"An American made shoe company will succeed when Iguana's fly..." is what Everett Carson was told when he was pitching his idea to create minimalist shoes completely in the United States...
Well, we are here to tell you that these bad boys ARE flying! We'd like to introduce the Carson Footwear Iguana Racer trail running shoes. Here are some specs on these awesome looking shoes:
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Are you a fan of Chacos? Are you a fan of Keens? What about Teva's? If so, the Amuri Z-Trek Sandal may be an option for you! Xero Shoes have produced one of the only toe-postless sandals that are considered "barefoot" or minimal in terms of support of padding. The only other option available that we know of is the Unshoes Pah Tempe (one of our FAVORITES). The Amuri Z-Trek boasts a handful of pretty impressive specs: "-Super-comfortable webbing -Adjustable Z-pattern — get the right tension across your foot, over your foot, and behind your heel. -Three color combinations — Coal Black soles with Charcoal, Mocha Earth soles with Coffee Bean webbing, and Slate soles with Patriot Blue webbing. -5.5mm FeelTrue® outsole protects you from unpleasant surfaces without sacrificing ground feel -Elegant contour surrounds your foot, but doesn’t add unnecessary support -Super light weight — a Men’s size 9 sandal averages 6.5 ounces each -“Zero-Drop” — your heel isn’t elevated; your feet are anatomically correct -Rust-proof kirsite hardware -Ready to wear — the lacing is already done for you. Just slide in your foot and go -Heel cup — keeps your heel in place, helps keep out debris, and adds a splash of color -5,000 mile warranty! Wear out your Z-Trek soles in under 5,000 miles and we’ll replace them for a nominal cost (details here)" How did the Z-Trek hold up to our testing? We took them on a series of hikes, lots of disc golf, yard work and just around town wear and what we found is that they are incredibly comfortable to wear, easy to adjust, and you don't get strange looks from people like you do with standard huarache sandals or FiveFingers. They didn't slide around too much, and have seemed quite durable. The hardware holds well, and the straps adjust very easily! We had 0 quality issues with these sandals and think they would be great for light hiking, or a camp shoe or just an around town/everyday sandal. To be honest, the Z-Trek looks just like a Chaco was stripped of all that makes it so heavy and uncomfortable and left with a very minimal shell. The color options available are nice and muted and the Xero shoes owners/customer service are some of the nicest people to deal with! They did a great job of making the sandals look very polished and professional. While these are awesome sandals, we do see some small areas of improvement. As a backpacker, I do appreciate a little bit of cushion at times to protect from the sharp rocks that seem to be everywhere here in the Ozarks. A slightly thicker option (maybe 10mm?) would be great, and it would add to the overall sturdiness of the sandals (5.5mm can get a little floppy when crossing streams). The only other thing that seemed odd at first was the heel cup. It almost makes the sandal feel off balance, and you REALLY notice it at first. It did seem to vanish after a little more wear and we stopped noticing it all together after longer distances. I don't know how I would change that, or if I would as it did seem to help in keeping rocks away. One of the biggest complaints we have heard on these is the weight of the sandals. They come it at a combined 13oz, which is somewhat heavy. We didn't mind the weight, but he gram counters won't go for these when a pair of Crocs weighs half of what these do! Overall, we really liked the Z-Trek as an everyday option for a variety of activities and would encourage you to check them out as they are some of the more affordable options in the barefoot world. They come in at $59.99 and have that incredible 5,000 mile warranty. Give em' a look here.
*Amuri Z-Trek sandal was provided by Xero shoes for review purposes and did not influence this review in any way. "Quite possibly the world's most comfortable insole..." is what the website reads, and to be completely honest, I was 110% skeptical when a product rep reached out to me to do a review of Form Premium Insoles. I've been a big fan of the minimal and barefoot footwear for a few years now, and a lot of the shoes I wear don't even have insoles. I backpack in Vivobarefoot Trail Freak running shoes, and love it! (Sometimes, however, a little cushion and support feels real nice...) I've always been a big fan of Keen footwear and have always had great experiences with the comfort and durability of their shoes. Obviously, these do have insoles but they are nothing to be proud of. Like a majority of footwear out there, the factory insoles are typically a flimsy piece of foam with no structure or shape... This is no good if you are looking for comfort or support. I chose to put these in my Keen's and have not been disappointed. I have noticed that, at times, when carrying weight on my back and putting a lot of stress on my feet I've experienced some minor Plantar Fasciitis symptoms. If you've ever experienced plantar fasciitis, you know it's not a pleasant thing... and a lot of people who don't have proper support in their shoes or trained, strong feet can get it. Here is our friends over at Sectionhiker.com's definition of P.F. "Without proper support, your foot tries to flatten when you take a step, the ligaments that run lengthwise along the bottom of your feet stretch out, and then snap back when you lift your foot. If you do this over and over, thousands of times a day, the ligaments can become inflamed and cause pain where they attach to the heel." (Now, because you wear normal footwear does not mean you do not have strong feet... If you stay active, get outside, exercise, etc., etc. you will have a strong body, feet included) Form Premium Insoles are GREAT! They offer support where it's needed and they do actually mold to your foot. They offer a variety of widths and support options for just about any volume and shape of shoe. You can mold them 2 ways: Stick them in your shoes, and wear them for a few days until they shape to your foot (this is the option I did with my keens). Option 2 is to put them into the oven on a very low setting and watch for the little heat indicator sticker to turn colors. Take em' out, stick them in your shoes and walk around for a few minutes. BAM! Custom insoles. (I do have 1 more set of Form Insoles to try and will use this method to shape them next). They may feel a little bit stiff at first, but give them a couple days and they will soften up even more. You may be thinking, "What makes these different from those other insoles?", and truth be told, probably not much. They have a nicer price point, and from what I can tell, last a little longer.
I would give Form Premium Insoles 2 thumbs up, and will continue to use them in my standard hiking shoes! They offer free shipping on their site and a 100 day, money back guarantee (which is pretty sweet). Check out their selection of insoles HERE! *Form Premium Insoles provided Bob's Adventure Blog with 2 pairs of insoles for review purposes.
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