If you like wearing Huarache sandals like I do, you probably
have more than one pair or even if you have only one pair you have probably
wondered, what other types of lacing materials would work for me? That is
normal; after all, variety is the spice of life.
You may be looking for a different style and look or for a
different performance for the type of running you do, or maybe you are looking
for something that is easier to use or more comfortable against your skin. All
are very valid reasons to try different lacing materials and tying styles,
after all, your Huaraches, should be
comfortable to wear and easy for you to use on a daily bases.
Fortunately, lacing systems are easy to change out so that
if one type of lacing does not quite feel right to you, you can easily switch
them out for another type for the look and feel that you like. Here are a few
of the lacing materials and methods of tying that I use.
Traditional Lacing
Materials: Leather and Polypropylene/Nylon Laces
When I first started
to wear Huaraches, I used a strip of Latigo leather to suspend the sandal to my
foot since leather was the original lacing material used by man. At first, I
found the leather to be a little irritating to my foot and found it would not
tie easily or stay securely tied. I soon learned however, that once the leather
lace was well broken in, it became very soft and pliable and the knot became
easier to tie and held a lot better. The secret here is to break in the leather
lacing material to get the best performance and comfort.
There are two ways that I break in the leather ties. One way
is to work the leather with your hands using a wash cloth, shaving cream and mink
oil by gently bending, flexing and kneading it to break the leather fibers down
a bit. This process takes a little time and patience to get the leather just
right but the payoff is a much more comfortable feel once the leather becomes
soft and pliable. For a more detailed explanation on this process go to;
www.howtodothings.com/fashion-personal-care/how-to-soften-leather-shoe-laces.
The other way is to just wear them and let your feet break
in the leather for you. I believe the constant motion of your foot combined
with the perspiration and oils of your skin and any water you run through
greatly speeds up this process. At any rate, the leather becomes very soft and
pliable to the touch making them very comfortable and secure to wear.
I find that a combination of both break in methods works
best for me. I will work my new leather lacing with my hands first to remove
any stiffness from the leather and then lace up my Huaraches and go for a run.
Hey, it works for me and saves time.
The next type of lacing material I use is the
Polypropylene/Nylon cord material. This is also a very strong and flexible
material that is soft to the touch and very comfortable against the skin and does not require any breaking in. It is also water proof and easy to tie and comes in a
variety of different colors.
I found this material to be easy to wear and very
comfortable. This is really neat material and is less expensive than the
leather. It also does not stretch and shrink when wet the way leather does. Most of your local home improvement stores
such as Lowe's or Home Depot carry this material in spools of 50 to 75 ft. at a very
good price.
Both the Leather and Polypropylene/nylon lacing materials
can be tied using the traditional Tarahumara tying style of lacing them up
around your ankles and then back down to the toe strap for a very secure and
comfortable fit for any type of running you like to do. They can also be tied
using the popular slip on style of tying.
The slip on method allows you to be able to slip the sandal
on or off without having to retie every time you do and provides a very good
fit once it is adjusted properly. The problem is that a lot of people find this
to be a complicated process to learn and do.
The good news is that there are a lot of videos on You Tube
and my website that show you how to do this and once you have done it several
times it becomes very easy to master. Just take your time and practice a little
and it will become second nature to you.
There is also a modified shorter method of the slip on style
that works very well and only requires about half as much lacing. The only
problem with this method is that once you cut the lacing down for this type of tying
style you cannot use it for the traditional around the ankle tying method. Still,
these laces are not that expensive and you could easily carry an extra set in
your back pocket to switch out if you wanted to go back to the original slip on
style or traditional style of tying.
Side note:
One drawback to these two types of lacing material has been
the knot under the toe hole that secures the lace to the sandal. Some folks are very sensitive to the knot. There
have been several solutions offered to help reduce the feel of the knot
underfoot. The first solution was to simply wear them until the knot flattened
out and you no longer noticed it.
The second solution was to speed up this process by taking a
hammer to the knot and flatten it down with a few good whacks. Or has in the case for the
Polypropylene/nylon material, you could slide the outer casing down and cut out
the core material. Then you would tie the knot with only the casing for a much
smaller and softer knot. All of the above methods help to eliminate the feel of
the knot.
Yet another solution with the Polypropylene/Nylon lacing was to
simply eliminate the knot, and burn the end of the cord with a flame to melt it
and then to flatten it out to make a little mushroom button on the bottom of
the sandal that keeps the cord secured to the sandal.
The best solution I have found is to flatten the knot out with a hammer
and pull it into a recessed knot hole on the bottom of the sandal. This not
only helps to eliminate the feel of the knot but also helps protect the knot
from wearing out from ground friction. This works exceptionally well with the
Polypropylene/Nylon lace with the melted end flattened into the recessed hole.
Depending on the
thickness of your sandal, not all will have a recessed knot hole. I do not have
a recessed knot hole on any sandal less than 4mm thick.
Elasticized Lace:
The next type of lacing I use is the elasticized lace in 3/8
inch wide and ½ inch wide. With the elasticized lace I use only the modified
slip on style of lacing the sandal to my foot and secure it in place using a
simple overhand knot or a multi-directional buckle to secure it in place once
it is adjusted to my foot.
Since this lacing is more of a strap it makes the sandal
feel more secure to my foot and because it stretches, it is very easy to slip
on and off my foot without loosening the knot or buckle. This lacing material
is also very comfortable against the skin and does not require any breaking in.
I find the buckle makes it even easier to adjust the tightness to my foot and
holds in place better than the plain knot. It also looks really cool.
The elasticized lace is secured to the bottom of the sandal
using a simple knot that I flatten down into the recessed knot hole.
I like the elasticized lace for everyday use since it is so
easy to slip on and off and is secure and comfortable against my skin when
running on hard paved surfaces or light trails. Not the best choice however if
you are running tough trails on uneven terrain as your foot will want to slip off the sandal when the lace
stretches with any side loads imposed by your foot placement on the uneven
terrain.
Nylon Webbing and
Buckle System:
For this system I use ½ inch or 5/8 inch wide nylon webbing
and the multi-directional buckle. The nylon webbing is very soft against the
skin and is a very strong material. Since it is either ½ inch or 5/8 inch wide
it feels very secure on my foot once it is adjusted. As with the elasticized
lace I use only the modified slip on style for securing the sandal to my foot.
This is also a very comfortable type of lacing system for
the slip on style and works very well on the tough terrain trails I mentioned
above. Like the traditional laces when tied in the slip on style, it takes a
little experimenting to get just the right fit of the toe strap and heel strap
so that it is comfortable to wear and tight enough that the heel strap does not fall
off your heel when running downhill. The multi-directional buckle system makes
it easy to adjust if needed when you are on the trail. The 5/8 inch wide nylon
webbing feels just a little more secure to me for my foot size.
I like to secure this type of webbing to the bottom of my
sandal by melting the end and pressing it against a hard flat surface to make a
mushroom button that then seat in to the recessed knot hole on the bottom of
the sandal. This method works very well in securing the lace and eliminating
the feel of the knot.
There is also the hybrid lacing system using webbing
material and an elastic or rubber heel strap that I have not yet experimented
with but believe would do well on trails while maintaining an easy slip on and
off function.
I am sure there are many other materials that can be used,
but these are the ones I have had success with so far. Do not be afraid to try
other materials you may have or think of as it is a lot of fun to just
experiment with them to find what works best for you.
There are also a lot of different ways to lace up your
sandals. I have shown only the three point attachment system of between the
toes and two ankle holes that I find to be very simple and comfortable. I have
also seen some folks punch additional holes in the sides of their sandals and
use a crisscross method across their toes and foot that looks very cool and comfortable, but I
have not personally tried this method out yet either.
This is what I like about Huaraches; they are a simple
design that offers so many different options for people like me to try. The
research and development of this adventure is so much fun and always turning up
new things to try. If you have a method or system that you like, please feel
free to share with me and add to the fun. Thanks and happy trails.
To learn more about Ron G’s custom made Huaraches,
please visit my Web Site at: www.allwaysbarefootsandals.com.
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