Shoe Review – The Luna Sandal – Part 2

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This is the second part of my review of the Original Luna Sandal, a type of running huaraches that were developed by “Barefoot Ted” McDonald. Be sure to read the first part, with my introduction to huaraches.

More on Lacing

After getting a chance to try out some of the different lacing options for the Luna Sandals, I’ve decided that I prefer the hemp cord as opposed to the elastic Equus lacing. Even though the elastic lacing is easier to take on and off, I feel like it is a little too tight on my feet (after coming back from a run I’ve noticed indentations in my skin).

So, I tied up one sandal with the hemp and left the other with the elastic cord and spent a day running with them like that. There was a noticeably different feel with the elastic cord, it just seemed to dig into the webbing between my two big toes more than the hemp.

Either way, Luna Sandals provides some instructions on how to tie your regular cord laces in a way that allows you to easily slip them off and on.

Compared to the nylon I’ve used with my other pair of huaraches, I also prefer the hemp. It just seems to feel better on my skin. I’m not sure I could guarantee that you wouldn’t feel any irritation, but it felt fine on my skin. If you get some chafing initially, you can always try putting some athletic tap between your toes or wear some Injinji socks. You’ll be getting some weird looks anyway for running in huaraches, so adding some toe socks to the outfit won’t change anything.

Of course, the issue there could have been the thickness of the cord. The nylon was pretty thin, while the hemp has a little bit of extra girth to it. I suspect that the extra surface area keeps it from digging into your foot as much.

Difficult Terrain

The thicker-soled Original Luna’s (approx 6mm with neoprene and leather) will be perfectly sufficient to block the feel of stray rocks and roots. That’s something the Invisible Shoe sandals will not be able to do, since they’re just a couple of millimeters thick.

As far as water goes, the Vibram tread on the bottom will be sufficient to provide anti-slick traction in wet conditions, I took them out for a quick jog in the rain and had no issues with ground traction. The real problem would be your foot slipping on the top of the sandal. With or without the leather upper on top of the neoprene, when running in the rain my feet would slide around a little bit.

You also won’t want to go slogging through mud in these. Any suction created by stepping into mud is going to pull the sandal away from your foot. Besides putting a lot of friction on the crook of your big toe by pulling on the cord, you also run the risk of popping the bottom knot out through the front hole. Yes, the neoprene is stretchable enough that this can happen. I’ve done it.

Quick advice – don’t try to stalk deer in swampy conditions while wearing huaraches.

Finally, terrain with a lot of twigs or objects poking out at your feet could potentially snag the front of your sandal. If they aren’t fitted well enough to your foot that could cause them to fold under your foot while running. I don’t see this as much of an issue with the thicker Original Luna’s as it was for me with my thinner DIY huaraches. Maybe the thicker material just keeps them from folding under as easily.

Bottom Knot

Some readers have expressed issues with the bottom knot coming undone, or even being a nuisance. Personally, I’ve never had a problem with the knots coming undone with my fiber cord laces, and they didn’t come undone during this past week when I was running around in them. If you do have problems with them though, you can always just tie the knot again (assuming you left enough extra cord to work with).

I always leave some extra cord in case I need to tie the bottom knot or if some of the cord starts to fray at the ends. Maybe I look like Xena Warrior princess with all of that cord tied around my ankle, but I prefer to be more cautious rather than cutting off all of that extra material.

Other people worry about how the bottom knot might feel under their feet. I had this worry as well with my first pair of huaraches, and I could feel it a little bit with the really thin soles. With the 6mm Original Luna’s however I can’t even tell there is a knot under my foot. Trust me, it’s not an issue.

Lightweight Footwear

I enjoy running in huaraches and I think one of the main reasons is because they are so light. It’s definitely been a recent trend with shoe development to make footwear weigh less in general. Well, you can’t get much lighter than just having a thin flap of rubber beneath the bottom of your feet! As weight goes, the Original Luna is not the lightest sandal you can run in – the Invisible Shoe or Luna Equus will probably take that prize. But, for somebody looking to start out with huaraches, I think the Original would be a good compromise.

Overall Opinion

I really like the Original Luna Sandal. I was impressed with the craftsmanship when I first received them, and I’m satisfied with their durability after running in them all around my neighborhood for the last week. I didn’t have enough time to put in mileage that would cause significant wear and tear, but I’m confident that the simple nature of huaraches in general makes it much more possible to perform home repairs. The one caveat here involves the leather upper on these sandals. If that comes unglued it might be a little more difficult to get that properly sealed again.

If you’re intimidated by the higher level of commitment required to use huaraches, either in putting them together yourself or learning how to wear them, the tutorials on the Luna Sandals website are incredibly helpful. Check it out!

Summary

Pros:

• Open aired for dryer feet
• Extremely light-weight
• Extremely minimalist for better ground sensation

Cons:

• Less protection to top and sides of feet
• Less functional for difficult terrain
• Potential for irritation from straps