Topic

Earth Runner Sandals vs Exodus Sandals


Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) Earth Runner Sandals vs Exodus Sandals

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 52 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1311541
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    Grounding sandals?

    Give me a break!

    A fool and his money are soon parted.

    –B.G.–

    #2058703
    Adrien Baker
    Member

    @adrienbaker

    Locale: Kern County

    Might as well throw Bedrock Sandals into the conversation as well.

    I hadn't heard of Earth Runner until you posted this. Exodus was quasi born here on BPL from what I gather and currently they do custom sizing only. Bedrock does standard and custom sizing, however they will let you order multiple sizes to get the right size and then they pay for the return shipping. Bedrock is also a 1% For The Planet company if that is important to you.

    #2058710
    Jennifer Mitol
    Spectator

    @jenmitol

    Locale: In my dreams....

    I bought one of Ryan's original run of exodus sandals and I love them. They are super comfy and I wear them everywhere…..best sandals I've owned, hands down

    #2058778
    spelt with a t
    BPL Member

    @spelt

    Locale: Rangeley, ME

    I was a beta tester in the first production run of Exodus sandals. The only thing I've written I've dared call a review: here.

    #2058810
    Edward Jursek
    BPL Member

    @nedjursekgmail-com

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    I would also throw Unshoe and Luna into the brand mix. As a Seattle resident who lives a mile from their shop, I remain loyal to Luna, and hope to do a lot of backpacking next year wearing their new Oso sandal.

    #2058991
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Another option are xero shoe sandals, which come in a DIY kit.

    Cost is cheaper than all the other previously mentioned options at 29.99.

    http://xeroshoes.com/index-nav-mwc.php

    #2058994
    Ryan French
    Member

    @lifegearguy

    Hi Scott,

    I see you came across our photo site and appreciate the interest. A little insight from a biased persepctive…

    Bedrock Sandals – great minimalist sandal with the same tread as our XO originals (6mm Vibram sport utility), these guys do a stand up job and couldn't recommend them enough if you like the huarache strap option

    Luna Sandals – another great minimalist sandal company with much thicker soling options vs Bedrock. If you like more cushion, these are the way to go, specifically the Mono's. I have been testing our own version with this same (Vibram) sole at 10mm and can tell you that is is a great sole. Hoping to bring this to the table this upcoming year.

    Earth Runners – no comment

    Unshoes – Pah Tempe's are a good compromise from what I can see (never tried them but read lots of good things about them). If you hate the strap between your toes, then give them a shot.

    EXODUS – full disclosure….this is my (small, humble) company. These sandals were born out of necessity for me and my feet based on two factors 1) I live in sandals 8 months out of the year and need more lateral stability than what was offered (i.e. toe strap//lock and hand molded Vibram rubber soles) & 2) The single huarache style strap, for me, needed to be tightened quite a bit to keep the sandal in place and was very uncomfortable between my toes. Our XO's, believe it or not, don't actually rub. And from first hand experience (everything possible I knew to throw at them including river swimming, sunken mud up to my waist, you name it, I can tell you that if you dial in the fit, they will stay on). Also with over 100 pair shipped, we have not received a complaint about toe strap discomfort).

    From my point of view, that is what I see. For early spring, if things go as planned, we will be offering standard sizing and at least one (if not two) additional soling options for a little less ground feel/more comfort cushion (without additional weight!!!).

    Thanks,
    Ryan

    p.s. Jen, thanks so much for the kind words and glad you are a happy camper :)

    #2058999
    Ozzy McKinney
    Spectator

    @porcupinephobia

    Locale: PNW

    as a year-round huarache wearer, I feel like these "grounding" folks aren't helping my case when people look at me like I'm crazy…

    I have talked to people who like their copper shoe insoles. I should add I have not done any research on the whole copper thing.

    I'll throw out a vote for Bedrocks, great customer service and great strapping system.

    Ryan, I'll just admit it, I'm scared to lock down my big toe! That being said, I plan on trying Exodus out because I'm curious. Big Toe will just have to keep an open mind.

    The big thing that Luna has going for them, in my opinion, is the MGT footbed. It isn't an issue for everyone, but here in the PNW, bare-top huaraches can get a little exciting in the slip department. I haven't tried the MGT, but to my knowledge it is the only "wet grip" footbed on the market currently.

    #2059046
    Gerald L
    Spectator

    @mtngeronimo

    Locale: SoCal

    I can only speak for my Exodus Sandal. I really enjoyed my original pair of Chacos because of the secure locking toe loop but was very disappointed with the X2 version because of the weight and thickness of the sole. I was very pleased with the introduction of the Exodus. They offered the secure and highly adjustable strap configuration on a lightweight/minimalist platform that is custom fit and molded. Customer service is excellent. Performance is great and I use them for hiking in all sorts of mixed terrain and water. I pack them along on trips as my camp, backup, and shower shoe. Highly recommended.

    #2059048
    Ryan French
    Member

    @lifegearguy

    @Ozzy – glad you are keeping an open mind about the toe strap! Regarding the MGT, we have something similar to test out but truthfully haven't gotten around to it because the strapping system for our XO's keep your feet in place very well (i.e. No worries about the front of your for slipping off of the footbed).

    @Gerald – thanks for the kind words! Glad you are still enjoying them.

    Let me know if I can help answer any other questions!

    Ryan

    (Oh yeah, there is a detailed review of our sandals on birthdayshoes.com, if you google exodus sandals and birthdayshoes, link should come up)

    #2059233
    Dale Wambaugh
    BPL Member

    @dwambaugh

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    Bob wrote, "Grounding sandals?

    Give me a break!

    A fool and his money are soon parted.

    –B.G.–"

    Bob, I'm surprised in you. I think you're overdue for your chakra alignment. You always get cranky around the solstice ;)

    #2059434
    Edward Jursek
    BPL Member

    @nedjursekgmail-com

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    Thanks Dale, Bob was really harshing my mellow. I am waiting for a hemp pair of sandals to come out here in Washington. Maybe some more hemp cloths, hemp shelters and some really great infused backpacking food too! Pretty soon the PNW will need an Ultra Mellow backpacking thread.

    #2059437
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    "We’re passionate about promoting a more grounded way of living that is possible when connected to the Earth’s electric potential of zero volts."

    I really wonder what kind of nitwit understands that kind of marketing claim.

    –B.G.–

    #2059515
    Dale Wambaugh
    BPL Member

    @dwambaugh

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    "I really wonder what kind of nitwit understands that kind of marketing claim"

    There's one born every minute. :)

    I can understand the aesthetic appreciation of such things. It is just a personal preference and doesn't need any more justification. When people reach for quasi scientific principles to justify their preferences, my quack alarm starts to squawk. I'm a child of the sixties and I've heard enough of this bulk organic fertilizer to keep my garden green.

    As far as the hemp thing goes, it's just rope to me. I don't smoke rope no more :)

    #2059517
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    "There's one born every minute."

    Agreed.

    –B.G.–

    #2059521
    Marko Botsaris
    BPL Member

    @millonas

    Locale: Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

    "We’re passionate about promoting a more grounded way of living that is possible when connected to the Earth’s electric potential of zero volts."

    I really wonder what kind of nitwit understands that kind of marketing claim.



    Hum, my chakras must be ma-aligned when I get zapped by the carpet in the morning. Though it IS true, provided the sandals conduct the earth's current, that the wearers ARE marginally more likely to commune with the earth electric field in the form of getting struck by lightning. :-)

    As a total aside, my slightly new-agey friend (but still tenuously connected to a desire for reality) asked me a few weeks ago to critique this $300 dollar box she was sold that broadcasts 7.8 Hz EM(a.k.a. the Schulman resonance frequency, such as mentioned on the sandal website), and asked me if it was worth it!! She and her husband are barely scraping by, and it made me mad.

    So…the earth is basically a giant resonant cavity, as most undergrad physics majors know, due to the ionosphere. It can be rung like a bell with frequency about 7.8 Hz, only with EM, not sound. It gets "rung" by any large electric disturbance, including lightning. Big freakin' deal. So these guys were selling her a $300 7.8 Hz wave generator that sits on her desk that I could build for a few cents worth of parts. So while these guys were promoting getting in tune with the earth, they were still most definitely in tune with the crassest of crass capitalism. That was the major violation in my view. If people was to paint a rock purple and say it is blessed by the earth mother, and it makes them happy, I think that is fine – just don't sell it for $300 to some unsuspecting person, and imply that there is established science behind it.

    Second, she was told that this frequency would alleviate her anxiety around her computer, which was either drowning out the earths natural vibes, or broadcasting negative energy – never really could work out the crux of the argument. I pointed out that the anxiety was far more likely to be due to "past and ongoing computer traumas" than interference with "natures good vibes". I emailed her the published review of all the data that showed there was no viable evidence at all to date that people could sense or otherwise be effected by this type of electromagnetic radiation – yes these nutters have made a big enough imprint that someone undertook a serious review of the "data" and published the results which prove there is no viable evidence at all, and yes I wasted about 30 minute actually looking this up. *sigh*

    So no, not only is there zero reason to believe in this nonsense and no *actual* theory that would merit the name, the data actually shows there is no effect present. If you eliminate the placebo effect then there is nothing.

    She forwarded this email (without asking me) to the person who sold her the device and asked for her money back, and that person forwarded it to the joker who sold it to her, and so it began. I don't think some of them have been taking there medicine. I was accrued immediately of (a) being unqualified, and (b) being just another of those "skeptics" that don't know anything, ect. etc.

    Yikes! Sometimes I think the "new-age industrial complex" has BECOME the Man. I guess that is just Nature balancing things out – full circle and all that don'tya know.

    #2059523
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    "We’re passionate about promoting a more grounded way of living that is possible when connected to the Earth’s electric potential of zero volts."

    I don't know what the above means, or if it has any merit, but i do know that when i go truly barefoot (no footwear on bare earth), i do tend to feel better in ways (unless i happen to step in dog poo or the like, bit of a buzz kill psychologically at least).

    Whether it's a structural body/ligament/muscle/bone thang, a "grounding" earth electricity thang, a kind of placebo affect, or something else, i don't know and am not certain of one way or the other. Ultimately, it's more important and affecting to me that i notice i feel better and its an automatic thing, and i doubt it's placebo because i don't have any concrete, preconceived belief about it to begin with.

    Unfortunately, i do not know all there is to know about reality. Uncertainty is very scary for most folks, and so we spend our lives convincing ourselves and being convinced by the society and cultures we live in, to think we know all there is to know about different subjects. These are called belief systems and like rules, are meant to be broken unless they are accurate and true.

    I've had enough belief system crashes due to conflicts with experience to be hesitant as a trend to build up any strong and fast belief systems based solely on the opinions of others, even the majority or the experts.

    These experiences have lead me to consider deeply that reality is much bigger than what mainstream beliefs, whether scientific or religious, would have us believe. Funny enough, if you sort of merge the two, it sort of comes closer.

    I guess what i'm saying is that an open, but skeptical mind set, is almost always a constructive, helpful approach and process.

    A funny true (and mild) account along these lines. For a time, awhile back, i was into gem stones. I had started to wear a piece of Azurite. After a day or two of constantly wearing in contact with my skin (on my neck, over my chest), i started to get a continued headache (not something i expected or read about). I am not prone to headaches whatsoever, rarely ever get them. The only time is when i have a bad cold, but in this case i certainly felt fine otherwise.

    I mentioned this odd headache to my future wife (new girlfriend in the past), who was a lot less open minded than myself until she started to have some of her own non conventional experiences, how i thought it might be related to wearing the Azurite as this was the only thing that changed recently.

    She laughed at and made fun of me, saying sarcastically, "oh, magic rocks.."

    On an intuition i said to her, "ok, maybe it has nothing to do with the Azurite, but let's test this. Lay down and let's put the Azurite on your upper forehead and let's see what, if anything, happens."

    Convinced nothing would happen, and it was an easy way for her to prove herself right , she agreed. Within about 15 minutes or so, she started to get an intense, somewhat throbbing headache much to her surprise and dislike. It lasted for a little while after she took the Azurite off her forehead.

    She didn't quite laugh and make fun after, as she had before.

    What the above means to this day, i really don't know with any certainty. All i'm certain of, is we both experienced very noticeable effects from close contact with this stone. I do know that a small little rock, should not, from conventional, mainstream scientific view, induce significant headaches.

    In any case, i've observed among my fellow humans, that both a truly open or truly scientific mind is quite rare.

    p.s. after wearing it for a couple more days after, the headache went away, whatever it was, my body got used to or adjusted to it.

    I lean to thinking the Earth is a much more powerful energy than a little stone, so maybe direct contact with it has some importance and effect? Again, i don't know what the exact mechanism might be, whether elctro magnetic, or something else, don't know.

    But, i wont be buying these special sandals anytime soon, i can just take off my shoes to get that feel good effect.

    #2059529
    Marko Botsaris
    BPL Member

    @millonas

    Locale: Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

    Justin, DON'T think of a pink elephant for the next 5 second. SEE you can't!

    Sorta makes you wonder about pink elephants, doesn't it????? Are they controlling our minds? Or are they just trying to tell us something important? And if so, are they good elephants or bad elephant?

    The skeptics just want to deny the effect of pink elephants on the psychic field of the earth, but I think if we listen to them we might learn something important.

    #2059535
    Dale Wambaugh
    BPL Member

    @dwambaugh

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    I'm confused. Are the sandals made from pink elephant skin?

    #2059536
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Well, if those pink elephants happen to induce any strong headaches, i may just have to pay deeper attention to them beyond a fleeting thought or visualization. Reminds me of my chocolate experience in a round about way. Boy how the media and i had myself convinced that chocolate was great for my bodies health. Unfortunately, despite the intense placebo desire, the body just kept disagreeing with my mind, emotions, and beliefs about it until eventually the mind caught on through repeated observation and experience. "dang hives, why am i getting it again? Oh, could it be..nah..it couldn't be… NO IT MUST NOT BE.. Shite, it's the chocolate." (btw, made in a form with much less sugar and much less fat than most chocolate) Being open minded and willing to question, kind of sucks.

    Btw, Nice "try" though ;)

    #2059537
    Marko Botsaris
    BPL Member

    @millonas

    Locale: Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

    "The folks at BackpackingLight need to do a minimalist Sandal review."

    Yeah, because after this last year's crop of reviews the staff is running out of review ideas for stuff not related to backpacking.

    #2059538
    Dale Wambaugh
    BPL Member

    @dwambaugh

    Locale: Pacific Northwest

    "Yeah, because after this last year's crop of reviews the staff is running out of review ideas for stuff not related to backpacking."

    Ultralight backpacking :)

    #2059539
    Marko Botsaris
    BPL Member

    @millonas

    Locale: Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

    Just when I think Justin can't possibly write something as dumb as his last post, he proves me wrong again…over and over. That's the skeptic in me, never giving up.

    Kudos, I stand corrected, indeed in awe.

    #2059541
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    "Just when I think Justin can't possibly write something as dumb as his last post, he proves me wrong again…over and over. That's the skeptic in me, never giving up.

    Kudos, I stand corrected, indeed in awe."

    And just when i think that Mark might possibly (but with doubt) reply without personal insults or put downs, he proves me both wrong and right at the same time in expectations.

    #2059542
    Marko Botsaris
    BPL Member

    @millonas

    Locale: Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

    Ain't I a stinker?

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 52 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Get the Newsletter

Get our free Handbook and Receive our weekly newsletter to see what's new at Backpacking Light!

Gear Research & Discovery Tools


Loading...