text message direct to your cell phone) to let you know what # on the list you are as well as timing.

Let me know if that works/doesn't work for all here.

Thanks,
Ryan

twitter.com/exodussandals

FYI when I go to the twitter account you are listing it is showing as suspended…

Thanks, Bayden….I have already contacted twitter. For some reason they think I'm a spam account…

Thanks,
Ryan

Just a quick update….

The ETA on the rubber is this week Wednesday according to the supplier and I have everything else in now. I do have a very small quantity of left over rubber that I have begun using to make a few pairs, so I have shipped out a pair on Friday and am planning on shipping out two more pairs tomorrow if all goes as planned. Just want to keep everyone up to speed as promised.

Also, I can't get a reply from Twitter on the suspended account so I had to open another account. Sorry for the inconvenience but you can follow me at http://twitter.com/exodusco for text updates and the feed from my site as well as news and announcements. This will have the latest information on where we are at and, other than direct email, will serve as the place to give a heads-up on everything EXODUS including whose sandals I've shipped and whose is on deck.

BTW, I would like to officially ask that if anyone has ANY failures on their sandals to contact me right away (and send photos if you can). I'd like to document everything in my log if anything goes wrong and continue to improve the design and, in addition, make sure we chat so that we can get them repaired or replaced.

Thanks again for all of your support! You have made this a pleasurable experience thus far…

Ryan

Just wanted to let you know that the Vibram rubber has made it to my doorstep…

This means that I will be officially getting started on the sandals, although I have already started to fulfill a few orders with the a couple sheets that I had.

Just as an FYI… I have been working toward finishing at least two pair a night, and it has been taking me approx 1-1.5 hrs per pair including scaling feet drawings, printing, cutting, cutting rubber, stamping holes, hand momding the rubber, cutting nylon, burning the plug, lacing the sandals and packing for shipment!

Thanks for your patience and for the support. I will let inform everyone what number sandal I am on and what number you are via twitter (twitter.com/exodusco) or if you ask.

Thanks,
Ryan

Thanks for the updates Ryan. I just signed up for Twitter so I now can get updates that way that way.

Ryan,

I received my XOs in the mail this morning. #5 Yay!
Out of the packaging, 8.8oz total, 4.4oz each (I usually wear size 10.5-11 shoes). The fit is very good and REALLY comfortable (well ok in the first 30 minutes I've been wearing and walking around in them). Took a few minutes to get the straps adjusted comfortably tight, but that is expected.

Looking forward to continued use! Thanks!

The picture makes it look like the footbed is quite a bit longer than my toes. A trick of the angle to some degree, and the edges are upswept and the light does not capture that. I think they are the perfect size. And, admittedly, I have F'ed up 4th and 5th toes…

Nice amount of extra webbing to make adjustments. I will probably trim that down somewhat once I have the fit dialed in.

@Brian – glad to hear it! And excited that you are excited…thanks for posting some feedback and a photo!

Keep us posted!

Ryan

P.S. hopefully this is last time I say this but Twitter fixed out account so we are live again at twitter.com/exodussandals

@EXODUSsandals via Twitter

"@EXODUSsandals: Four pairs of #XOs going out the door this morning. Steven Maul, Craig & Glenda, @baydencline … these are for you! http://t.co/QI6C8NywEg"

Like I mentioned before folks, please let me know if there is anything you dislike about them…

Thanks,
Ryan

‏@EXODUSco via Twitter

"Erik + Emily, Tim + Noelle + Lily, Jared R & Richard C – your #EXODUSsandals are in the mail! You'll be XO'ing before you know it! #stepout"

More sandals shipped today. Seven pair. We were able to get 10 pair finished this weekend, but I am trying to track down a few addresses.

Thanks,
Ryan

We received our sandals today and are very pleased. After a few minutes of fooling around with the straps, they are incredibly comfy and attach securely to the foot. The foliage color seems like it will go with anything. Bravo to Ryan!

@Erik – so glad to hear it! Thanks for the feedback… when you get a chance, share your experience and photos from the trip (via here, twitter or exodussandals.com/ submit).

@All – I am planning on putting together a tutorial on how to adjust but hopefully this is a good reference point…

1. Start at the toe loop and adjust the squeeze to your liking (may need to adjust off the foot and then slip it on, that hole is purposely as tight as I could get it to ensure no slippage during active pursuits)

2. Once XO toe lock is set, work your way across the front strap and then to the main cross strap which leads to the side buckle near the inside of the foot. I prefer to leave this cross strap a bit loose (i.e. one or two fingers room between the strap and the top of your foot). This will allow the cross strap to pull to the outside a bit during the final tightening step. Also, note that if this strap is too tight, your foot will typically be pushed to the back of the sandal.

3. To adjust the strapping that runs through the side buckles, including the heel strap, remove the sandal and slide the side buckles up, or away from the footbed. This will provide some space & strapping between the buckle and the rubber, which will allow for adjustment

4. Once the heel strap is adjusted to your liking and double checking the cross strap, simply slide the buckles back down toward the sandal to lock in your adjustments.

5. Pull the extra strapping coming from the buckle on the outside of the foot, tighten the top buckle to your liking and voila!

Hopefully this helps. I have found that once this is done, you can actually slide the sandal off and on by just dropping the heel strap rather than loosening and tightening every time.

Thanks!
Ryan

Wow, some how I missed this entire thread after following your original one with great interest. Is it too late to get a pair?

Thanks,
Adam

My foot size is 11 Wide, with a 44 (EU sized) fitting as well. Size of the foot bed that I traced out for Ryan is 11 7/8" X 4 3/4", 210 grams for the pair. When I opened the package my first impressions were that the Foliage color of the straps is perfect, and is my foot REALLY that big?
I initially had the strapping too tight but found the perfect fit. Ryan, your fitting instructions are spot on. The foot bed conforms to your foot as you wear them so the feel is much more light and secure that any sandal that I have tried.
I'm using these for running on grass, crushed rock, dirt, mud or wood chip trails, so far up to two miles per day with no slips or dreaded flip flop blowouts/skinned up toes.
Very pleased with the product and service! My running partner is happy too but then I'll never run as fast or as far as Maggie.

Thanks for the great feedback, Steven…and glad the directions on fit helped out.

I updated the XO site to reflect that for now…hopefully it helps. Email me some photos and I can throw them up on the site!

Thanks,
Ryan

Hi again, everyone…

just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone again for all of the support and positive experience getting the initial run of XOs completed. I am sure many are just getting back from the holiday or some are still on vacation (as I am) but I am hoping to get some more feedback from those who have some EXODUS sandals on their feet.

I am working on a solution to add to the XO site for purchasing in the future and hoping to have something up on the site within the next week. Then, I will start following up with those who expressed interest.

So with that, I kindly ask to please continue with the feedback, the good, bad and ugly as I would really appreciate knowing how everyone and their XOs are faring.

Thanks again,
Ryan

@EXODUSsandals

Mine are working great. I've been using them while surf fishing on San Diego area beaches. They have handled the steep trail down from the Torrey Pines Gliderport trail much better than I expected. No slipping at all. The fit is comfortable and the traction they provide is great. I had the heel straps too loose at first and the outgoing wave surge wanted to pull the heel strap off of my heel. I went thru the strap adjustment instructions and now have a very secure strap setup that is stable both on the trail and in the moving water of the surf zone. Best sandals I found yet for walking in ankle deep surf on sandy beaches. Thanks again for a neat custom sandal.

Just a note to say that I am very pleased with my Exodus sandals. Excellent fit, feel, and functionality. These sandals are exactly what I have been looking for for a long time. I thought of making a pair similar in design but I know my end product would have been nothing compared to Ryan's excellent choice of materials and workmanship. Looking forward to using them and seeing what kind of mileage/time I get from them. Thanks, Ryan! –Mike

My XOs have arrived! My only complaint so far is that it's winter here so I can't really wear them outside at the moment.

But I love the design – it's ingenious – secure on the foot without slipping strap issues I've had with other minimalist designs. I find the toe strap much more comfortable than huaraches, and also more comfortable than Teva Zilch. Colour is good too.

We'll be flying into a European summer in a few weeks, and the XOs are on the packing list – great opportunity to give them a good workout!

Thanks heaps for a really well designed and versatile sandal!

I hope to have a small review up by the end of the week. I've been pretty pleased so far!

Review here.