Luna Center Bear Sandal Assessment

There was a time when overly cushioned athletic footwear reigned king (I’m looking at you, New Balance). In recent years, footwear trends have seen a shift toward barefoot designs. Out with overly padded, high-arched running and hiking shoes, and in with wide toeboxes, thin soles, and nonexistent arches. But Luna takes the barefoot hiking shoe one step further with its Middle Bear hiking sandals.

Don’t get me wrong; I am someone who will go to great lengths to wear a sandal year-round (read: I’m unashamed to wear socks and sandals), though I’ve been limited to closed-toed shoes for hiking footwear options — until now.

Over the last few months, I made the Middle Bear sandals my go-to hiking shoe and was impressed with their ability to keep up — from short strolls around the neighborhood park to multi-mile hikes up steep trails with an overnight pack, the Middle Bears are in it to win it. 

In short: The Luna Middle Bear sandals are a refreshing take on the saturated running and hiking shoe market. With a true barefoot design coupled with grippy Vibram soles, a burly construction, and countless adjustability options for the optimal fit, the Middle Bears are made for those who want to free their toes out on the trail.

To see how the Middle Bears compare to other hiking-capable sandals, check out GearJunkie’s Best Hiking Sandals for Women Buyer’s Guide.

Luna Middle Bear Sandals: Review

The term “barefoot shoe” may seem like an oxymoron, but the idea is that they allow the foot to function as naturally as possible (as if it were barefoot). Think of it the other way around: a barefoot shoe lacks the features that confine feet in normal shoes, like aggressive arches, small toeboxes, and thick, over-supportive soles. Some other popular brands making barefoot shoes are Altra and Xero. 

A few buzzwords that align with the barefoot designs include zero drop (meaning there is no height difference between the front of the shoe and the heel — it’s completely flat) and a wide toebox (a wide forefront of the shoe that encourages toe engagement). A barefoot shoe is also flexible with a thin sole, and their “no support” design lets the wearer feel the ground under their feet.

The Namesake

Luna has a certain authenticity surrounding its barefoot design that makes me love these shoes even more. As the story goes, the founder of Luna, aptly nicknamed Barefoot Ted, was inspired by the barefoot runners in rural Mexico who were racing with shoes made from used tires. The Luna sandal design is influenced by these runners and by the man who created its shoes: Manuel Luna.

But don’t let the history fool you: These sandals aren’t just meant for running. In fact, Luna calls its shoes “footwear in which you can run, walk, hike, play and adventure your way through life.” Most of my testing took place on day hikes and backpacking trips throughout the North Cascades.

An Accommodating Fit

The Middle Bears are a quintessential barefoot shoe, meeting all of the criteria above. Though this sandal doesn’t really feature a toebox, the sole is wide and completely flat. I fit in my normal street shoe size (women’s 8½), and from there, I could fiddle with the straps to secure my foot completely to the shoe. 

A warning to those new to barefoot shoes: Know that if you are not used to these designs, it does take time to get used to a no-support shoe like the Middle Bear. No support may lead to twisted ankles, and your feet may feel cramped or overworked during or after wearing them. If you’re looking to dive into a barefoot shoe, be sure to ease into it, and don’t take your Middle Bears out for too long of a hike your first time wearing them.

Adjustability Where It Counts

The Middle Bears have a flip-flop strap design, with one strap running between your big and second toe. The one-continuous loop design of the straps means this fit can be adjusted almost anywhere along the foot, which I enjoyed for finding the perfect fit.

The webbing along the straps is wide and comfortable and never dug into my skin. I especially appreciate the padding on the heel strap, as it made for an even shorter break-in period.

Even though I broke in my pair of Middle Bears during a wet, 10-mile hike on the Olympic Peninsula, I never experienced any rubbing or blistering on my heel or anywhere the straps made contact with my feet.

The only downside to the fit of these shoes is the flip-flop webbing between the toes: If your feet aren’t used to flip-flops the way mine are after the winter, you may experience some irritation between the toes. With time, however, this discomfort goes away.

In the Field Testing

Over the last 8 months, I’ve made the Middle Bears my go-to hiking shoe, and I’ve been nothing but happy with how they’ve performed. I had the chance to test them out in various terrains and conditions, from muggy jaunts in the rainy PNW coast forests to mid-winter snowline approaches with skis on my back. 

While hiking, I was most impressed with the Middle Bear’s grip. Common among well-made hiking shoes, the Middle Bears are outfitted with Vibram soles. The lugs are chunky yet soft, and they were happy to grab onto sandstone at the beach and wet rocks. I even wore them while crossing a stream on a small log with a heavy pack. The Middle Bears are also noticeably lightweight (just over one pound total for the pair), and I appreciated the break from traditional hiking boots and shoes. 

To be sure, there are a few downsides of hiking in a sandal: First, there’s nothing protecting your toes from colliding with rocks or getting cut up on overgrown trails.

I also noticed I had bad luck with getting small sticks and other debris caught between my foot and the sole of the shoe. It was annoying to have to stop and wiggle forest fragments from between my toes, but I overall thought the benefits of the hiking sandal outweighed these costs.

On the Long Haul

One of the downsides to a no-support shoe such as the Middle Bear is foot fatigue. Though I ultimately loved how the Middle Bears engaged my feet, they were noticeably tired after 10+ mile treks.

As aforementioned, I debuted my pair on a 10-mile hike in the Olympics, and my feet certainly felt worked afterward. Personally, I liked how my feet felt like they’d just hit the gym — that kind of engagement is what I appreciate in barefoot shoes. 

I almost exclusively used these sandals for snowline approaches this winter, which consisted of multiple miles of hiking with a heavy pack. Since these shoes are so lightweight and easy to slide into any spare backpack pocket (side water bottle pockets are a great choice), I didn’t mind packing them in my overnight ski tour pack just for the delight of wearing them the first and last few miles to the trailhead.

In fact, I’m now a believer that there’s no better feeling than swapping into the Middle Bears after wearing ski boots for days.

Fighting the Cold

If you’re anything like me, you’ll take any chance to wear sandals over closed-toe footwear, even if it’s January. Of course, this means sacrificing foot sensitivity and being prepared to swap into more appropriate footwear when things get bitter. 

However, Luna does offer ways to make the cold more manageable while donning the Middle Bears. For around-town and dry, flat hikes, Luna sells a variety of sandal-compatible socks on its website. The merino wool pair I tested was incredibly comfortable and designed like a mitten — just the big toe is separated — which helped keep my toes even warmer.

Luna also sells several injinji socks, a brand well-known for its toe socks, with a variety of cuts and color options available.

For West Coasters and those who find themselves in wetter weather, Luna offers a water-resistant Middle Bear-compatible bootie called Tabus that can be worn with or without a sock. The soft, hydrophobic lining is kind on the skin, and the booties are easy to toss on and tighten on the go.

As a concept, I love the Tabus, and I think they’re a great choice for short treks around town in the rainy winter months. However, I wouldn’t recommend them for dedicated hikes — the combination of socks and Tabus was a bit claustrophobic, and especially when going downhill, my toes felt like they were butting into the end of the sock, and the toe strap felt thick and restricting.

Secondly, the water resistance in the Tabus limits breathability, and my feet were drenched with sweat after hiking only a few miles. I had better luck wearing the socks and sandals on their own, though the soft merino wool certainly stayed wet once they got wet. 

Caution: Slippery When Wet

The Middle Bears are equipped with Luna’s in-house Monkey Grip Tech — a micro-dimpled texture — and I was happy overall with how well my feet gripped the soles of these sandals. However, I did have some issues with my feet slipping after they got wet.

My biggest struggle with slippage occurred while I was coaching at an indoor bouldering competition — after walking around on soft mats for hours, my feet were sweaty, and I was sliding all around the sandals by the end of the day.

I’ll admit this is less of an issue outside, and I didn’t experience as extreme of a slippage issue while hiking in the Middle Bears. After creek crossings or once my feet started to feel noticeably sweaty, I would take a break long enough to loosen the sandals and let my feet dry. This was more of a bummer when hiking in the rain like I did in the Olympics, but not a big enough issue to keep me from continually choosing the Middle Bears for hikes.

Truck Tire-Like Durability

In short, these shoes really do feel like wearing truck tires — they’re thick yet soft, making them relatively damage-resistant. The webbing straps are burly and have a quality feel.

Despite donning these sandals on rough terrain all over the Washington wilderness these last few months, my pair have no damage to show for it. Though these shoes come with a hefty $120 price tag, they’re an investment that will last you for miles.

Luna Middle Bear Sandals: Conclusion

Whether you’re just getting into barefoot footwear and want a sandal option for around town, or a zero-drop fanatic looking for some lightweight trail footwear that will keep up with your multi-mile treks, the Luna Middle Bears are a great option. 

Throughout the last few months, I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the Middle Bear’s ability to keep up with a variety of outdoor adventures. Not only are they comfortable right out of the box, but they’re seriously durable and will last me years to come. Despite a few gripes about their performance in wet conditions, I find myself reaching for these sandals when prepping for any hike.

At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with supporting the all-American Luna and its fleet of barefoot trotters, and I highly suggest the Middle Bears be your first foray into the brand. In fact, you might just find yourself storing your hiking boots away for good.