On an overnight camping trip in the Enchantments last Fall, I made the costly error of leaving my Chaco Z/2’s in my tent vestibule. I awoke to find that a rodent had gnawed through the sweat-salted straps during the night. I’d sent them in for sole replacements twice in the four years I’d worn them, making them the longest-lasting sandals I’d ever owned. Now, their chewed straps motivated me to experiment with my next purchase.
Around the same time, I asked a friend who had spent the last year in a pair of Luna Mono 2.0 sandals for his opinion. He said that in addition to wearing them while working as a raft guide in Southeast Alaska, he had run steep trails in them, biked in them, and even approached some alpine climbing objectives in them, all without any complaints. His endorsement had me sold, and before long I was trying on a new pair of the Mono 2.0’s at Luna’s flagship store in Seattle.
The first thing that struck me as unique about the Mono 2.0 was its strap design. The sales representative at Luna was kind enough to walk me through the adjustment process to find the right fit. Without this tutorial, I would have been confused about the cause-and-effect of pulling the sandal’s single, continuous strap at it’s three points of adjustment. This strap is also exposed at two points on the sole of the sandal, giving justifiable concern to it’s longevity. There is also a pair of Velcro straps that act as dorsal bracing for the ankles that are completely removable, but were highly recommended for use in more strenuous terrain. Summarily, the strap adjustments for this sandal have a learning curve that feels less than intuitive.
The comfort of the Mono 2.0 is fairly subjective to the activity of the wearer. The footbed is softer than the Chaco Z/2’s I’m accustomed to, creating an initial comfort factor that takes a few weeks of continuous use to achieve with Chacos. The Mono 2.0’s also mold to the wearer’s feet with use, and at three months of continuous use in both urban and outdoor trail settings, it’s safe to say that for flat terrain, these sandals are ideal.
More complicated movement on steep hikes and scrambles yielded different results. This type of terrain led me to cinch down the straps in a way that took time to adjust, because over-tightening the sandal can lead to the wearer’s heel edging off the footbed. Leaving the straps loose enough to avoid this left my feet sliding around the footbed unpredictably. Finding the sweet spot of enough security while maintaining proper foot position in relation to the footbed was more time-consuming than I was used to with the Chaco Z-2.
Above: The left photo shows the drawback of over-tightening the Mono 2.0’s continuous strap to achieve more stability as the wearer’s heel can edge off of the back of the footbed. The right photo shows the less stable adjustment of a comfortable fit.
The thinner straps and exposed nature of the top of the foot while wearing the Mono 2.0 creates a more breathable experience than that of the Chaco Z-2. For the lack of stability that also seems to come with this, the trade-off outside of use in casual terrain is hard to justify.
In summary, I found the Luna Mono 2.0 to be an exceptionally comfortable sandal as long as I didn’t wear it on terrain with inclines that exceeded about 25 degrees. For steeper hikes and scrambles, something with a more secure fit and fast adjustment like the Chaco Z-2 would be my choice of sandal, despite their longer break-in period and less breathable feel.
Pros
Breathable strap design
Soft footbed that is not only initially comfortable, but molds to wearer’s foot over time
Reasonably priced at retail of $71.25
Cons
Lengthy and confusing strap adjustments
Feet slide around and even off of the footbed in more complicated or steep terrain
Straps are exposed at the sole of the sandal, so watch your step