When I first found out Bedrock was developing closed-toe footwear, my cold feet were stoked. I love my Bedrock Cairn open-toed sandals — if I could wear them all year round, I would. But I live in Colorado, and it gets cold here. So for several months a year, they live in my closet.
Now, however, Bedrock has taken that functional Cairn sandal design and applied it to closed-toed leather clogs. I got my hands on an early prototype pair last fall, which I’ve been testing ever since. Then this winter, the brand agreed to send me a newer version of its leather Mountain Clogs to compare.
Here’s what I walked away with.
In short: For the past year, I’ve been testing a prototype pair of the Bedrock Mountain Clogs ($160-175). I had no substantial gripes with the prototypes I wore last winter, and the final version is even better. The Mountain Clogs come with all the benefits of Bedrock sandals — a fully adjustable and secure strap system and replaceable Vibram sole. But they also have a leather footbox for the times when open-toed sandals won’t cut it.
- Weight: 13 oz.
- Outsole: Vibram
- Profile: Zero drop
Pros
- Wide toebox allows for socks of all sizes
- Grounded, sandal-like feel
- Toe protection
- Cushy footbed
Cons
- Sizes run larger
Bedrock Mountain Clogs Review
Everything about the Mountain Clogs feels like a cold-weather version of my well-loved Cairns. They come in both a leather version ($175) and a synthetic version ($160).
The clogs use the same strap design across the top of the foot and around the heel. But instead of a thong strap, there’s an entire enclosed leather toebox on. That makes them heavier, weighing 13 ounces compared to my 8-ounce Cairns. But that’s to be expected. Clogs are, by nature, heavier than most sandals.
What I like most about the Bedrock Cairns is the highly adjustable and secure-fitting Y-strap system. This holds your foot in place no matter how you move and is adjustable in three places.
The straps use a G-hook and daisy chain webbing system on the heel strap and on the inside of the top strap. You only need to adjust these straps once to your foot size. After finding the right positions for the G-hooks, I only needed to tighten and loosen the ladder lock buckle strap as I wore these daily.
Since the leather toebox wraps around your foot, I’ve found these clogs are also easier to slip into and out of than the Cairn sandals. They even feel secure even when the main buckle isn’t cinched tight.
Adventure Sandals With Toe Coverage
Like Bedrock sandals, the Mountain Clogs have zero heel-to-toe drop and a wide toebox to allow your foot to flatten naturally.
The leather toebox is very roomy. The prototypes I wore last year were a men’s size nine, which I eventually concluded was a little too small. However, I could comfortably wear the new versions in a nine because the toebox was roomy enough, even though I should be in a size 10. They wear big. So, if you can, be sure to try them on in person.
With my thickest pair of wool socks, I’ve worn these clogs in very cold weather — close to zero degrees Fahrenheit. I can cram more pairs of socks into the size 10s than I’ll probably ever need to since the leather footbox insulates well on its own.
I find myself reaching for these clogs often. They’ve become my go-to shoes for wearing to the trailhead, and I immediately slide them on when I get back from a run. Then I’ll wear them to the coffee shop, or anywhere around town.
A Clog With Vibram Soles
The Mountain Clogs have a Vibram Regolith outsole and textured rubber footbed. This is the same sole as the Bedrock Cairns. It’s super durable and grips well on a variety of surfaces. It’s great for hiking over snow, rocks, mud, or a combination of these.
These Vibram soles grip mountain bike flat pedals really well too. Most cyclists prefer to ride in cycling shoes, like the Scott MTB RC Evo, but I prefer my Bedrock Cairns. And the Mountain Clogs now let me ride in Bedrocks all year. The flat sole with shallow lugs interfaces very well with the pins on a pedal. And with Vibram soles, they’re great when you hop off the bike to explore on foot as well.
Bedrock will also replace the soles on its Mountain Clogs through its Re-Soul program. Although, it can’t replace the footbed on the clogs, only the outsole.
The Only Performance Clogs?
I know, clogs aren’t exactly a performance footwear category, but these clogs force the conversation.
I wouldn’t take these on a long run. But the three-way adjustable-strap system is secure enough that you could do it. I suspect it’s only a matter of time before we hear these are some thru-hikers’ trail footwear of choice too.
If you’re getting into something hardcore, these wouldn’t be my first choice. They’re still clogs, after all. But for those cold days in the mountains where I might get into anything — a hike, a quick bike ride, patio beers, or all the above — I take the Bedrock Mountain Clogs.
Bedrock Mountain Clogs Conclusion
Though the Mountain Clogs don’t feel quite as light and fast as the original Cairn sandals, they can handle just about everything that open-toed sandals can’t. They give you that free feeling unique to sandals, with the versatility of an all-weather closed toebox.
With the Mountain Clog, Bedrock is branching out of sandals and dipping its toes in new styles and designs. And so far, they’re every bit as high-quality as the sandals the brand has built its name on.
