Last
spring I bought Bedrock sandals at Alpin Action. I liked them instantly when I
saw them at the shop. I didn't have a plan to buy them because I already had my
Keen sandals which were still in totally OK condition for my summer plans.
Piero saw my interest and when I said that I don't want to
buy them because I already have sandals for my summer trip he proposed the next
deal.
He said that he will give me a good price for them because this
is a new product he has in his shop but in return, he asked me
to write a review if I would think that they are a good and usable
product. No obligations. So this is my review because I really liked my
Bedrocks.
Plan for summer 2018 was similar to my plans for the last
three summers, bike touring.
Only this year I planned to
travel in bikepacking style for the first time.
For the past three summers, I travelled on my touring bike
TREK 520 disc. Classical travelling setup panniers at the back rack
and two panniers in front. I travelled mostly on tarmac roads.
First-year
Ljubljanja, Albania, Ljubljana, second-year Ljubljana, Greece (Mt. Olympus),
Ljubljana, third-year crossing Norway from most northern to the most
southern point so from Nordkapp to Lindesnes, All together around 7000
km. All four years I was pedalling most of the time in sandals.
The first year I used Teva sandals. They were the most
basic model which is called the ORIGINAL UNIVERSAL.
I wanted sandals to be as
light as possible and Tevas were 409 g.
That was a big mistake because the
soles they were just too soft and my feet started to hurt like hell every
single day after 30 to 40 km. In average I did at least 100 km per day and feet
pain was my biggest discomfort thru all the trip.
The second thing that
bothered me a lot was that I tripped over the front tip of the soles every
time when I touched something with the front part of the sandal.
The sole was
so soft that it simply bent downward leaving my toes totally exposed and
me ready to fall.
All that didn't spoil my little
adventure at all of course but it got me thinking about sandals for the next
year.
I wanted sandals with more stiff soles and better
protection for the toes.
I searched the web and finally decided to give it a try
with KEEN NEWPORT H2.
Sole stiffness problem solved toe protection
problem definitely solved but for the price of weight and much less
ventilation around my feet.
My pair weights 940 g at the size US 11,5.
My Keens worked perfectly at Norway because summer 2017
was one of the coldest in the last 20 years.
I used them with thick Merino wool socks and that was all
I needed for the cold and rain but in summer 2016 when I went to Mt. Olympus in
Greece they were a bit warm.
Airflow around the feet can't be compared to airflow in
Tevas and especially in Bedrocks.
Bad experience with Teva sandals I used at the first bike
trip to Albania in 2015 left me with a lot of scepticism about light sandals.
Bedrocks looked nice and stronger but I was honestly not
completely sure how they will perform.
But they did just perfectly. With weight 617 g for
US size 11,5 Bedrock CAIRN 3D ADVENTURE sandals, are just
light enough for my bikepacking adventures.
When you adjust the straps to your fit they sit
really well.
This is sandals where your feet will feel the freest and
protected at the same time.
You just need to buy sandals with soles that big that your
toes are not right at the edge of the sole and then the soles are strong enough
to protect your toes if you hit something with the front side of the sandal.
I would recommend if in doubt buy a bigger size. Vibram
sole is very durable and strong.
When I saw the sandals for the first time I was a little
bit in doubt about the stiffness of the soles according to thickness but I
had absolutely no problems with pedalling through all the day long.
I use flat pedals with sharp pins but after almost 1500 km
of pedalling there is almost no wear to the soles.
It is true that I used them mostly for biking but from the
time that I bought them in May I walked with them a lot as well. Some of the
walkings also involved bike pushing on some steep sections up and down and
they performed perfectly as well.
This year I finished my
bike trip over Balkan from Ljubljana to Montenegro at Hvar on Hvar island. From
there I returned back to Rijeka with my sea kayak.
The stiffness of the soles
proved perfect also when I was walking with them over the really sharp rocks of
Croatian coastline.
Of course, they are still sandals and at some
technical sections where I was pushing my bike over Velebit in Croatia, for
example, I for sure used my trekking shoes.
The rubber doesn't get stinky with
use but you have to wash them from time to time because of little channels at
soles beneath your feet get full of dust mixed with sweat but this is something
that I experienced wit all sandals I ever possessed.
Final conclusion. Bedrock CAIRN 3D ADVENTURE
sandals are for sure the best sandals I ever had. With them, all my
problems from previous years which I described above were solved. They are
strong, durable, good fit, odourless exceptional airflow and for me, they
offer multiple use options.
More info: Bedrock Adventure Sandals-Alpin Action
Photos and text: Urban Herzog
