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Overview

The Hana by Xero Shoes is a casual, comfort shoe. But because of it’s lightweight structure and the fact that it shares the same trademark Xero sole as their other shoes and sandals, it can handle much more.

As you’ll see in my pictures, I trust them to climb up and down uneven rocks and do just about anything I would in gym shoes. I’ve found that the ability to feel the ground in these shoes is unmatched with anything else I’ve put on so I never worry about taking them onto some uneven or slippery terrains.

Xero also offers a women’s version of this shoe called the Lena. This shoe has quickly become my girlfriend’s go-to shoe so I can confidently tell you that it shares very similar features to the Hana shoe.

Xero, however, does address the slight differences between the two with the following excerpt taken directly from their website:

Is the Lena just for women?
We’ve designed it as a “woman’s” shoe. Compared to the Hana, the shape is a bit narrower and accommodates a slightly higher instep. The pattern offers a bit more adjustment, too. The canvas isn’t as “outdoorsy” as the one in the Hana. That said, men with a narrow foot might still like the Lena. And women with wider feet may want to try the Hana.

 

The Features of the Hanas

• Wide toe-box to let the toes spread out and uphold a strong arch and strong foot

• Zero-drop sole (non-elevated heel) to let calves and achilles stretch to full length

• Thin, flexible, sole so you can feel and engage with the ground

• Lightweight – each shoe weighs about 8 ounces

• Made with Vegan-friendly materials

My Life Before These Shoes

Before I purchased these shoes, I had been struggling with a serious case of plantar fasciitis for about a year. I suffered an acute injury to my left heel that left me barely able to walk for the first few months, slowly getting better as I passed the 6 month mark.

I could barely put any weight on that heel and needed some serious support and padding to be able to do any kind of normal walking. So naturally I got a pair of supportive, lightly-padded orthotics for my shoes and a pair of Birkenstock sandals because of the strong arch support and quality.

These kept me out of excruciating pain but also didn’t allow me to make real progress beyond a certain point and here’s why: the answer isn’t more support.

The more rigid and structured a shoe is, the more it makes your foot have to adapt to it when it should be the other way around. Your foot is already designed to function properly, if it isn’t, you’re either too tight somewhere or misaligned.

 

After Purchasing the Hanas

Once I bought the Hanas, I was surprised by how they fit at first. The fitting was a bit loose in the heel and toe box, something I wasn’t used to. I checked online to see if this was normal and sure enough, it was!

Multiple comments and explanations of minimalist shoes explained that these are necessary adjustments from traditional shoes to let your feet do their thing so they can develop their own strength again instead of relying on the shoes to do everything for them.

I was also surprised at how much walking I could suddenly do. These were my second pair of minimalist shoes so I wasn’t completely new to them but I hadn’t been able to walk so much since I injured my foot.

I distinctly remember going on a long walk in the new Hanas and anticipating having pain in my heel but it never came. For the first time in months it didn’t hurt to walk!

I wondered how this could be as there is little to no padding in these shoes. With a little more reading on the subject, I put it all together and realized that when you are barefoot or wearing barefoot shoes, your body doesn’t want to land on its heels – it’s not natural.

We only do it in our regular shoes because there’s usually so much padding there and the heel is usually so big and bulky that it’s almost forced in those shoes. They encourage you to walk with very poor form.

The Hanas were instantly getting me to walk more midfoot to forefoot first because that’s how the body absorbs shock much more efficiently. This is actually how you eliminate all kinds of joint pain from the knees to the lower back to the neck. Heel-striking is a MAJOR contributor to these sources of pain.

The Positives

In terms of affordability for all the features you’re getting, I think the Hanas might be your best bet. I’ve done my share of research on getting the best minimalist shoes with every feature possible and most of the time they’re going for over $100, which I think is too much for a pair of shoes.

Many so-called “minimalist shoes” are hardly minimalist if you ask me as a lot of them just have a slightly wider toe box and a LOWER heel but not zero-drop which is what I look for now. The Hanas are actually under-marketed if that’s possible.

I realized while wearing them that they have features included that are not even advertised like the spacious heel (or lack of a heel counter). These shoes don’t short-change you on the features that are included.

If you are someone who struggles with plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, shin splints, overpronation, etc, I would be looking at these shoes. As expressed earlier, I am now able to walk like I never had plantar fasciitis and the pain overall has been greatly reduced.

This is down to the wide toe box letting my toes spread and grip the ground so they can form a strong arch. This helps stop overpronation and heel pain. The zero-drop heel keeps your feet anatomically correct so your calf muscles and achilles can operate at full length, as opposed to regular shoes that actually shorten these muscles with their elevated heels making your muscles tighter and causing problems.

The zero drop heel also helps stop overpronation and heel pain and helps you walk with better form, creating much less impact on your body.

 

The Negatives

I want readers to know that I’m completely honest in my writing but I’m reaching here for some negatives. I would say someone not expecting this type of fit might be initially confused about how the shoe feels.

As I mentioned earlier, the shoes are a little looser in the heel and toe areas and you may feel like they’re going to slip off if you’re not careful. This is something that I personally got used to pretty quickly and it became a benefit shortly after.

I’d also say that because the soles of the shoes are thinner, you can’t get away with walking with poor gait the way most of us do (me included). The Hanas will encourage you to start striking the ground with a more midfoot to forefoot style strike but there might be a transition period where the ball of your foot gets a little sore from this new technique.

Keep in mind that we’re not trying to walk on our tiptoes so our heel never touches the ground, but it is about avoiding heel-striking the ground first. So another transition could be learning to relax your ankle a little bit to let the heel come down after the top of the foot has engaged with the ground.

Xero Shoes as a Company

Xero Shoes is a company that I have come to find is very genuine and helpful in getting you what you’re looking for. Their website has it’s own blog where one of the owners regularly writes about proper technique for things like running, walking, and how to treat common injuries which I’ve found to be incredibly helpful in my recovery process.

He also replies to anyone who has questions for him and does not shy away from criticism or debate about his ideas, which I admire. As a company, they provide the value up front with their great products and back it up with expert knowledge and experience.

Steven, one of the owners, is a runner himself and understands what people are looking for and has suffered from many of the same problems we have.

They also support the Tarahumara people of Mexico, who are the leading inspiration behind the design of these shoes.

I certainly recommend the Hanas to anyone looking for functional casual-wear, and I definitely plan to buy from Xero Shoes again.

 

To Wrap Things Up: 

 

1. If you’d like to check out the Hanas for yourself, you can do so by clicking here!

2. Or if the Lenas sound more interesting, click here!

3. To learn more about Xero Shoes, click here!