GIVEAWAY - Tarahumara "Chabochi" Sandals! October Giveaway Expires Wednesday, Oct 8, Noon EST

For all those that weren't lucky enough to win these sandals, Chabochi have confirmed to me today that they are willing to ship sandals to the US for the same price as advertised on their website ... 55 Euros (approx. $70)

http://www.chabochi.es/en/index

I think I'll be ordering some next Spring - after the Winter Challenge is over ;)
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Hey everyone,
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I'm happy to report that they selected me to receive the Chabochi Sandals! They arrived earlier in the week, but I wanted to wait until I could take them out on the trail a little bit before I reported back.

I'd like to thank the people at Chabochi for making and sending me these awesome sandals! I'd also like to apologize to everyone for making you look at a picture of my gross feet.

A little background on my previous running sandal experience:

I've (unsuccessfully) tried my hand a couple times at making my own. Never tried too hard but didn't like what I came up with.

I have a pair of extremely thin XeroShoes that I like a lot. They are so thin and flexible, they are great for running roads when I don't want to have to worry about little rocks or glass or if I'm not sure of the surface conditions. I also really like them for speedwork on the street, they allow me to get a little sloppy in the pursuit of speed and intensity.

I also have a pair of Luna Oso's with the ATS lacing system (nylon webbing with a plastic buckle thing that acts as the not). These are pretty much my ideal footwear. I wore them for a local 50k, wore them for a week of backpacking, and have pretty much been living in them since.


The Chabochi Sandals arrived in a plastic shipping bag from Spain! The gentleman I was in contact with at Chabochi was very nice and had mentioned that the sandals would have to be shipped from Mexico where they're made, to spain, to california. I do remember failing geography in highschool, but I'm pretty sure Spain is not on the way to California from Mexico. I'm sure not complaining though, they arrived very quickly.


When they arrived, they came in a neat little burlap bag. They were already laced up and came with an extra set of laces. They also came with a little card that said that the CEDAIN foundation certifies that the sandals were 100% made by the artisans and runners of the Tarahumaras. My spanish is pretty rusty but I'm pretty sure that's what it says. There is also a link to this CEDAIN foundation on the Chabochi website.

These are really cool looking sandals! They look like they were probably made by some awesome little indian dude in Mexico.

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The Sole is definitely made of the sidewall of some firestones. They are extremely dense and surprisingly heavy. I'm far too lazy to dig out the ruler but I'd say they're probably 7 to 9mm tall. They feel like they are slightly wider at the inside and outside edge. If you'd like the exact specifications, I suggest you head on over to www.firestone.com and ask for sidewall specs. They are also concave, the curve running from the inside to the outside. This concavity is also curved from front to back and I'll touch on that a little later. There is not really much tread to speak of, aside from the lettering that was on the tire although I don't think this is very functional or necessarily intentionally placed.
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The footbed is a thin layer of light brown, perforated, suede-ey leather-ey material (excuse my technical jargon). The texture is soft but has a bit of a burr to it. It is a very pleasing texture that holds onto your foot well while being comfortable.
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The laces are leather strips that are probably around a half inch wide. They have a flat side and a fuzzy side. I googled "what do you call the two sides of leather" and got more answers than I could easily read through in less time than it would take for me to write this sentence, so I'm going to stick with flat side and fuzzy side. I'm not sure which side to put down but they're both really soft and not at all abrasive. They are tied under the hole in the middle of the forefoot. The hole has been opened up a little in the bottom of the sole so that the not is slightly recessed.


I'm assuming that most of the readers of this forum have read Born to Run. Do you remember the part where he describes the sandal making? Opening the bag and seeing these sandals brought it all back. I was way too lazy to actually look up the excerpt but I remember how they took the sidewall of the tire so that it would be concave in just the right way to cradle the foot. This did not make sense to me when I was reading it but I fully understand now.
The concavity helps maintain contact with your foot and the footbed which helps keep the sandal in place and it keeps the sandal from flopping and bending when it is not on the ground. It also feels great and cradles your foot. The thinnest rubber is at the apex of the curve, so the inside and outside are slightly thicker which is barely noticeable but feels nice. The fact that the concave is bent along with the diameter of the tire also lends itself well to following the curve of the outside of the foot which is in contact with the ground.

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(the stagecoach trail, part of today's test run. not my photo)

On the trail these sandals felt at home. I took them out for a spin near the aptly named "Rocky Peak" area of the Santa Susana Mountains near my house. I was hoping for a sandal that would offer some more protection against rocks and other pointy objects than my extremely broken-in Luna Oso's. These sandals did not disappoint. They are dense and heavy but lower and a more slender shape than the Oso's. They are also very flexible. I could feel rocks underneath and it conformed to the surfaces under foot, but wouldn't let any sharp edges harm my soft girly feet (pictured at the top of this post)

That reminds me, I wanted to note that the abrasions on my foot were actually from running in some cheap cross country shoes... on the road... with no socks. NOT from kicking rocks or anything having to do with sandals or barefoot running or trail running.

I did have to stop and tighten the laces several times. I'm a big fan of the Luna ATS laces, they're easy to set up and durable and really lock the sandal to your feet. I'm also a big fan of the traditional laces, I don't have any problems with the nylon cord that is used on the Xeroshoes. I'm not sure why these kept loosening up. I think it could have to do with the leather stretching because it's new. It could also be that there is just a certain amount of flop that should be expected. I hope this isn't the case because these sandals feel really amazing when they're tight.

I'm also thinking that I may have better luck if I tie the knot to a different spot. I used the lacing method that I like with my Xeroshoes. If you'll look at the picture at the top of the post, you'll note that before I wrap around the ankle, I loop behind the heel strap, then go around the ankle. This keeps the heel strap from falling. There are different ways to tie the sandals and I think I'll try doing some research before my next run. I'm also thinking that I may have messed it up because the right sandal was coming loose more than any thing else.

The Chabochi's were great when the lacing was tight. They definitely feel heavy but they're really functional in rough terrain. The lack of tread wasn't a big issue, despite the trails around here being extremely dry and powdery. They feel good and are confidence inspiring on the descents. I even stopped really noticing the weight by the end of the run. I think that functionally they, aren't going to become my go-to running footwear but they definitely fill a niche in the whole of my running shoe world.

In conclusion, I think these are really cool sandals. I will keep them and try to resolve the lacing issue first by looking into different lacing methods, then potentially by trying a nylon alternative.

Here's the thing though. I experienced the best part of my run immediately after the worst part of my run. I was finishing up the last part of a very fun descent. I had already needed to stop about half way down in order to tighten the lacing on the right sandal, which messed up my mindset a bit. Out of nowhere, the knot pulled out of the right sandal. I was pretty pissed as I hobbled to a stop and sat down on a rock. The knot was tied into a part of the lace that was thinner than the rest, I retied it with a thicker spot and it did not happen again.

Anyway, sitting there dismantling my footwear, assessing the situation, I looked around and realized that this was everything I like about running. I like running because it gets me outside to beautiful places, because I get to get dirty, because its something that I can fix when it breaks and I don't need to rely on machines or big companies to do it. I was sitting on a rock, filthy, wearing only a garmin and running shorts, untying my sandals, and I looked up across the valley below. My mood instantly flipped upside down as I felt a level of comfortable solitude and self reliance simultaneously with a connection to a people and history that have been built up to mythical levels in my mind.

I think the best part of these shoes is that they are plain old cool. You are straight up wearing indian running legend sandals, made by those dudes, the same way they have made their own.

I don't know if the CEDAIN Foundation is legit but if it is, I think that adds another point to the side of buying a pair of these. It'd be nice if these people could make a little money off the hype that has been created around them, especially by making something they really know how to make.

Also, they look and feel really cool!
 
Excellent report Will. Thanks. I will forward this to Chabochi. It would be good if you could report again in a few weeks time on how they hold up to the obvious battering that you give your sandals :)

Could you also please post your review as a new post in the Gear & Footwear Forum if you haven't already? Thanks

PS - Your feet are not gross. I wasn't sure if that wasn't a stock photo of a Tarahumara Indian's feet at first :) I will definitely be buying some of these next Spring, just for their coolness.

PPS - CEDAIN is definitely legit. I was on the phone to them last week. It is an indigenous craft centre in Chihuahua, Mexico
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