Women’s Xero Shoes H-Trail Hiking Sandal Review

Bottom Line

Whether you’re a seasoned barefoot shoe enthusiast or just looking for an ultralight and packable sandal, the Xero Shoes H-Trail is a minimalist’s dream. It has an airy, flexible fit and foot-freeing design that’s hardly noticeable underfoot. 

The thin sole maximizes ground feel, better replicating the natural movement and balance of being barefoot. The outsole provides a modest boost in protection and useful traction over a range of surfaces. Though minimalist in terms of structure, four-point adjustability allows for a customized fit, keeping the sandal securely in place.

As a barefoot shoe, the H-Trail has much less built-in support than other sandals, relying on the connection between foot and earth to maintain balance and stability. These sandals are not the most comfortable to wear on uneven terrain, since the thin sole won’t shield your feet from protruding objects. If these are dealbreakers for you, check out the rest of our gear guide to the best women’s hiking sandals. 

How We Tested

New to the world of barefoot shoes, gear analyst Marion Tucker spent months hiking in the H-Trail to assess their all-around performance. Putting them to the test over a wide range of terrain in California’s mountainous Eastern Sierra, Marion used metrics like comfort, stability, and traction to analyze the shoes’ trail-worthiness.

Comfort

Whether you’re a seasoned barefoot shoe user or new to this style of footwear, the H-Trail provides maximum foot freedom in a minimalist package. As lifelong Chaco wearers, were initially unsure of how our high arches would feel in the flat-soled H-Trail. Our first time wearing the sandals, we hiked for several miles and experienced minimal foot fatigue. 

On subsequent outings, we grew used to the feel and found the sandals quite comfortable. Our feet did feel more tired after prolonged wear than with other sandals, which isn’t great news for those in need of more structured support. However, we were pleasantly surprised by how quickly our feet adapted to the minimalist design. We appreciated that our toes had room to splay, and we enjoyed feeling more in-tune with our natural movement. 

Every piece touching skin on the H-Trail is soft. The footbed is smooth underfoot, and the straps – including the toe thong – don’t rub or chafe. We wore the H-Trails for several miles right out of the box and immediately appreciated how airy they felt on our feet – no break-in period required.

As minimalist sandals, the H-Trails inherently leave the foot more exposed. Though this promotes excellent breathability, if you often find yourself hiking through thick brush or over rocky terrain, there’s more risk of scraping your feet. Additionally, though the thin foam midsole gives a bit of cushion, those with injuries or carrying heavy loads may prefer a sandal with a plusher sole.

Stability

Instead of a rigid base that cradles your foot, the H-Trail prioritizes maximizing the connection between your foot and the ground. The thin, flexible sole keeps you planted to the earth and promotes increased body awareness to achieve stable footing. 

The soles are made with a thin layer of foam, which provides a bit of cushioning but will not protect you from feeling bumps or sharp objects underfoot. The sandal’s wider base does give plenty of space for toes to splay, allowing for a more stable connection. 

We found the sandal’s straps kept our feet in place, but the lack of structured support at the sides resulted in some wobble while hiking. Those in need of secure ankle support will find the H-Trails too loose and sloppy. 

Though the toe thong took some getting used to, it kept our feet better attached to the shoe and prevented our foot from sliding forward on steep descents. The inclusion of the toe thong is a change from Xero Shoes’ Z-Trail, whose open design resulted in more slippage.

Traction

Though it’s intended to mimic the barefoot experience, the H-Trail provides something a shoeless foot cannot: enhanced traction. The outsole is covered in 3-millimeter, chevron-patterned lugs, allowing for solid grip and plenty of surface area to latch onto terrain. The flexibility of the design allows your foot to mold around rocks and other obstacles.

We hiked with the H-Trails over a variety of surfaces, including granite boulders, muddy creeksides, and sloping dirt trails. For the most part, the sandals had no issues, although we did experience slippage on loose gravel. The outsole didn’t adhere as easily on this tricky surface, preventing us from fully trusting our feet.

Durability

For a minimalist sandal, the H-Trails are fairly robust. In our toughest testing, we scrambled through boulder fields, and the sandals handled the rough terrain without sustaining any damage. Reinforced stitching bolsters the strength of the straps, and the synthetic webbing is well equipped for wet and dry conditions alike. The sole is decently sturdy and easily withstood more abrasive ground during our testing.

Due to the thinness of the sole, we expect the H-Trails to wear down much faster than beefier sandals. We’ve read reports of the lugs thinning out after several hundred miles, which isn’t surprising. We also anticipate the foam footbed will compress and become less springy over time. With that in mind, the H-Trails are best suited for mellower terrain, but you should still expect to replace them much sooner than a pair of Chacos, for example. 

Weight & Packability

It’s hard to find a more packable option than the H-Trail. At 11 ounces for the pair, these sandals are incredibly lightweight – enough so that we hardly noticed them on high-mileage days. They truly live up to the barefoot name – the ultralight design has an airy feel that’s about as close as you can get to wearing no shoes at all.

Whether you’re traveling or backpacking, the sandals’ excellent packability is a real perk. They’ve got one of the slimmest profiles we’ve seen, allowing them to disappear in a full pack or duffel. The sole is flexible enough that the sandals can be rolled up for storage if needed. 

Ease of Use

The H-Trails are highly adjustable, allowing for a fully customized and fine-tuned fit. A Y-shaped strap wraps around the ankle, and there are four points of adjustability: a buckle close to the ankle, Velcro patches at the heel and forefoot, and a sliding buckle over the forefoot. This thoughtful system keeps the sandal securely in place, eliminating the discomfort that comes from a loose or ill-fitting shoe. It takes a few wears and some trial and error to pin down the ideal strap configuration, but once set, it’s easy to slide the H-Trail on and off. 

Once we set the straps to our desired placement, we hardly touched them again. Even when the sandals were wet, they were just as simple to get on and off. They’re an easy grab-and-go option whether you’re rushing out the door for a quick errand or ditching your hiking boots at the end of a long day on the trail.

Should You Buy the Xero Shoes H-Trail?

The Xero Shoes H-Trail is a great choice for those looking to minimize weight and maximize freedom of movement without going totally barefoot. Extremely light and low-profile, the H-Trail is a great companion for ultralight backpacking, travel, and other activities when space is limited. Traction and durability are solid for such a minimalist design, and four points of adjustability make it easy to dial in a customized fit around the entire foot. If you’re new to the world of barefoot shoes, the H-Trail is a soft landing.

That said, the sandals offer very little structure and support, so those with more targeted needs or carrying heavy loads will likely want to look elsewhere. The sandal’s sole can be folded in half, favoring flexibility over a firm and stable platform. It also offers limited protection on rough terrain. For more of a buffer between your foot and trail obstacles, it’s worth considering a plusher and more substantial option (at the cost of weight and packability).

What Other Women’s Hiking Sandals Should You Consider?

To see how the H-Trail fared compared to other options, check out our guide to the best women’s hiking sandals. The three sandals below stack up particularly well:

Earth Runners Alpha Review: Another barefoot pick, the Alphas are even lighter and more minimalist than the H-Trails. They’re not as adjustable, which means it’s harder to customize fit, but they have a similarly soft footbed, incredible ground feel, and solid traction.

Luna Mono Winged Edition Review: The Mono Winged Edition is a sturdy zero-drop sandal that offers a bit more protection on rough terrain. It has more structured ankle support that provides better lateral stability and secure footing – for a bump in cost and slight weight penalty.

Bedrock Cairn Evo 3D PRO Review: Another minimalist sandal with more structured support, the Bedrocks provide a greater buffer between your foot and the earth. This results in less ground feel but more protection underfoot. Both shoes allow for a fully customized, dialed-in fit.