It's been a little over a month since my last post, and I've been wearing my huaraches all over town. They've been performing really well. My worries about them making slapping noises while walking were over-exaggerated but not unfounded. There is a bit of noise when walking on hard surfaces, but I've grown used to it and no one has commented on it so I think it has been relegated to non-issue status. I still think a slightly less stiff soling material would improve this markedly so the next time I make a pair I'll be trying some Vibram Cherry soling.
To really put them to the test, I wore them on a hike (OK, it was only 3 miles) and then went down to the beach to cool off afterward. I didn't have any issues with their performance over the hike, and it was nice not to worry too much about getting them wet as they would dry off right away. Had I been wearing another pair of shoes I would've needed to be much more cautious about where I was stepping.
The beach was a bit more challenging. Due to the crowds for the 4th of July weekend, the sand was not packed at all, and I gave up on the huaraches pretty quickly as I felt I was shoveling sand with them. I don't think this is was a shoe-specific problem. On the sandy parts of the hike they were fine, so I think any shoe would have had issues on the beach that day.
I don't seem to have any pictures of the shoes that day, so here are some pictures from the trip. You'll just have to believe me that the huaraches took me there!
To really put them to the test, I wore them on a hike (OK, it was only 3 miles) and then went down to the beach to cool off afterward. I didn't have any issues with their performance over the hike, and it was nice not to worry too much about getting them wet as they would dry off right away. Had I been wearing another pair of shoes I would've needed to be much more cautious about where I was stepping.
The beach was a bit more challenging. Due to the crowds for the 4th of July weekend, the sand was not packed at all, and I gave up on the huaraches pretty quickly as I felt I was shoveling sand with them. I don't think this is was a shoe-specific problem. On the sandy parts of the hike they were fine, so I think any shoe would have had issues on the beach that day.
I don't seem to have any pictures of the shoes that day, so here are some pictures from the trip. You'll just have to believe me that the huaraches took me there!