Luna Leadville?

[Nick B]

Wondering what users think of these for hiking rocky trails?  Mainly, are the soles SQUISHY??

I’ve been using the Xero 4mm DIYs and I love them but I’ve found that in really rocky terrain (I.e.- PCT around CA Hwy 4) my feet get pretty beat up through the soles after only 9 miles. Looking to make more like 15 – 25 miles a day, which I am plenty capable of in Altra Superiors.

I’ve tried Bedrock Sandals with 9mm soles and  Unshoes with 7mm. They’re well made products but don’t work for me for various reasons.

So now I’m looking at Luna Leadvilles, particularly the Pacers.  They look nice and flexible. Straps look good.  What are your thoughts?

 

[Jennifer Mitol]

I have the monos and I don’t find them “squishy” at all – but instead a bit firm.  I find them the absolute most comfortable sandal I’ve ever worn – and I hike with them on very rocky texas trails.

[Nick B]

The reason I ask if they’re squishy is because, from what I can tell, the Leadvilles use a more flexible sole.  Some reviews have referred to it as neoprene, so I’m thinking wetsuit.

How long did it take the Monos to form to your foot?  If you hold them in your hand by the heel with the shoe sticking straight out do they droop? Or are they stiff?  That is one of my biggest gripes with the Bedrocks, too stiff.

[Jennifer Mitol]

I’ll check – i think they stay put.  they are firm but I would not at all call them stiff.  I’ll take a photo of what they look like now – the fronts of the shoes actually bend upwards now (since apparently that’s what I do with my toes?)

They felt like they fit my feet the second I put them on, so it’s tough to say when they actually molded to my feet.  I would say within a few weeks I had some pretty permanent footprints on the footbeds.

And yes, the Leadvilles may be more what you are looking for – I’d ask Luna to be honest – they were very helpful for me via email when I was trying to figure out which to buy

 

 

[Christopher Yi]

I have the Leadville Pacers with hemp laces.  Like Jennifer said, they’re firm, no droop with the shoe sticking straight out but super flexible.  They’ll mold slightly to your feet after a couple of hikes.  I don’t recommend traditional laces if you’re doing a lot of hills.  I bruised the top of my right heel bone pretty good before I got the lacing and walking down, 6 months later I still get occasional pain.

[Diane Pinkers]

I’d appreciate some commentary comparing the Bedrock Sandals,the Unshoes and the Luna sandals.  I have a pair of Lunas, mostly because I live near Seattle and encountered them first.  I’ve only used them for casual use so far, but am contemplating using them more for trails next summer.    Knowing the subtle differences between these sandals would be cool.

[Nick B]

Thanks for all the responses.  After a bit of an email conversation with Kelly of Luna CS I ended up ordering the Leadville Pacers. According to Kelly (who was awesome, by the way), they are not super squishy but do have some squish, are flexible, and have good ground feel.

Those are all very subjective statements but it sounds promising so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Diane – As far as comparisons go, since I don’t have the Lunas yet, I obviously can’t compare the others to your benchmark.

The Xeros that I have are the 4mm DIY kit.  These have round synthetic laces.  The rubber is very dense but, at only 4mm is very flexible.  Holding the shoe between thumb and forefinger by the heel with the body of the shoesticking straight out, the shoe will droop  80+ degrees, pointing almost straight down.  When wearing them I can easily fold the sole under by curling my toes.  Obviously, these offer almost no protection from lumps but good protection from pokies.  The sole is one solid piece of rubber with no additional footbed, though there is a crosshatch pattern on top in an attempt to mitigate foot slip.  My feet still slide on steep hills when wet. The laces offer a lot of options and a pretty unlimited amount of adjustment, though they take quite a bit of trial and error to get right.

<span style=”line-height: 1.8;”>The Bedrocks that I have are the Synclines with 8mm soles and a ballistic nylon footbed both glued and stitched to the sole.  When performing the flexibility test as mentioned above these have absolutely no sag.  I can not fold them under with my toes. These have webbing straps with a single ladder lock for adjustment. These shoes are ok when not walking on pavement.  However, on flat hard surfaces I find that they hurt my feet because they are so stiff and flat.  Also, it took me several days to figure out why the tips of my toes were so sore.  Turns out the stitching attaching the footbed to the shoe is raised and was rubbing my toes raw.  I also feel that the ballistic nylon offers no protection from foot slip. </span>

The Unshoes are the Uintas model which is more of a hybrid sport sandal than a huarache.  Mine have 6mm soles with 1mm footbeds. These have maybe 5 degrees of sag when doing the above mentioned test. These are my newest pair and I have very little experience with them.  However, I can tell that I will not be hiking in these.  I find the connection points for the straps to be a source of irritation to my foot.  Also, I feel that my foot is too secured in them, kind of taking away one of the things that I love about my huaraches.  Perhaps the Wakova Feathers would have been the better choice for me.  I do like the footbed material and the traction pattern on the 6mm soles.  As I said, I have very little experience with this shoe. The reason I decided to go with the Lunas over the Wakova Feathers is 1) the straps on the Lunas look like they will be awesome for technical trails while still maintaining the freedom of huarache, 2) the nylon webbing “posts” at the ankles on the Wakovas for some reason seem like they would irritate me.

 

[Diane Pinkers]

Thanks, Nick!  Sounds to me I’m not missing out on anything, and the Lunas were a good choice.  Please report back after you’ve tried your Lunas, and fill in the comparison.

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