{Written by Summit Hut Gearhead Billy Pinkerton}
It’s been 22 years since I last owned a pair of sandals. I recently got the opportunity to review a pair of Redway sandals from Tread Labs, interestingly, I now have a pair of sandals that I want to wear. As time goes on, I have found that having different shoes for different jobs often allows you a little more performance as well as longer wear on your shoes rack. Until now I was the type to either have a pair of trail runners that I didn’t care about getting wet or extremely well-ventilated trail runners for the heat. I find that my Redway sandals have stuck into a spot that I wasn’t even aware that I had. Allow me to explain…
Fastening.
The sandal has two buckles attached to wide soft but durable webbing. I find that the webbing is very comfortable on the skin, it’s wide enough that I don’t really feel like I have any hot spots. However, when tightened down very tight, I do have a couple spots around the buckles specifically that do pinch. That said, it’s easy fix just slightly loosen up the straps and the problem is solved. I like that the buckles are very simple and smooth so as to not catch on anything. The straps cannot be adjusted in the way that some competitors allow, but I didn’t feel that I needed to move the straps around to get a good fit.
Footbed
The footbed is extremely comfortable, a thinner layer of a softer foam is over the midsole which is very comfortable under foot. Despite the stiffness of the overall sandal, the footbed does not feel hard or uncomfortable. Even wearing them all day long. I sometimes wear my sandals with socks and have not found any issues as far as grip or texture when wearing a sock or not.
Midsole
The midsole of the sandal has a great deal of arch support which normally I would not want or need, however, I find that the Redway design feels very comfortable, and I never got sore in my arch from wearing them. The shape of the midsole did change the way that I would walk or my gait. I believe this is just due to how the heel strikes as you walk because the arch is so prominent.
Outsole
The outsole was surprisingly effective on a great deal of surfaces. I have worn these sandals for a while now through rivers, cross stone slabs, and just down local sidewalks. I never felt as though I didn’t trust my footing as the sandal gives you a lot of confidence. I was most surprised about how well they walked in sand, and even if you don’t want to get your feet wet, it’s surprisingly easy to stick to rocks and River crossings.
Durability
Construction on the Redway is very robust but simple. More often than not, less moving parts means less chances for failure.
Tread labs has certainly taken this to heart and removed as many moving parts from this sandal as possible. This leaves a very simple and yet elegant design that on all fronts appears to be very long wearing. The webbing is thick enough and heavily stitched into the foot bed. /Midsole. The buckles are thick with no thin spots where the straps can wear through the slide points. I would love to do a long term follow up on these to report on this later.
Summation
I certainly won’t be swapping my trail runners for sandals anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean that the Redway sandal will not be an important tool in my tool set. I see myself keeping these sandals on me when I know that I’ll be in a wet environment, somewhere where I don’t have to worry about any sort of debris getting into the sandals, or even when it’s very hot here in southern AZ. As time moves on, Tread Labs is a brand worth keeping an eye on and the Redway is a phenomenal entry into this segment of the market.
Summit Hut is excited to offer Tread Labs at our two Tucson store locations and on our website www.SummitHut.com
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Jump in with both feet.
Rugged, supportive, and capable, Redway sandals support your leap of faith into the unknown, promising a secure takeoff and a soft landing. The anatomical footbed supports your arches and the sturdy straps and unbreakable buckles keep you locked down. Climb off the fence and go all in.