I have long been a fan of 8000Kicks for one reason — the use of hemp to make their shoes, backpacks and accessories.  Hemp is an environmentally-beneficial natural fiber that cleans the air and soil as it grows and is the raw material for myriad fabrics and textiles. Their products are good-looking too, but that’s a bonus, not a factor for recommendations on Good as Dirt.

As much as I admired them from a distance I had never actually worn a pair of their shoes. 

That changed a few weeks ago when 8000Kicks asked me if I would like to review their Explorer V2 sneakers if they gave me a free pair. I said of course! I chose the forest green and was excited to get them. When they arrived, the first thing I noticed was the beautiful brown cardboard box with a cardboard flyer introducing the shoes, paper wrapping inside and paper and cardboard inserts inside the shoes. No plastic. (Excited yes but I did not expect any plastic either since I knew 8000Kicks was all about making eco-friendly goods.) I also noticed when I took the shoes out how lightweight they were — but substantial-looking at the same time. They looked well-made and expensive. They looked as good in person as they do in the photos. I loved the rich green color and white soles.

I live in New York City and my first foray with my new sneakers was to Central Park where I took a long walk through the scenic paths, bridges and stairways, Over the next few days I wore them all over the Upper West Side neighborhood. I went everywhere with them so the shoes got a work-out. Here’s what I found.

The shoes were supportive and comfortable. My soles felt buoyed and cushioned well and high off the ground. I felt like I could walk anywhere and my feet would be happy. And that’s what happened. I’m a big walker. I walk everywhere. And my feet never got tired in these shoes. When I put them on in the morning I have a “we’re good to go” feeling. I know my feet are going to be taken care of. Being so lightweight, I didn’t notice them on my feet most of the time and they didn’t weigh me down or start to protest as the day wore on, the way other shoes can. 

They're roomy across the top where the design is wide and a little boxy so your toes have room to wiggle and breathe. This adds a lot to the comfort. 

Hemp is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. That and the breathability of its fibers and weave mean these shoes aren’t going to have odors the way synthetic sneakers often do. In addition to the outer fabric, the insoles are also hemp. 

The beauty of hemp is that it’s usually grown without pesticides since it’s naturally resistant to pests, it’s a particularly effective carbon sink (it draws CO2 from the air), it nourishes the soil in which it grows and it needs far less water than other crops, including cotton, to grow. It’s also incredibly strong, stronger than steel according to 8000Kicks.

Another eco-friendly feature of 8000Kicks shoes is that the EVA soles are made partially with algae. This helps to clean harmful algae blooms from polluted waterways through a partnership with Bloom Sustainable Materials and it reduces the amount of EVA used in the soles. EVA stands for Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate and it’s a common lightweight rubber-like synthetic. It’s not much better than regular synthetic foam and it still sheds microplastics like other sneakers with foam soles. But adding the algae allows the material to be called a bioplastic, helps the environments from which the algae is removed and helps reduce the shoes’ carbon footprint. According to 8000Kicks, the average sneaker emits 14 kg of CO2 into the air while their hemp shoes emit far less — 4.1 kg — through their sustainability efforts.

Other synthetics in the shoes include a thin interior membrane of recycled polyester to help make them waterproof. So the 8000Kicks are not completely hemp, plant-based or biodegradable but to their credit they are outpacing most other shoe brands in the race to be as eco-friendly as possible.

Two areas of concern: The fabric came up high around my ankles and Achille’s heel and while this did not cause any discomfort, if it were any higher and I think it would. The other issue is the sizing. They seem to run small. The original pair I was sent was much too small. So I went a size up. While I am happy with this second pair and they are very comfortable, if I got another pair (and I probably will) I’d go up even to the next size as my big toes are just about hitting the front of the sneakers right now.

We’ve had a beautiful fall in New York with almost no rain so I haven’t been able to test out the shoes’ waterproof quality. But I’ll update this review after I have. 8000Kicks says their waterproofing layer is made from soy wax which is exciting because waterproofing of textiles like jackets and backpacks has typically been through the use of toxic chemicals including PFAS and other endocrine disruptors. If this can be achieved with soy wax this is huge. And why not soy wax. Long before modern products were made with toxic chemicals fabrics were made waterproof just this way — with natural oils like tree sap, rubber latex and linseed oil or with beeswax, lanolin and fish oil.

I’ll add here that in addition to the comfort, I loved walking in shoes knew were made with hemp. And vegan. Plus they’re good-looking in an earthy upscale way, as if their simplicity and environmental friendliness speaks for itself and there’s no need to add any bells and whistles or tricked out detail.

After having walked in the shoes for a few weeks now — including taking them to the beach — I highly recommend them for their environmental integrity, comfort, performance and looks. Just go at least one size up. Check them out here.