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  1. #21
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    Grrrr....

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by cmoulder View Post
    Grrrr....
    Exactly. I already composed an email, but didn't send it.

    The really frustrating thing is that my feet aren't happy with anything else.
    Take yet another pair of Mesa Trails that I have zero confidence in, tell them to send me another shoe that I really don't want, or try to get a refund and start over looking for something else that otherwise works as well for me...none of those options is particularly appealing.
    My workplace recently shut down, so I'm "vacationing" for a few more weeks before getting another job, and have a lot more hiking planned.
    Guess I'll make do with the pair Terraflex I already have, for the time being, and see if they hold up.
    Either way, Xero is definitely off my Christmas card list

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by OwenM View Post
    Guess I'll make do with the pair Terraflex I already have, for the time being, and see if they hold up.
    As another data point I'm currently walking around in a pair of Terraflex just to see what happens over the next month or so. Like you, I do like the feel of the shoe and I really, really want to like this pair. But my experience with the Prio's lack of durability cast a pall over these as well. I do appreciate your honest assessment and I'm trying to keep an open mind, but so far I'd say that with the exception of their sandals Xero has better marketing than product.

  4. #24

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    Done fooling with the Mesa Trails, and they're sending me another pair of the Terraflex.

    However frustrated I've been by their shoes, Xero's customer service is the best I have ever seen.

    The return process(paraphrased, of course):
    -"Hey a strap failed on my shoe again."
    -"Here's a return label, let me know when you send them, and we'll go ahead and send your replacements."
    -"Hey, I dropped off my return, I'd like to exchange for the Terraflex."
    -"Here's an order confirmation for the Terraflex, and an apology for not being able to refund the $10 difference in purchase price on a warranty return."

  5. #25

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    Here is a side-by-side of the Mesa Trail and Terraflex tread for anyone interested:

    The new pair of Terraflex each weighed in at 269g/9.49oz.
    They should get 3 days of use beginning tomorrow, and another 3-4 days starting Christmas Day, so here I go with another shoe to try out...

  6. #26
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    I appreciate what they're trying to do but at some point they have to concede that it takes a certain amount of material to accomplish it.

    Considering the average price of a pair of trail runners I figure they end up costing about 25 cents per mile. And these Xeros appear to be getting a lot fewer 'MPG' than that!

    Over they years, easily the single most expensive items on my gear list!

  7. #27

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    Instead of going out of state early last week, I got roped into a dayhike with some young people at the last minute, plus hiked a few favorite bits of familiar mtb trails at the same state park.
    There, the Terraflex was fine on heavily used, rocky, rooty trails with a little leaf cover. I'd already done an overnighter in my other pair a while back, so no real surprises.
    It was also fine on lesser used, sometimes very steep, trails in NC's Middle Prong Wilderness, and Shining Rock's more heavily used ones.


    Due to my plans for early last week being interrupted, no more than 40 miles total, and no complaints about the Terraflex or noticeable wear and tear at this point.
    Compared to the Mesa Trail, it does feel more protective, and mutes rocks and roots underfoot, with a corresponding drop in "ground feel" that some may consider a negative, and others a godsend. I'm somewhere in the middle, myself, and may try wearing them without the removable insole soon.
    I was still having a good bit of the previous foot pain off and on, but it has actually improved over the past 2.5 days of hiking(I didn't add another hike, and came home today), and tonight my foot feels better than since injuring it while prepping for my September trips this past summer.

  8. #28
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    I have both style shoes. Never had any problems. The straps that go around the heal are the week link so I made stronger one .I can live without them if I had to. Punched another hole for the shoelaces. I have used a rock guard from another brand. I do a 6 mile walk with dog every day or he will drive me crazy. Mostly on road or improved trails.

    thom

  9. #29

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    Terraflex still doing well after a short, rocky section of AL Pinhoti, another overnight trip to bag a few offtrail arches in Big South Fork NRRA, plus a short dayhike. Low on miles, but I think going straight up, and particularly down, steep gorges puts a lot of stress on footwear, and makes a good "test".
    Haven't tried them without insoles-it's been a little chilly!
    20220126_140834.jpg

    I'll probably update after they've gotten a couple hundred miles of use, or if they fall apart(hope not, I'm loving them!).

  10. #30
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    Glad these are working well so far.

    If these got to the point that I could confidently and reliably get 500 miles out of them I'd probably try them. But to me that's kind of a minimum threshold since I'm used to getting 500-700 on Lone Peaks. And the Terraflex weight of (advertised) 9.6oz per shoe isn't much lighter than LP5 at 10.6oz, although I'm sure my size 12 is more than that! Often enough, I hike nasty, off-camber muddy/crumbly trails that can put a lot of stress on shoes, and here in the NE they're nearly always rocky and abrasive as well.

    However, LP5 recently went on sale — I was watching like the proverbial hawk! — to make room for the latest-and-greatest LP6, so I bought a couple more pairs.

  11. #31

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    My love/hate relationship with Xero Shoes continues, as do my positive/negative posts.
    One of the Prios pictured in an earlier post, the casual/gym shoes that I hiked in once in the Uintas, started coming apart at the heel.
    20220203_124259.jpg
    The Flex Glue someone had recommended to me was crap. It did not hold, and did not turn clear when dry, so I had to scrape all that out. Shoe Goo did better, but I either need to pack more in there or try Gorilla or Super Glue. Having to learn the hard way, through trial and error.

    On the plus side, my 17.2 mile quickie in/out overnighter this week turned into 13, as I stopped early to share a shelter with a thruhiker(on his way to Maine via the Pinhoti and BMT) I'd hit it off with. More typical Pinhoti terrain, but nothing noteworthy beyond putting 13 more miles on the Terraflex.
    What was noteworthy was what I noticed when inspecting my feet afterwards. I've had large callouses on both of my big toes for most of my adult life. Along with no longer getting hotspots or blisters of any kind from artificial support and restrictive toeboxes, and my feet getting "softer" all-around(unexpected for me, wearing minimalist shoes), my callouses are maybe 1/3 of the size they used to be, and probably on their way to disappearing altogether.
    So again, despite my personal feelings about Xero Shoes' lack of durability, my feet are very happy.

    I'm going to add a tube of whatever ends up working best for repair to my "emergency kit", though. The Terraflex is really just a beefed up Prio, after all...

  12. #32
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    This Gear Aid Aqua Seal is the best shoe repair goop I have used.

    The bad news is that it is very slow curing so you have to use some masking tape or packing tape etc to hold the repair together, then wait 24 hours for it to cure. However, because it's so slow it really seeps into the pores of material and actually dissolves a small amount of the rubber, so the bond is more weld-like.

    Something much quicker but which doesn't hold quite as well is Barge Cement, which is used by cobblers.

  13. #33

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    Thanks, I'll give those a look. Really need something with a small applicator tip for getting around the edges when they separate.

    Continued heavy use, in spite of low mileage. No more than 4 trail miles this week, but ~9hrs of bushwhacking in challenging terrain while hunting offtrail arches in what is apparently a "secret" place(looking for 6 named arches, found ~40 total!).
    Ice, mud, rock, steep inclines buried in leaves, drainages that were deep and muddy. Frequent class 3, even a brief spot of class 4, scrambling to get up on rock formations, stuff like that.


    Scratches, bruises, couple of rips in the pack, and the Terraflex was what I'd have to call flawless throughout it all. Very confidence inspiring in sketchy places, zero discomfort, always felt solidly planted anywhere that wasn't so steep that I had to slide down on my butt or practically crawl up. I can't say enough good things about their performance, or imagine any shoe I'd rather have been wearing.

    And, of course, the flip side:
    2022-02-10 10-28-39.jpg

  14. #34
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    I have been wearing my Mesa Trails (by Xero) for about 6 months now. Not doing heavy hiking but putting many miles on them. Doing local trails here in northern Fl. Trails are not at all equivalent to the AT for certain but I am very happy with the shoes so far. I actually just got a new pair late January and have probably put just over 100 miles on them, mostly on the trails here but I do actually just wear them every day. I do swap out with the older pair I have just a little bit and they are still holding up fine. I did recently "find" a bike trail where I go over every rock I can possibly walk over, splash through the puddles any time there are any and walk across any logs they have set up (most all of this is stuff they had to bring in) as well as feel thankful for all the roots on this trail. Really. The first trails I found here are really wide paths (wide enough for cars) and not any type of challenge to balace and foot placement or the durability of shoes. And then I found a trail that is actually a bit more "hilly" with a few short inclines (but longest I have found yet). It's in a section of park that doesn't see much use. The trail tends to be much narrower, more rooty and just plain twisty. It was the first time I had ever seen deer in this park actually as I "spooked" 2 doe who went crashing through the trees. It's such a wonderful section that it's my new "go to" loop in this park.
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  15. #35

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    Not much hiking since I last posted, but I guess it's about time for an update.
    Between another Pinhoti section and two hikes in Big South Fork, that included the most horrific conditions of all my offtrail arch hunts, the Terraflex have officially outlasted the combined pairs of Mesa Trails that preceded them, mileage-wise, with no additional damage or signs of wear. They continue to inspire confidence in extremely steep terrain with sketchy footing.

    In spite of daytime highs not getting out of the 40s, the Z Trail sandals also got in a few easy trail miles and over a dozen creek crossings getting to and from the same area.
    20220325_130013.jpg


    This product was recommended to me for repairs, appears to provide excellent results, and is what I'll use next time my Xero sandals or shoes have any failure of the bonding materials:
    Shoe-Fix Shoe Glue: Instant Professional Grade Shoe Repair Glue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G8D69FW...ing=UTF8&psc=1

  16. #36

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    Guess this is turning into a long-term review of the Terraflex, as I was looking around on WB, and realized my last post about them was 16 months ago.

    The short version is that they've been fantastic over several hundred more miles of hiking, and show little additional wear.

    Most of my hiking is at low elevation in the SE with trail surfaces that often require good traction, but generally don't result in much tread wear, and I haven't done a lot of it in the past year. So business as usual, just less of it. Since my last post, the Terraflex have been used in AL for several Pinhoti sections plus around Cheaha and Sipsey Wilderness, a half dozen or so hikes in TN state parks, and a few offtrail arch hunting trips on the Cumberland Plateau around the TN/KY line. Also for 10 days in the High Uintas last fall, where they spent a lot of time offtrail, and displayed their usual confidence, whether slogging through boggy meadows, steep downclimbing, or going straight over mountains that were basically piles of shifting rock.

    Super impressed with how they've held up.


    20230621_140917.jpg

    20230621_141109.jpg

    20221006_112522.jpg

    20220428_121746.jpg

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