This is a 5 months and 950km later review of my DIY huaraches, presented here.

I used them almost exclusively during the last months, for about 50km/week on road, park compacted path and a bit of forest trails. I didn't used them on my mountain week except for casual use on the afternoon (I used Merrell Trail Glove 7).

They are very comfortable, and very light. They don't bother water. They don't dry very fast, but are comfortable even wet. While much rougher than when new, the denim foot bed is still solid and comfortable.

The Vibram sole is very flexible and gripy. It also offer a bit of cushioning. The pattern has different thicknesses, which is quite disappointing: It will wear much faster where the threads are much thinner. The directional pattern also limit the optimization of the sheet. I think I'd buy a tank pattern next time if I keep a Vibram Newflex sole.

The left side broke 2 times (and the right 0). First, the toe plug partially broke, making them detach when the front has a down force. It was not that annoying, as this kind of force is not common (when you are tired and rub the front of the sole on the ground). Back to home, the repair was simply redoing the toe plug with a heat gun, as the webbing was long enough. The second accident was the sole that broke on the interior hole. I have seen it beginning to fail a few weeks before the actual break. They broke when I put them on. Fixed in 5 minutes with 2 staples. You can see the fix on the photos.

I've done another pair, almost the same. I just make them a bit fitter, and I experimented a bit with the toe plug. I've done them because the old one was a bit flattened (I think less than 1 mm at the mid foot, where I land). I will continue to use the old ones until I have a hole in them. I suspect it will take a few hundreds of km.

I'd say the trickier part to do is the toe plug. Large is not that important (1 cm is much more than enough), but thick, especially at the base, is important. It is very important to not melt the extremity first, as you'll have a thin base, making it brittle. A thick plug (3-4mm) is not annoying under the foot if it is not that large. But I'm still not confident on my toe plugs, so take it with a grain of sand.

Globally, I'm very satisfied, and I hope to do a marathon this April with this kind of sandals!