Double Hemp Elephant Bark & Grommet Huarache Tests

Double Hemp in Center

Great weekend for huarache testing here in Los Angeles.

Angeles Crest: Test Course

On Saturday, I ran 20 miles of Angeles Crest 100 trails testing out some new huarache improvements. Unfortunately, the first part of my experiment failed when incorrectly sized rubber grommets failed and I tore the ankle hole out on a pair of Elephant Bark huaraches with leather straps.

6mm vs 4mm: Rocky Running

The last 10 miles of the run was mostly rocky, downhill single track. I wore a 6mm VIBRAM Cherry soled huarache on one foot and a 4mm on the other. Both with hemp.

The 6mm Cherry is a much better mountain sole. The 4mm Cherry is best suited for situations where you want a little protection and a lot of feel. 4mm acts more like a second skin which makes it a better choice for shorter, less technical runs.

New Hemp Discovery: 2 better than 1

Sunday had some great discoveries (see above) including the realization that 2 strands of the 5mm braided hemp might be better than one. It IS better. The feel is very nice and it looks good too. Much more testing necessary, but it is very promising.

Brass Grommets: very nice

I also tested some brass grommets on a 4mm Vibram Cherry sole. The grommets are too big, but the idea is good. More work needs to be done.

Finally, I repaired some tears and problem grommets using rubber grommets and donuts with Rhino glue.

BFT