Monday 9 February 2015

Are Nike Air Huaraches Comfortable

Brief History of the Nike Air Huarache

The year is 1991 and a new revolutionary wave of running shoes hit the world by storm. They were the Nike Air Huarache.

I remember back in the early 1990's when kids were rocking these shoes. The original white, blue and green design that still looks amazing today. I couldn't afford a pair of Huaraches back then as I didn't have a job and I was still in school. My only way of getting a pair was through my mum. Since I was playing basketball for my school team at the time it was a choice between the Nike Air Huaraches ond the Air Jordan 6 and of course the Air Jordans triumphed over the Huarache.

Fast forward a couple of decades and the Huaraches are back with a vengeance. This time around I'm not missing out again. My lovely fiancé has bought me a pair and oh my god what a pair of trainers they are!


So How Comfortable Are The Huaraches?


The most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever worn in my lifetime! As simple as that!
One piece of advice though is that the shoes were designed to really hug your feet and the leather / rubber strap that provides support behind your heel doesn't have much flex. Therefore, don't expect your usual shoe size to fit when wearing the Nike Air Huaraches. I recommend going size 1 to 1.5 up from your usual. This will provide a better fit with the Huaraches.

I'm usually a size 8.5 to 9. The Air Huaraches I have are size 10 and fits very comfortably.

The air bubble and air system by Nike have been around for pretty much forever, and they do feel very comfortable however, the Air Huaraches are in a league of their own! It really does feel like you're walking on air and you actually get to enjoy walking / running.


Here's my four factors of comfort -
  • Ease of slip on - at first it may feel a little odd trying to put the shoes on. This is mainly because of the one piece sock type design and the rear sandal type heel support strap. Provided that you got the right size for your feet (as mentioned above) you should have no problems slipping on these shoes once you get used to it and you figure out where to put your fingers.
  • General feel around the foot - amazing!! I've had shoes, pumps, trainers in the past where I've had to "wear into" them. There's no need to do so with the Huaraches. Straight out of the box, slip them on and off you go. Again i'll mention the one piece sock style design because it is simply comfort on your feet at it's best. It just feels like your wearing socks with an incredibly soft sandals. There are no parts of the shoe whatsoever that irritate, dig into or feel loose on the foot.
  • Heel comfort - honestly speaking, the first time I tried on the Huaraches, i felt softness between the ground and my heels like i never felt before. As you can see, the soles are very thick and look very soft, cushioned and comfortable. Believe me they really do feel the way they look. I believe heel cushioning is a major factor when determining comfort because when we take steps, we land with our heel first and then the rest of the foot follows. I could walk for hours with these!
  • Weight - although not as light as my Converse Chuck It canvas shoes, the Huaraches are still very light for their type of shoe. I know you can't really compare apples to oranges but lightness still plays a big part in a shoe's comfort factor. Initial glance at the Huaraches may indicate a certain amount of weight because of the large thick sole and the sandal style straps. However, pick one up and you're assumptions immediately are flushed down the poo hole. Very light trainers indeed!

Air Huarache Verdict


Quite simply put, the best shoes I've ever owned. Delivers both amazing style and comfort. I can't believe I missed out on these shoes in the nineties!

The only cons with the Air Huaraches are -
1. Too many chavs wear them. Common as muck these days.

2. The build seems abit low quality. I expected better standards from Nike. See below picture where adhesive residue can be seen just above the soles.

These cons are however, just a few small pebbles on a mountain full of tough rocks!

22 comments:

  1. Thanks for your comment on my blog ;)
    That's a nice pair, I like the color! And you're definitely right, those are the most comfortable shoes I own^^ As for your question, mine were 120€ from footlocker :)
    xx Ama

    PHUCKITFASHION

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  2. Do you feel a space from there the strap holds the back to of heel to where the sole ends? I can see there is some space since the strap holds the foot from going back. I was just wondering if that's how it's suppose to feel or if I got them too big

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    1. Hi Ana,
      Do you mean a gap between the back of your ankle and the strap? If so, i don't have it with my shoes. I can however, fit my finger in between the strap with slight force and with the strap being slightly elastic it will allow for some play.
      I think you may have got your's a little too big. Where did you get them from if you don't mind me asking and what colour are they?

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  3. Can you tell me the heel height? Like is it a great boost or just slightly?

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  4. It's 5cm. To me that's high and I believe because of that and the great comfort they provide, not to mention the awesome look, Huaraches tend to be popular with females.

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    1. 5cm? No chance. That’s 2 inches. NO trainers have a 2 inch heel rise.

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  5. do you think you wear these with socks? I am usually an 8 and i went up to a 9.5. my toes feel great, but its supposed to hug your feet, so now I am unsure. Maybe I should have gotten a 9. These are so complicated! They look huge around the toe area.

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    1. Hehe. Shoes shouldn't be 'complicated'.
      Good point raised about wearing socks though. I always wear sport socks with mine. But when I travel, particularly on long plane journeys, the Huaraches can really get tight.
      Top tip - avoid wearing these whilst travelling on a plane.

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  6. im 5,3 and i wanna know are the shoes gonna be like high for me i dont wanna look that tall

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  7. Hello ima a 5.5Y in roshe runs and 6Y in nike zoom fit what size would you recommend for the huarache?

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  8. Hey I know this is an old post but could you tell me how durable these are? I walk a LOT and I've seen how comfortable these are but I was wondering how long they would last me seeing as they're quite expensive. Thank you.

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    1. I know I posted this over a year ago so you should expect to get a good answer back from me. But, sorry I can't answer your question. Why? Because mine are still like new as I rarely wear them.
      I'm like that clothes and shoes that I love. I tend to save them and never really wear them.

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    2. hahahahahahaha, It's no problem I already ordered mine anyways, but thank you very much for your response!

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  9. Hi! OMG! Oh how I wish I'd found this blog beforehand! I had been looking for a new pair of shoes for work. So I asked around, & everyone had been telling me about Huaraches & how comfortable they were. I recently got a new job & needed a shoe for standing for long periods of times. I hadn't worked in a year, & hadn't been used to standing 8hrs a day 40hrs a week in a while. So I'd been on the hunt for these shoes, oddly enough for months. They either were sold out or not in my size. So I NEVER got to try them on. Due to me having a Nike friends & family discount card, I had to purchase these before it expired. & I ended up ordering them in the store, online. I finally received them today. & I got them in my exact size....smh. They were incredibly hard to get on for sure! Then once I got them on, they felt amazing! Until 30mins into being at work...I felt like my ankles circulation was cut off!!! Geez I wish I'd read this first! Thanks so much for this blog & all the tips! (Sorry 4 my "essay" of a comment! Lol)

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  10. I like Huaraches.. (I have looked at all of them on http://sneaker.gallery) but I have noticed that they are not selling well at the moment. The Triple Black was very popular on its first release, but when it was restocked the hype died down, and now they are all being discounted... I think these are going to go into decline.

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  11. I can't see how anyone can find these comfortable. I've tried multiple sizes and I always get a poorly fitting heel. As there's no proper heel support, the material just squishes down. The strap does absolutely nothing.

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    1. Agreed. Great colorways but yeah I felt like my heel was standing in a bed of sand. Too soft.

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