Sanuk Hemp Sidewalker Surfer Review

Sandals and flip-flops are my enemies. I’ve tripped, slipped, and simply fell on my ass. Sure this can all happen with a regular shoe, but it’s less likely. Sneakers have better grip and protect your foot. Of course you look like a dork wearing sneakers on the beach it’s just what I did, until now!

Sanuk’s Sidewalk Surfer is a sandal/shoe hybrid. The bottom piece is similar to a sandal while the top is like a shoe. You put the Sidewalk Surfer on and your shoe won’t go flying off like a sandal. You won’t get those rubber burns on the top of your foot. You won’t hear that annoying click-clack sound of the sandal hitting your foot as you walk. Your foot is more protected from the elements and people stepping on your toes.

We usually wear sandals on the beach because they get wet and they get sand on them. Sandals dry fast and are easy to get sand out of them. If you get the Sidewalk Surfer it will take longer to dry, but no where near as long as a sneaker. It’s a single layer of fabric that is getting wet so you won’t feel sopping wet. With the bottom piece being very similar to a sandal removing debris is practically just as easy.

What stuck out to me about the Sidewalk Surfer is that this particular model is made out of hemp. It’s cool to know that you’re walking around with a sturdy eco-friendly material that will hold-up over time.

When I first tried on the Sidewalk Surfer, I knew that I could go anywhere with these shoes. They’re super comfortable both with socks and without socks. Walking around town, going to the gym, driving in the car the Sidewalk Surfer did its job. I forgot that I actually wasn’t wearing a sneaker. I can wear these shoes for hours on end. I’ve never been able to do that with sandals.

I went into trying these shoes out thinking that I’d wear them only at the beach or for taking out the trash, but as it turned out that is just the beginning of my adventure with these shoes.

Hemp Socks Sample Pack Review

We all complain about our feet aches so why not treat our feet to socks that feel warm and comfy? I got the Hemp Sock Sample Pack at Hemp Authority to see what wearing hemp socks is like. I’m used to wearing thin ankle socks with my sneakers on a day to day basis. So I knew that this would be an interesting adjustment.

There are three socks that come with this sample pack: knit, crew, and ankle. They all have slightly varying materials. The knit sock is made of 53% Cotton, 23% Hemp, 13% Nylon, 7% Acrylic, 4% Polyester. The crew sock is 74% cotton, 25% hemp, 1% spandex. The ankle sock is 51% cotton, 42% hemp, 6% nylon, 1% spandex. I got large which is size 10-13.

Simply putting the socks on your feet already feel wrapped in like a soft blanket. They’ve made me wonder how I ever walked around the house without my socks on before. They instantly make you feel relaxed. That being said though they quickly made me realize how dirty the floor was as I saw these clean socks pick up dust and hairs where I previously thought there were none. After cleaning up the floors I went back to being relaxed and snuggled by my socks. I kind of like the knit and crew socks more than the ankle socks for this pleasure as they run longer up the leg. Easily I could see anyone wearing these to keep warm in the winter.

Putting my sneakers on they made the shoe feel tighter around my foot. Since they’re thicker socks that makes sense. Obviously if you’re wearing a winter boot you’ll totally love the thickness. I did find it nice though that my shoe wasn’t wobbling around due to that slight centimeter of extra space that previously wasn’t being filled by the sock.

But then I wondered if I went to the gym and ran around, whether or not my feet would sweat more or feel hotter than they did with my old socks. Surprisingly enough I didn’t feel like they didn’t. I tried my best and continued to wear the socks longer after the gym trip, but didn’t smell any strong odors. Maybe it’s because of hemp’s antimicrobial properties, or hemp being able to wick moisture well, or just the fact that these socks remain breathable.

The socks are knit in America and are made by a couple different companies like E.G. Smith and Brothers Earth Friendly Products. They both claim that portions of the profits are donated to environmental preservation.

These earthy socks seem like they’re built to last and in the process will keep my feet comfy all year long!

ONNO Hemp and Bamboo T-Shirt Review

I had a problem in my bed for a long time. It was hot under the bed sheets. Even with air conditioning I still woke up hot. It took a while to figure out a solution, but I did. I switched to bamboo bed sheets. This switch made me feel refreshed and ready to go after the first night of using them. I then thought if these sheets can make me feel that good why don’t I look at what I’m wearing and find better alternatives. We walk around throughout the day feeling hot and getting sweaty. Does it have to be like that?

I typically wear t-shirts and shorts. I thought that most of what I wore was cotton. However it tended to be more of a mixture of cotton and polyester, which simply put isn’t great for a variety of reasons. It took a while for me to find a replacement of basic colors with a good alternative material. I found the ONNO T-Shirt Company based in Boulder Colorado, which turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. T-shirts made with more thought and care for the people who wear them. They go as far as buying carbon offsets to balance out their environmental impact.

I never previously felt a bamboo or hemp tshirt. I had big hopes for the bamboo tshirt based on my bed sheets, but that was it. I bought their white color bamboo and hemp tshirts to compare. Lets just saw I loved both, but immediately ordered more bamboo tshirts. The bamboo tshirt was so soft and smooth. I knew it would be great for lounging around the house, hanging around outside, and going through more strenuous exercise at the gym. The tshirt is made up of 70% viscose from organic bamboo and 30% organic cotton. I don’t think I can ever go back to buying a typical tshirts at the mall. There are 19 different colors so that’s plenty to fill up a closet.

There are three things that are awesome about hemp t-shirts: they help block UV rays, wick moisture, and are antimicrobial. ONNO makes theirs with a 55% hemp, 45% organic cotton blend. The texture feels more like a typical shirt. Although they claim that over time with washes the t-shirt will get softer. The t-shirt itself feels thicker than the bamboo t-shirt, which leads me to being warmer especially in these hot summer days like a typical t-shirt does. I know that I’m going to start wearing the hemp t-shirts once winter rolls around and temperatures become around 60 degrees and below. I usually wear t-shirts in the winter time and freeze. So I know that the extra thickness might go as far as allowing me to wander around without a jacket for longer periods of time.

Bottom line is that I love both t-shirts. I can’t wait to fill my closet up with ONNO t-shirts and donate my old t-shirts. My life has been transformed.

Hemp Bi-Fold Wallet Review

As we all know after several years of use a leather wallet breaks down and becomes a nasty looking accessory with chips of leather flaking off. Instead of going down that road again with my next wallet, I wanted to pivot and look for alternative wallet styles.

I stumbled upon Hemp Authority, which sells Hempy’s various wallets. Hemp Authority is neat because they aggregate various American hemp products from apparel, accessories, beauty products, etc and strive to ship the products in a sustainable way.

While I can’t fast forward to see how well this hemp wallet holds up over time, I can already see some major differences when compared to a typical leather wallet. With my previous wallet it was super easy to leave a scratch mark with my finger nail, keys, etc. With my finger nail I could scratch over and over Hempy’s wallet and don’t see any scratches. That’s pretty impressive considering that it’s made out of 100% hemp. Who knew it would be that strong.

The Hemp Bi-Fold Wallet matched what I liked most about my old wallet, the plastic ID holder. In fact the way Hempy designed this wallet, there’s a front side plastic card holder and a back side plastic card holder, 8 card slots, and a cash pocket. I was a little afraid at first because the cash pocket is much shorter than I’m used to. However my bills were still able to fit in flat. It’s tall height makes the wallet easy to grip especially as you look for cards/money. The other aspect that helps in this process is the texture of the wallet. It’s both smooth, but rough enough to make it easy to grab out of your pocket.

I’m thrilled to finally replace my crummy old wallet with a hemp wallet that I know will last for a long time and is made in America in an eco-friendly manner.

Swell Vision Atticus CR39 Sunglass Review

Does it make sense to put plastic on your ears? Most of us do it when we wear typical sunglasses. That idea sent me on a internet quest to find an alternative.

I stumbled upon Swell Vision, which is based out of South Carolina. Their frames are made out of bamboo. Of course this is far more sustainable than plastic! Exploring more about Swell Vision I discovered that they also put part of their sales towards supporting local Balinese children so that they can attend the Green School in Bali, Indonesia.

Within a week of placing the order I received the Atticus CR39 Polarized Bamboo Sunglasses. Immediately after I put them on I noticed multiple differences from my previously regular pair of shades. They are super light weight. Coming in at only 0.9oz you’ll barely feel them on your face or ears. That red pinched nose effect was greatly diminished even after wearing the sunglasses for several hours. The other noticeable difference to me was how breezy my face felt with the sunglasses. There was something to the design that allowed plenty of air flow helping me feel cool.

There’s lots to mention about the lenses as well. They’re CR-39 polycarbonate lenses that are impact resistant. Of course I’ve tried not to drop them to see how resistant they are. The lenses are UV400 which blocks 90-100% of UVA/UVB radiation. They’re polarized with an anti-reflective coating. What this all means is that you’ll see clearer on sunny days. You won’t get that awful glare. You’ll see deeper blacks, but not feel as if the frames make the world too dark. Maintaining the lenses is simple as they include a micro-fiber cloth and pouch.

Across the board these sunglasses hit every mark. They’re a cool design, have eco-friendly frames, are light weight, and have high quality lenses. If you want to be adventurous like me, take the plunge into the world of bamboo frames. They’re simply better than plastic frames.