Women’s Earth Runner Alpha Hiking Sandal Review

Bottom Line

If foot freedom is what you’re after, the Earth Runner Alpha Adventure Sandals might be the perfect choice for hiking. If you love a flip-flop style sandal and seek foot freedom, the Earth Runner Alpha Adventure Sandals may be the ideal option for you. A close runner-up to our top pick for ultralight sandals, the Alphas feel almost like wearing nothing—as long as the toe thong doesn’t bother you like it did our tester. They also offer incredible connectedness to the earth beneath your feet and excellent traction on nearly all surfaces despite their lightweight design.  

You may think you’re not getting much footwear for the cost (as there are more robust hiking sandals at a similar price), but the price reflects the design rather than the materials. This design lets your feet breathe, flex, splay, and strengthen.

How We Tested

Due to our tester experiencing significant discomfort while wearing the Earth Runner Alphas (to her disappointment, as she wanted to love the sandals), we could only test them for a brief period. Our tester wore them during a casual 3-mile hike, as well as for a few hours around her campsite in a national forest.

Comfort

We wanted to love these sandals, but our tester did not enjoy her experience with the Earth Runner Alphas; in fact, she couldn’t bear to wear them for more than a 3-mile hike on easy to moderate terrain. It might just be that her feet are incompatible with the sandal design, as she began experiencing aches the moment she put them on. 

The toe thong strap is just as wide as the other straps, which really made us wonder if anyone actually has a gap that large between their big and middle toes. Our tester tried repeatedly to adjust it, but the strap kept digging painfully into the inside of her big toe. 

It’s important to note that we tested the Performance Laces, which are Earth Runner’s most robust laces designed for heavy use. Perhaps another lace style—one that is more flexible and/or thinner, like the Classic Lifestyle Laces—might have worked better for our tester. 

Other parts of the shoe felt fine. We really love the canvas footbed material. It’s soft on the bottom of the feet yet grippy, so you don’t slide around. Our tester didn’t get too sweaty on the hike she took in Los Padres National Forest in California, but we imagine that on a very hot day, this material would soak up sweat to prevent your feet from slipping. That’s great for grip but leaves us wondering about the smell after many uses.

Stability

These are truly minimalist hiking sandals with a zero-drop sole and a total stack height of 10.5 millimeters. If you want a lot of ground feel, these are the hiking sandals for you. Although our tester experienced some discomfort while wearing these, she thoroughly enjoyed walking over various terrain features, particularly rocks jutting out from the trail, just to feel the earth beneath her feet (without all of the pricking and tickling that happens on bare feet). 

When people say they love the way barefoot-style shoes make them feel, this is what they’re talking about: Despite the minimalist construction, they feel sturdy yet freeing beneath the feet.

The footbed is also designed to mimic the natural shape of human feet (which many of us have lost by wearing narrow, closed shoes), and our tester felt like her feet had a breath of fresh air when her toes were able to splay across the wide footbed without extending over the sides. There’s no heel cup on these, so we don’t recommend them for anyone looking for contouring or cradling of the feet.

Earth Runner Alphas are definitely not the right hiking sandals for those seeking cushioning and shock absorption—these offer neither—but they excel for minimalist hikers.

Traction

Because our tester experienced significant discomfort due to the toe straps, she regrettably could not take them across a variety of terrains. She wore them for about three miles on a mild dirt trail covered in fallen pine straw and small to medium rocks, as well as around her camp, which included dirt, sand, pine straw, and some gravel, for about another hour. In each of these situations, the Alphas performed well—indeed, they excelled. 

We didn’t encounter a single issue with traction, which actually surprised us given the lug depth and pattern. The Alphas don’t feature the most robust outsole we’ve ever seen on hiking sandals, but trusty Vibram has done it again: these are sticky. That said, our tester indicates she wouldn’t take them on any grades above 15% unless the terrain is very packed (i.e., not scree, silt, or similar). However, she notes that she personally wouldn’t take any sandals on grades that steep, so that’s not a criticism of Earth Runner specifically.

Durability

The impressive construction of the laces gives us hope for their longevity. Made from a hydrophobic polyester core with a mil-spec nylon wrap, they are designed to last. We know, we know, that’s some jargon: The long and short of it is that the laces are durable. However, this does mean they sacrifice a bit of flexibility, as our tester’s big toes can vouch for. 

We have a lot of faith in Vibram outsoles and expect them to last, although the lugs themselves aren’t the deepest. They may wear down faster than the lugs on a maximalist sandal, but that isn’t unexpected. We also wonder about the canvas footbed. While canvas is a durable textile, it doesn’t match the durability of rubber, so we can foresee the footbed developing abrasions and eventually holes in high-pressure areas, like the heel.

Weight & Packability

Weighing in at under 8 ounces per pair (yes, per pair, not per shoe), these are among the lightest hiking sandals we have ever tested. To all our ultra-lighters, these are for you. Even better: they are flat and thin, with a stack height of just 10.5 millimeters (9-millimeter outsole plus 1.5-millimeter footbed), resulting in a mere width of 21 millimeters for the pair. 

They can easily slide into thin pack compartments or be secured on the exterior using your pack’s integrated straps, depending on its design. Our tester was even able to fit these into her REI Co-op Trail 5 Waist Pack.

Ease of Use

The initial adjustment is somewhat challenging if you’re not used to the style of these sandals. The way the heel strap wraps around and inserts into the buckle is a bit unconventional and can take quite a while to figure out (it did for our tester, but she admits she’s not the world’s greatest tinkerer).

Once you’ve got your fit, though, you’re good to go. However, if you accidentally remove the heel strap from the buckle completely, you’ll have to re-lace it, which could be annoying and time-consuming if this happens on the trail.

Should You Buy the Earth Runner Alpha?

If you’re explicitly looking for a barefoot-inspired hiking sandal and aren’t bothered by a toe thong, then yes, buy the Earth Runner Alpha Sandals.

Although they may seem pricey due to their exceptionally minimal design, what they lack in material, they more than make up for in experience. Those who want their feet to breathe and their toes to splay will not be disappointed.

What Other Women’s Hiking Sandals Should You Consider?

The Earth Runner Alphas are far from the only barefoot sandals to choose from. Among top-performing hiking sandals, here are several picks to consider. 

Xero Shoes Z-Trail EV Review: A favorite among our testers, the Z-Trail EVs offer the same coveted barefoot feeling, but without the cumbersome strap between your toes. We appreciate their soft, flexible footbed and 5,000-mile sole warranty. 

Luna Mono Winged Review: These are a great option for those just beginning their barefoot journey. Although they have a zero-millimeter heel-to-toe drop, the Luna Mono Winged edition sandals feature a much thicker and more supportive midsole with a stack height of 15 millimeters. 

Astral Webber Review: We recommend the Webbers for anyone looking to try zero-drop shoes on easy outings. They are perfect for wearing around town, at the beach, and on mostly flat walks, providing a chance to begin strengthening your feet in comfortable settings.