A little while back, we shared that we had purchased the Leadville Gordo LUNA Sandals to try out and review. We’ve had the chance to test them for a few months on hikes, runs and as an everyday shoe.
Wearing the Leadville Gordo sandals when hiking has been a dream! Have you ever walked through a river that is supposed to be a trail and had soggy feet for the next few days? Not with LUNAs!
In a matter of minutes your feet will be dry again and the sandals not long after. The only places that will hold water is in the laces, but, hey, I would rather deal with wet laces then a waterlogged shoe.
Now, you may be thinking, what about when it’s 30 and 40 degrees out AND IT’S RAINING? For us, we have hiked without any type of insulation down to around 40 degrees and lots of rain and mud without a problem. I’m a cold natured person and my feet never felt cold while hiking.
For days when it’s really, really cold, LUNA Sandals offers a bootie called the Tabu that works with any LUNA Sandal model. The Tabu bootie will help keep water and other debris off your feet while hiking and running.
If you are looking for something warm, but not necessarily concerned about keeping water off your feet, enter Injinji Nu-Wool toe socks. It’s like wearing a glove for your foot, plus you can wear these around camp after a hike.
So, this is definitely a different approach for the average hiker looking for shoes to take on a hike or even a thru-hike, but they have performed wonderfully and now we couldn’t imagine wearing a heavy boot up a mountain.
LUNA Sandals Pros & Cons
Pros
–Lightweight: All you gram counters out there rejoice! 13.1 oz for size 11 (both sandals)
–Performs great in rain and mud
–Easy to put on and take off
–Comes with added “tech straps” for a secure fit. Just out for a walk? Detach and leave at home for later.
–Comfortable: With a 15mm Vibram sole, you’ve got a pretty sweet ride.
–Happy Feet: Your toes will thank you for all the air flow and movement.
–Customizable: Don’t see your size, or your in-between sizes, send LUNA Sandals an email. They will take care of you!
–Price: Non-customized models range from $80 to $125
–Awesome customer service: I always received a quick email reply and they made me a new pair when I realized I had ordered the wrong size. Easy to get my refund and return.
–Supporting a small business is AWESOME! Learn more about LUNAs in our previous post.
Con
-The only con, which really isn’t a con, is it can take a little while to get the laces to feel just right. Knowing this, just take some time to practice with the laces and walk around with them on and adjust as you feel necessary. I also noticed that I always end up tightening more than I would think after few minutes of hiking, but after that, I’m good to go.
Jake and I can’t wait to wear these on our upcoming Appalachian Trail thru-hike! Stay tuned on social media for photos of them in action.
Disclosure: The author owns this product and was purchased using their own funds.
10 thoughts on “LUNA Sandals Review”
I’ve been running and hiking in Lunas for the past several years. I have two pairs of Mono sandals…one Pittard leather footbed and one MGT footbed…and I have a pair of Venado sandals. I took my Mono MGTs backpacking for the first time this summer…40 miles on the Colorado Trail (CT), 12 miles in the Gore Mountains near Vail and 22 miles in the Lost Creek Wilderness. I absolutely love backpacking in my Lunas. I found, however, that the Mono sandal sole is a bit thin for backpacking…I was wondering why rocks under my heel weren’t coming out when I shook my sandals, and found that I had two small punctures through the sole caused by small rocks. Even after dislodging the original rocks, occasionally new small rocks find their way into the same holes. I think the Gordo is the right thickness for backpacking.
Good luck on your AT trip! You guys are inspiring and I look forward to following your adventure! I was given a pair of Gordos for Christmas and plan to put them to the test this coming summer with lots of hiking, including a 100 mile backpacking trip on the CT.
Rob
Hi Rob! Thanks so much for commenting! Glad to hear you are enjoying your LUNAs. For backpacking we definitely agree it’s nice to have a thicker sole, especially if you encounter a lot of rocks. The Leadville Gordos with a 15mm sole have worked really well for us. They also recently came out with the Mono Gordo with a 19mm sole, if you were ever interested in something a little thicker.
Hope you enjoy wearing your LUNAs on your upcoming hikes!
Rachel
I’m curious…now that you’ve put a lot more miles on your Leadville Gordos hiking the AT are you still happy with them? I know you had a failure of a sandal…do you think that was a defect in that pair, or too much for the sandal? I know Luna was sending you a replacement pair at no cost…did that go OK and did you get another pair of Leadville Gordos or did you get the Mono Gordos? How as the break-in with the brand new pair? And are they holding up OK? I know that is a lot of questions, but I’m curious since I’ll be taking mine on a big hike this summer.
Rob
Hey Rob! I am still absolutely loving my Leadville Gordos. I think it was just a defect in that one pair, but I had also previously put about 300 or more miles on that pair before I started the AT so it might have been a combination of both. I have used Lunas for a long time and I have never had that problem before. The new pair came without any problems, and they are holding up like a champ. For me, there really isn’t a break in period with the sandals, especially since I have been using them for so long. Every pair I have had, I just slip them on and go. Hope that helps and best of luck on your hike!
Rachel
I love that you did this review! I am a minimalist runner and have worn Vibram Five Fingers for years. I have hiked in mine several times too! All the way up the highest peak in all of Arizona Mt Humphrey’s! It was amazing and my feet felt great the whole time. I got lots of looks, stares and questions but nothing stopped me from getting to the top (and back down again). I have always wanted to try a pair of Luna’s. They will most likely be my next choice in running shoes and hopefully hiking too!
Ashley D
Hey Ashley,
Thanks for leaving a comment! We are so glad you enjoyed the review! We get the looks too, but we are happy just like you to be out hiking in the shoe that makes us the most comfortable. We definitely encourage you to check out LUNA sandals! If you have any questions, send them over an email or give them a call, they have excellent customer service!
Happy Trails,
Rachel
Rachel
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bastcilk doptb
Awesome! My daughter (11) and I are looking for a little more adventure but we really don’t like anything bulky on our feet. I think I’m settling on the mono 2.0. Thank you so much for your review.
Antoinette Banks