Two Years of Trails, Travel, and Tough Love: Our Earth Runners Review

If it’s above 50 degrees outside, chances are you’ll find our entire family in Earth Runners. We bought a pair for each of us, two adults and four kids, back in the summer of 2023, and over two years later, they’re still going strong. As a full-time traveling family that hikes, plays, and lives hard in our footwear, we’ve been blown away by how well these minimalist sandals have held up.

From their durability and comfort to their grounding benefits and customizable features, Earth Runners have become more than just sandals for us, they’re a daily essential. If you’re considering a pair for yourself or your family, let me walk you through what makes them so worth it (and fun to personalize too!).

Earth Runners aren’t just sandals, they’re tools for reconnecting with the natural world. Thanks to their conductive laces and copper earthing plugs, they let you experience grounding (also known as earthing) as you walk.

So what is grounding, exactly? It’s the practice of physically connecting your body to the Earth’s surface, usually by walking barefoot or wearing grounded footwear. The Earth carries a subtle electric charge, and research suggests that direct skin contact with it may help neutralize free radicals and reduce inflammation, regulate cortisol levels, and support immune function.

Whether you're a natural living enthusiast or just curious about wellness, incorporating grounding through your sandals is one of the simplest (and most natural) ways to support your health.

We don’t baby our sandals. From hiking and creek-stomping to everyday errands, these have been through it all, and they’re still in great shape. We’ve only had to replace one pair due to a growth spurt (and even then, we tucked the old pair away for when one of the younger kids grows into them). We’ve swapped out some straps after heavy use (more on that in a bit), but the soles? Still going strong.

Earth Runners are perfect for:

Hiking trails and water crossings
RV travel and outdoor exploration
Everyday wear for kids and adults alike

One of our favorite parts? The customizability! Earth Runners let you choose from different:

Soles for comfort and ground feel - View their sole comparison chart
Laces for performance or lifestyle wear - View all the lace options
Buckle colors we grabbed different ones for the kids to tell their shoes apart, and it adds personality flair! - View buckle options
Heel sleeves for added slip-on ease (we LOVE these and move them from lace to lace) - View heel sleeves

Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the options:

Sole Options

Primal: These soles are 7.5mm thick which makes them the thinnest, most barefoot feel and quickest-drying. View Primal Soles

Circadian: These soles are 9mm thick, they have great water traction, and a cotton footbed. View Circadian Soles

Alpha: These soles are 10.5mm thick, they have the cushiest sole, ideal for beginners or long miles. View Alpha Soles

Chronos: These soles are 9mm thick (similar to the Circadian), they are a great all-around sandal with great grip. View Chronos Soles

Lace Styles

Performance Laces

Most durable & secure
1/2" polyester + abrasion-resistant nylon
Great for heavy use (our go-to for hikes)

Lifestyle Laces

Softer and more flexible
Two types:
Ergonomic: Double tubular webbing
Classic: Mil-Spec reinforced two-ply
Best for casual wear or those sensitive to toe posts

Colors include everything from neutral Cloud to fun Canyon Clay, Rarámuri, and Tribal. It’s hard to choose just one! View all the lace styles

Handy Accessories

We also recommend:

Heel Sleeves: Total game-changer for slipping your sandals on and off. They’ve lasted as long as our soles!
Colored Buckles: Great for customizing, especially with multiple kids or styles.
Lace Installation Pliers: Make lace changes much easier.
Sandal Care Kits: Help you keep them clean and in top shape.

Swapping out worn straps is quick, easy, and affordable, making Earth Runners a smart long-term investment. When a set of laces wears out, you don’t have to toss the whole sandal. Just grab a new color or style, thread them through (the lace installation pliers help!), and you’re back in business.

We’ve even reused our heel sleeves and colored buckles across different lace sets, not just to save money—but to let the kids personalize their sandals and tell them apart. It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference, especially in a big family on the move.

For travelers, outdoor lovers, or families like ours, this kind of durability, modularity, and flexibility is a huge win. You get long-lasting performance with the freedom to mix things up, and that’s not something you find in most footwear.

Yes, your little wildlings can run free and grounded too! Earth Runners offers kid-sized sandals, and we can’t recommend them enough. Ours wear theirs daily and love matching us, though they’ve each added their own twist with different lace colors and buckle combos to show off their personality.

These sandals are light enough for little feet, but still tough enough to keep up with all the climbing, creek-jumping, and dirt-digging that comes with everyday kid adventures. Plus, since you can swap out the straps, we’ve been able to stretch their lifespan by passing down outgrown pairs to younger siblings and giving them a fresh new look.

For roadschoolers, outdoor families, or just kids who live to explore, Earth Runners are a practical (and fun!) way to let them stay connected to the earth while keeping their feet protected.