Bedrock Cairn Sandals Review

[Andrew Marshall]

Companion forum thread to: Bedrock Cairn Sandals Review

This review of the Bedrock Cairn Sandals examines footwear for hiking in sandals that is comfortable, secure, and grippy in dry, loose conditions.

[Thom]

I just had a pair resoled w the wet grip soles and got rid of the Velcro in the heal. That’s another mod they do . $78 plus what I paid to ship.  Turn around was quick. They were super easy to get renewed. Super nice folks .  I like the non Velcro heal strap and haven’t noticed a big difference in the wet, still kinda new.  The gray soles seams softer ,more cushion. Was told 10% softer for the gray/ wet grip soles.
Thom

[James Montavon]

I’ve been wearing Luna Monos for a few years now, very similar design to the Middle Bear, and found them to be almost amazing. After using some luko tape to cover the corner of the wing that would consistently cause me a small sore and another small strip on the tightening strap to keep them tighter longer, I really love them- but if that tape wears off mid hike I’m in trouble! I’ve learned to check the tape before a day hike and always keep extra tape on my trekking pole. I am curious if this is an issue with my foot shape/gait, this specific model, or a more general problem. Has anyone else developed sores from the “wings” of sandals like these?

[Ratatosk]

^ I had a bad first few days with Bedrocks, but it wasn’t a shoe/foot incompatibility issue, just a bad hard edge on a wing. After soaking them a few hikes through creeks and walking them dry, they were fine. (And for 120 bucks I wasn’t going to give up after only a couple of miles on them.) Now they’re basically all I wear day-to-day. If I had to constantly alter my footwear to make it wearable, that would put it in the “sucks” category for me.

As a side note, I have the sculpted footbed Bedrocks, and they’re not at all deeply sculpted; more a couple of toe-dimples dug out. I work in a woodshop with a concrete floor and I frequently wear them standing at a bench all day, although my feet can ache the next morning.

I think the Bedrocks are the best of the barefoot, huarache-style sandals, but they’re still murder when they’re wet and slippery on any sort of challenging terrain. (The soles have good traction, it’s the foot-shoe interface that’s the issue.) I understand there is careful emphasis on “dry, loose conditions” in that review, but I would have liked to have seen at least a sentence or two on wet, nasty, slippery conditions, like sidehilling under a packload, or walking through deep mud, or creekwalking – because gear shouldn’t only be considered in ideal circumstances, and bedrocks become a different sandal then.

 

[W I S N E R !]

I have had the Cairns with the grey soles for probably 3 years? (can’t remember) or right around the time they were released.

These are minimal sandals; zero cushion, zero drop, zero footbed sculpting. The sole grips well, but as Ratatosk says, I find them incredibly slippery between the foot and the footbed. Add a little mud and you’re in big trouble, though most every sandal I’ve worn in these conditions fails. I purchased them for summer canyoneering and hiking in wet canyons…no go, I’m better off with fast draining trail runners.

Nowadays the Bedrocks still get worn on casual hikes and as camp shoes, but not for anything serious.

[Andrew Marshall]

Hey Ratatosk! Agree that ideally, a review should cover as many hiking conditions as possible. I live in the Sierra Nevada and frankly, there isn’t a lot of deep mud or sidehilling in slippery, nasty conditions to be had. I’m planning on testing Bedrock’s thicker, more wet-specific version of this sandal next time I make it back to my home range of the Smoky Mountains, and I’ll either update this review with that info or write a new one.

Personally speaking, I don’t have issues with my foot slipping off the footbed here, but can see that some people might. I’m not a canyon guy, nor do I spend a ton of time hiking up or down creek beds. I generally stay on trail and cross streams and rivers, and in this regard, they meet my needs.

James – the wings here didn’t bother me at all!

[Author]

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