A short while back I posted a review of Luna’s new Split-Toe Tabi Socks. It was possibly my most unabashedly enthusiastic review to date. And for good reason — these socks are amazing! I’ve since worn them on two additional trail races (10 mile and 8 mile) as well as countless chilly training mornings, and all of my original praise still holds true with no criticism to note. If anything, my love for these socks has only grown.
So when I got an email from Luna recently about the status of the socks from a sales point of view, I was both excited and sad.
Bad news first: Luna hasn’t been able to keep up with the demand for these socks. These special tabi socks are carefully crafted in Japan and then imported a few dozen at a time. Now, I was a humanities major so I have no idea where Japan is actually located, but sources* tell me that it’s far away. And though I’ve heard Luna Sandals referred to as the Cadillac of huaraches, that comparison only works insofar as the quality they put forth — not necessarily the name recognition or resources. (Yet.) We’re not talking Nike or Adidas here. We’re talking about a company whose entire staff could probably carpool to work together in one vehicle. We’re talking about a company whose founder, Barefoot Ted, is probably most quickly identified by explaining to someone that he was “the quirky one” in Born to Run. So it’s really not surprising that right now they’re ordering in the dozens instead of the hundreds or thousands when it comes to socks of this quality that have to travel this distance.
Now for the good news: Luna is planning to change that. What do you do when demand for your products outstrips the supply? You up your game. You think bigger. That’s just what Luna is doing. Their plan is to start taking pre-orders for the next shipment in order to gather funds to place a bigger order. And now for the better news: Luna sent Birthday Shoes the exclusive pre-order link to share with our loyal readers!
It’ll take a little longer to get the socks shipped out to customers (as much as 4 weeks), but trust me when I say it’s worth it. If you’ve been on the fence about these socks, go re-read my review of them. Post questions or thoughts. Or contact Luna directly — I’m sure they’d be glad to talk about them.
The bottom line I’d leave you with: if you’re a huaraches fan whose feet need a little something extra during the cold months but don’t want to give up your sandals, or if you like keeping things minimal but could use some compression, you just can’t do any better than these tabi socks. Go pre-order and help support an excellent small-but-hoping-to-grow shoe company.
DISCLAIMER: I did not benefit in any way whatsoever from this post. I really am just that enthusiastic about these!
*Google. According to this amazing search website, it’d take me over 129 days to get to Japan. That’s pretty far.
6 replies on “Luna Split-toe Tabi Socks – Pre-Sale!”
TO LUNA SANDALS:
-PREORDERS ARE NOT CASH….
I liked your initial review. Thanks for the heads up on the pre-order.
The reason Google says it’ll take you 129 days to get to Japan is that Item 853 “Turn left onto 国道354号線” is totally wrong. You need to make a SLIGHT left. It’ll save you a lot of time.
Greg: I think if you avoid toll roads then Google would say it takes just under 128 days to get to Japan.
I wonder how they do against mud and water. My first guess would be not to well.
@Aaron and John – Thanks for the tips! That’s going to save me a ton of time. Can’t wait to get there and get my socks!
@Garrett – As far as mud and water goes, they performed better than expected. Didn’t notice a thing wrong when I ran in them in rain or muddy trails.
I did a 10-mile trail race on a melt day that followed a ton of ice and sleet. Which meant the trail was a muddy mess. By the time I finished, my feet and thus the socks were completely coated in mud. Of course my feet were wet, but it was way better than stepping in a puddle with sneakers and cotton socks. I think they’re fine wet and muddy.
The main thing I was concerned with was warmth, which is where they really helped the most.
Just where does one purchase the compression socks you speak of? It was not included in your
article.