Tread Labs Redway Hiking Sandal Review

Bottom Line

The Tread Lab Redways are one of the top picks on our best hiking sandals for men guide. They’re an impressive mash-up of casual styling and performance, making them a team favorite at CleverHiker for long-lasting, comfortable hiking sandals. We put over 125 miles on his pair in a short amount of time in a large variety of terrain around the trails of Salt Lake City, Moab, Sedona, and Boulder, as well as around town and in airports across the U.S. 

Custom outsoles provide good grip on sandy trails, slick sidewalks, and steep surfaces, while the contoured footbed and medium-level arch support provide a hiking experience that will make your feet sing its praises. Their durability for the terrain they’ve encountered is out of this world, while the firm footbed and moderate stack height provide the perfect balance of underfoot protection and ground feel. 

But the Redways come with a couple of minor inconveniences. The soft polyester strapping, combined with the toothless aluminum buckles, means they occasionally require retightening on the trail. Because of this, they aren’t the best for running despite the comfort and arch support, as your foot will end up sliding around a touch, despite this not being much of a concern with hiking. They’re also on the pricier end and not the most budget-friendly.

That said, their high-quality, durable build helps justify the dollar signs. If you’re looking for a comfy, high-traction sandal that styles it up on trail and around town, the Tread Lab Redway’s should be at the top of your list.

Comfort

The Tread Labs Redways are top-of-the-line when it comes to comfort, with strong attention to detail and well-chosen, high-quality materials. Sporting a contoured footbed with extra arch support relative to most hiking sandals, the Redways earned themselves the seal of acceptance from the American Podiatric Medical Association. When regular trail-running shoes started causing ankle pain partway through a 10-day trip, the Tread Labs Redways enabled us to still cover our miles.

The contoured footbed features microfiber suede that feels comfortable with both socks and bare feet, and is paired with polyester yarn-knitted straps, which we found to be the perfect balance of flexible, soft, and secure. Our feet didn’t slip or slide in the sandal on any terrain while hiking, regardless of the terrain’s verticality, and the firm footbed remained just cushy enough while providing maximum ground feel and responsiveness.

We really put the Redway’s to the test on an ascent of Capitol Butte high above Sedona, a steep class 3 peak with many terrain obstacles and some off-trail travel.

Traction

Traction was the biggest question when it came to the performance of the Tread Labs Redways, but wow, did it exceed expectations. All around Moab and Sedona, we found opportunities to test the Redways on 3rd-, 4th-, and even low-5th-class terrain, generally of the slabby sandstone variety.

Despite the terrain being insecure and covered in slippery grains of sand, the Redways performed as well as La Sportiva’s Frixion Red rubber compound, which can be found on the majority of their trail runners, a company known for their grippy climbing shoes! 

Over time, the Redways earned his trust to the point that he even took them up into the Flatirons above Boulder, Colorado. We took a lap on the 5.0 climbing route Freeway, and felt safe enough in the Redway’s to continue up the 5.3 rated Atalanta on the first flatiron. While the lateral stability wasn’t ideal for the terrain on certain movements, the Tread Labs kept us safe and secure with solid traction on the microcrystal-laden conglomerate sandstone.

What really sold us was how well the Redways performed on technical hiking terrain. Downsloping boulders and sand-covered hardpan were all manageable in the Redways and, in the end, earned two thumbs up.  With this in mind, the lug pattern is shallow and minimalist, and while the outsole compound is exceptionally grippy, we wouldn’t recommend the Redways for any sort of muddy or gravel-heavy terrain.

Stability

These sandals are fairly rigid with a firm cushioning — a great combination for ground feel and responsiveness, as well as protection from sharp rocks underfoot. The contoured footbed offers an excellent indentation around the heel to form a supportive cup for the heel to lock in and sit just right, while minimizing this effect at the forefoot with less of this raised contour, so the metatarsals can splay for comfort and longevity with foot health in mind. 

Stability takes a slight hit with lateral movement and side-hilling, as the ample arch support can push the foot to the side and create pressure points along the pinky edge of the forefoot. If you know you’re going to be traversing some slopes, you might want to look for a sandal with a wider footbed and less arch support.

We also took the Redways on trail runs, which worked really well for a while until a particular flat run caused a blister on his arch. There was just enough movement along this larger-than-arch contour to cause a fairly large blister to form, even with a pair of socks on as a friction barrier. With this in mind, we’d recommend the Redways for stability on tough hikes.

Adjustability

Adjustability is the only metric where the Redways didn’t earn top marks. While the lightweight dual aluminum buckles don’t impede comfort at all, the combination with the polyester strapping means the fit will loosen ever so slightly over the course of a hike or run. This is how we ended up with an arch blister during his flat trail run, but on hikes, it was simply a minor annoyance, fixed with a quick re-tightening every couple of miles.

The somewhat pro to this is that you won’t be able to over tighten and cause any discomfort or cut off blood flow in the foot, which is something folks are apt to do with any ill-fitting footwear. This could be fixed with a slightly grippier or more textured polyester material for the straps where they feed into the buckle, specifically (or simply on the outer layer of the strapping).

On top of this, we’d like to see a double-backed or thicker end of the strap so it doesn’t slip out of the buckle itself (we noted as a possibility for those with larger volume feet that might be pushing the limits of the strap length). 

Durability

Even after exploring over 125 miles of trails, towns, and airports, the Tread Labs Redways show minimal signs of wear and, most importantly, no signs of major impending failures. We experienced minimal wear over rugged desert terrain with sharp rocks and cactus needles, especially at the toe end, where wear can be apparent so quickly during steep uphill hikes. 

That said, the outer edges of the suede insoles are showing some cosmetic wear and tear, but nothing of concern. The outside of the midsole is exceptionally resilient and shows almost no markings. Meaning even after you beat these sandals up on trail, you can still wear them around town. 

We anticipate 500+ quality miles based on the current wear trajectory. This could even be extended. Tread Labs offers a resoling option for their sandals — an environmentally friendly option for those who fall in love with their first pair of sandals and want to keep using them.

Versatility

The Tread Labs Redway sandals are built for trail and town. Simple styling combined with the exceedingly comfortable arch support means they’re ready for use when running errands, on long travel days at the airport, or even on casual days at work, if you don’t require protection from the elements or heavy objects.

They are machine washable, so you can pop them in the wash after rugged hikes if you still need them to be presentable. They’re able to seamlessly transition between water and land if you’re looking to cross rivers on a backpacking trip or lounge at the beach all day. However, the materials aren’t as quick-drying as those of other sandals in our guide.

The Redways aren’t for every environment, though. Without a protective toe covering, they’re not the best choice for thorny off-trail scrambles or routes full of pointy rocks.

Should You Buy the Tread Labs Redway Sandals?

The Tread Lab Redway sandals are an amazing choice for hikers and backpackers alike who desire a highly durable, comfortable sandal with excellent traction that can be worn both on the trail and around town. The podiatrist-certified suede insole provides a supportive fit for longer days. And the polyester straps are flexible and soft, while still providing an ample hug for a dialed-in fit.  Two adjustment points with aluminum buckles, excellent traction, and low weight make them a good pick whether you’re traveling or bringing them as camp shoes. 

On the downside, these aren’t the best choice if you prefer sandals with a strap between the toes, need a softer, cushier footbed, or are looking for a more budget-friendly sandal option. However, for day hikes, backpackers, and around-the-town snack-havers, these sandals earn top marks for comfort, traction, durability, and versatility in a way that really caught our attention, making them one of our top picks in 2026.

What Other Men’s Hiking Sandals Should You Consider?

Head over to our guide to the best hiking sandals for men to find out how the Tread Lab Redway compares to the others. And consider these other picks:

Teva Terra Fi 5 Review: Like the Tread Lab Redways, these hiking sandals offer stellar traction, stability, and comfort on and off the trail. We like these a bit more for adjustability, thanks to their heel strap. However, they unfortunately weigh in on the heavier end.

KEEN Newport H2 Review: For a burly water shoe, the KEEN Newport H2s are a stellar alternative. They feature a webbing upper with a protective toe bumper, but they’re not as adjustable.

Luna Mono Winged Review: The Luna Mono Winged sandals are better for those who are looking for minimalism and between the toes. Ultralight and budget-friendly, these might be a better choice as a backpacking backup, but they won’t offer the exceptional comfort of the Redways.