Bedrock Sandals are marketed as ultimate adventure sandals. They were born from wild adventures, and every day are taken on amazing treks to fantastic places. The secure your feet and can stand up to anything, including kid-filled, mud-puddle-life on suburban and country streets.
I stumbled into Bedrocks quite by chance. I’ve been active in the Facebook Minimalist Shoes – Buy / Sell / Trade group since the beginning of my barefoot journey and one day saw someone raving about theirs. I’d already seen the intriguing advertising about how easy they are to adjust and decided to give them a go.
For your information, I am typically an 11 in women’s and 9 in men’s in sandals, or 43 in European shoes.
If you like shorter reviews, check out the original Mini Review on Instagram. There is also a video version both on IGTV and YouTube.
Technical Specs of the sandals:
- Bedrock Sandals Cairn Model
- 10 Men’s/11 Women’s in Size
- 14 mm stack height
- 3/4 inch wide strap system
- 3 adjustment points
Sizing:
Bedrock warns on their website that the shoes run small, and smaller still in the smallest sizes. Like many sandal companies, they size on a unisex model. I typically wear a 9 men’s/11 women’s, and in this their 11 women’s equates to a 10 in men’s, which is the pair I chose and comfortably wear. Since buying mine, my husband and oldest 2 boys have also picked up pairs, so we can comfortably look at these shoe from a range of sizes from the very smallest, the 5/6, to a 7/8, and all the way up to the 11/12.
The 3 point strap system makes them perfect for every instep height. You have complete control over exactly where your foot sits in the shoe, how the strap lays, and how tight you cinch them. I’m a huge fan of this sytem.
Width wise, they run a bit narrower than other brands. I pretty well take up the shoe but do not spill over. If you have a very natural, triangular shape with a wide forefoot and splay, this may not be the brand for you. In that case, I’d recommend checking out Shamma. But as a wide-footed family, we are all doing well in these shoes, even when we wear toe socks.
That 3-point adjustment system:
One of the big selling points of this brand is how easy they are to adjust and get on and off for daily use. If you’ve never seen it, take a look at this video:
As you can see, in the model I have the velcro at the back sets your foot in it’s place (some newer ones use hooks here), the hook strap determines how the main strap lays on your foot, and the easy-slide buckle is your daily on-and-off strap. Once we have each set our velcro and hooks, we don’t mess with them. My middle son is the most recent convert and he didn’t love them right away because he kept using the velcro every time and getting his foot wedged in. Make sure to follow their guide and you will be much happier.
Basically: this system works as intended, gives you complete control, and is very comfortable.
How do the shoes feel?
Some people very daunted by the stack height here. “I want something thinner” is a common refrain. Check this post out for a look at how stack height isn’t everything. How you would feel about this shoe is really determined by what you are looking for in them. The shoes are made with grippy, thick outsoles to take on the toughest trails, provide stability, and easily dry in wet conditions. They are highly flexible, but do not have the most ground feel simply due to their thickness. If you want flexibility, you’ll have it. If you want to feel every stick and rock, you won’t.
One thing that may stand out on early wears is the side stability points around the heel. The shoes are meant to be very secure, and these pieces are supposed to hug your foot. If your foot is very wide at the heel, you may have a problem, but this would be on the extreme end. All of my family are wide-footed and don’t have an issue. More likely, if you try the shoes and find these points uncomfortable, you need to look at how the shoes are fit and check the different adjustment points. But be aware, they are quite firm by design, either way.
There is a slight cushy feel to the shoes. Despite their thickness, they are not as hard as you’d think, though they are still tough enough that there’s not a ton of molding to my foot shape.
Lastly, the texture of the footbed gives you low-key stimulation with great grip in wet conditions.
Design choices:
Bedrock has 3 different model lines: Classic, Cairn Line, and Cairn Pro II. The later 2 models share the same strapping system but have some footbed variations, while the Classics have a thinner strap and design. The strap system is my one pause about these shoes. I’m not kayaking or climbing any peaks in mine. I’m taking my kids to the park and I’m buzzing around town. I’m not the target customer and so my design preferences are a bit off from the company’s intent. The strap look is decidedly outdoorsy. I’d love them to give us an around-town version with more suburban look (such as no contrasting threads) to expand their market. They could go further with patterned straps and colorful footbeds as well, but I’m not asking for the world there. Just a suggestion, Bedrock Crew!
Care:
Super easy; barely an inconvenience!
- Keep them out of extreme heat and long sun exposure
- Scrub lightly or spray off and use soap as needed
- Do not machine wash
Pricing:
This model runs $105 and ships in the US with no extra charges. The Classics model is $78 and the newest line runs as high as $130.
Company Information:
The company has been around since 2011 and is directly born out of the need for outdoor sandals that work in wet conditions. They’ve continued to evolve their designs and are looking at future expansions to their lines. Check out their full story here.
Shipping and Returns:
There are no restocking fees. The only charge would be the cost of returning the item to them. Since they accept PayPal, make sure you sign up for the Return Shipping program to get that covered for any applicable purchase. Make sure you don’t wear them outside while you’re checking your sizing.
Warranty Information:
The company says their soles may last 1,000 miles and that their strap system typically outlasts that. They have a Resoul program for pairs with good straps and worn soles, they offer strap repairs for life accidents, and they warranty your shoes to guarantee that the straps will outlast the soles.
Final Thoughts:
- More masculine-looking that I’d like
- Easy to wear and adjust
- Super secure in wet conditions
- High flexibility
- Low ground feel
- Great grip
I love them, and my all-boy family has quickly come on board. If they had a kids’ line, I’m pretty sure my youngest would be in them too. I don’t think you can go wrong with these, whether you need them around town or for serious outdoor adventures.
Get your own Cairn Adventure Sandals here, and check out their other models.
Want more reviews?
Check out All the Barefoot Shoe Reviews for more in-depth looks.