Bedrock Co-Founder Dan Opz writes about the design and testing process behind our new 2nd generation line of Cairn Sandals.We cannot wait to finally launch our new generation on March 1st at 10 AM Pacific Time. Subscribe to our email list and social media for a special launch deal!

Since Nick and I made those first pairs of Bedrocks in a cabin along California's Lost Coast (2011), we have been on a constant mission to refine, evolve, and build the ultimate footwear for ourselves and our customers.

Over the past two years we have taken our own experiences combined with our customer feedback to develop a second generation of Cairn Sandals. One thats even closer to our goals of creating the most freedom-inducing and dirtbagproof sandals ever made. This process involved in-depth design work with our core team at Bedrock as well as with our world renowned component suppliers.

In early 2017, we created the first generation samples of our new cairn line to field test over the year. We outfitted ourselves and our ambassadors with prototypes. In addition to everyday wear + tear, we wanted to see what a pair would look like after a PCT and PNT thru hike, a season of river guiding in the Sierra, and after a bike tour along the West Coast.

In addition to river excursions in Northern California and Montana, I aimed to test our new Cairn sandal by-bike along the west coast of Oregon and California. With only Bedrocks on my feet, I pedaled southbound along the scenic coastal route 1, jumping in the water and riding my surf mat at every opportunity. I found our new footbed option to excel on longer distance adventures such as this. I felt more comfort and security while still maintaining that Bedrock freedom-feel I love while pedaling.

Mid-summer we went back to the drawing board for final design changes. We discussed our experiences, analyzed worn sandals, and came up with ideas to add comfort, performance, and durability to the new cairn line.

From concept to details, every material, component, and manufacturing process matters greatly to our sandals. This fall, Nick and I, visited one of our webbing mills in New England which has been in operation since the 1800’s and creates our raw strap materials. Next we travelled over to Vibram’s world-class facilities in Guangdong, China to visit their factory, R&D center, and oversaw production of some of our new Cairn soling.

In our California HQ - Fort Bedrock - we refined our assembly processes, invested in new machines, and made our sewing stitches more accurate and less abrasive in skin sensitive areas.

We cannot wait to finally launch our new generation of cairn sandals on March 1st at 10 AM Pacific Time. Subscribe to our email list and social media for a special launch deal!

We will have two different Cairn footbeds available in our second generation line. New for 2018 will be our heavier duty Cairn 3D model - built for big adventure and everyday support. Our entire second generation Cairn line will come with a long list of awesome upgrades!