If you’re looking for minimal sandals at a minimal price, Xero DIYs are a great choice for both adults and kids. There’s a wide variety of lace colours and tying styles to choose from, and you can trim the soles to fit your unique foot shape. One caveat: as the ‘DIY’ in the name suggests, you have to put the sandals together yourself.
To put them to the test, I kitted out my family of five with a pair of Xero DIY sandals each. My kids loved getting involved in the making, although they were disappointed that I didn’t let them use the hammer.
I also bought a pair of Amuri toe loops (£2.45) to try with my own DIYs, to see how they compared with the standard knot under the sole.
First impressions
This what Xero DIYs look like when you take them out of the bag. You can certainly see why they’re called ‘DIY’.
Each kit includes the soles, laces, a hollow hole punch and a hair grip (to help you pull the lace through the holes in the sole). Like flat-pack furniture, but with shoes!
Specs
I chose the 4mm sole, but there’s also a 6mm version available. Soles come in either black or brown.
The laces are made from a non-stretchy nylon/polypropylene, and there’s a whole rainbow of colours to choose from. If the colour you want isn’t available as part of the kit, you can often find it in the additional laces section (£1.95 a pair).
Making the sandals
As well as the kit, you’ll need a hammer, a newspaper or magazine to rest on, a cigarette lighter/matches, pliers if possible, and a bit of patience. Some willing little helpers are always a bonus!
I’m not going to take you through the entire process here, as the instructions on the Xero website are pretty comprehensive and easy to follow.
However, I will share a couple of tips that should help you avoid potential pitfalls and make the DIY process run more smoothly.
Trimming the sole
All the sandals I ordered had 4mm soles, which I found easy to cut with a pair of kitchen scissors. If you choose the 6mm soles, expect it to take a bit more effort.
If you’re trimming to fit, less is more: only trim a bit at a time. You can always cut off more if you need to – but, once it’s gone, you can’t stick it back on!
When you trace the outline of your foot on to the sole, I’d recommend giving yourself a 1cm margin of error when it comes to the actual cutting (or more if you’re cautious).
Whatever you do, don’t cut on the actual line you’ve traced, as the sandals will end up too small. (I once ruined a pair in this way.)
Aim for a close fit at the front, especially if you choose the thinner 4mm sole. If you leave too much excess sole in front of your toes, it’s likely to end up flapping about and tripping you up as you walk.
I haven’t tried the 6mm sole, but according to the website it’s ‘slightly stiffer, but still flexible’.
If you’re using toe loops
The video showing you how to fit the toe loops tells you, optimistically, to ‘push gently with your thumb’ to get the little plastic toggle through the hole in the sole. But I found that this is much easier said than done.
The instructions beneath it clarify: ‘BTW, you may have to push harder than “gently”.’ They’re certainly not joking. The plastic toggle is quite a bit bigger than the tiny hole it needs to go through, and ‘gently’ just isn’t going to cut it.
One woman I spoke to found her own solution: ‘Turns out the answer is to punch the hole a tiny bit bigger, then use a piece of string through the toggle, tie a knot in that to make a loop and place round the door handle and pull!!!’
Rather like pulling out a reluctant tooth – genius!
It took me a good 10 minutes of pushing and shoving to get the first one through, and my thumbs felt really sore afterwards.
Then I had a bit of a brainwave: pliers!
I threaded the toggle on to the supplied hair grip, pushed the ‘prongs’ through the hole in the sole, then used the pliers to pull the whole thing through from the other side. If only I’d thought of that at the beginning.
Lacing
There are loads of different ways you can tie the laces, but I’ve stuck with the basic slip-on style.
You’ll find step-by-step instructions on the Xero website, with pictures to show you exactly what to do. There are also loads of videos on YouTube if you need some extra help.
For those who are still feeling daunted by the idea of lacing your own sandals, believe me: if I can do it, anyone can.
You don’t have to go through this process every time you wear them, of course. The laces don’t stretch, so once I’d adjusted them so they felt comfortable and trimmed off the excess, I could more or less just leave them as they were and slide my feet in an out. I simply give the laces a quick tighten now and again if they start to feel loose.
My four-year-old daughter S managed to get them on by herself after a few tries.
However, my kids’ pairs seemed to need quite a lot of adjusting – probably because they’re always dashing about! I ended up adding toe loops and heel straps (you’ll find them in the ‘accessories’ section of the Xero website), which made them much quicker and easier to adjust.
Don’t worry if you don’t get the laces fitting exactly right first time. They’re bound to be either a bit too tight or a bit too loose to begin with. With this type of sandal I always need to wear them a few times, making small adjustments here and there, until I get the perfect fit.
You can give them a different look by adding some extra hitch knots, as pictured on my old pair below.
I really like the look of this style, but if you’re planning to try it, make sure you get the laces adjusted to the right tension first. Otherwise you’ll have to undo and redo all those knots, which is a real pain.
Instead, my tip is to do just one knot to start with, as on the basic tying style, and tie or tuck the rest of the lace out of the way. Then wear the sandals around the house for a few days, and tweak the lacing until you get it just right. THEN knot away!
Sole
The 4mm Connect sole is super thin and flexible, with great ground feel.
All that flexibility has a flipside, though: if you wear your sandals too long, the sole can curl under as you walk, creating a trip hazard.
To avoid this, aim for a close fit like in the picture below.
The fact that you can trim the soles means that Xero DIYs can be as unique as your feet.
This makes them a great option for ‘awkward’ feet, for example if your feet are different sizes. Rather than having to compromise with one sandal being too big or too small, you can trim each one separately to get a perfect fit.
The same applies if your feet are an unusual shape, or one is wider than the other – just cut the soles to suit your feet.
Knot vs toe loop
Having tried both, I think I prefer the toe loops, simply because they’ll last longer and look tidier than the knots. But of course it’s down to personal preference.
Toe loops
- Pros: more durable, neater looking
- Cons: tricky to fit, more noticeable underfoot
Knots
- Pros: flattens down over time, easier to fit
- Cons: will eventually wear out and need re-knotting
If you want to try the toe loops, you’ll find them in the ‘Amuri hardware’ section.
Comfort and fit
Once I got my laces adjusted properly – snug, but not tight – I could almost forget I was wearing these. My partner said the same.
I asked my three children to tell me how theirs felt.
S, four, told me: ‘They feel comfy and nice and soft.’
Her twin sister E agreed, saying hers were ‘soft at the bottom’.
G, seven, said his were flexible. ‘My feet can feel the ground. My toes can wiggle around.’ They also make him run fast, apparently.
What if you don’t like anything between your toes?
Don’t discount Xero DIYs for this reason. The tying page on the US site has lots of alternative tying styles, including several without any lacing between the toes.
Bronwen kindly agreed to let me share this photo of her DIYs. She adapted the tying style from something she saw online.
So have a browse, or make up your own. The possibilities are endless!
Looks & style
With all those colours and tying styles to choose from, you can make your Xero DIYs look just the way you want.
My daughter E wore hers with a Batgirl costume. And why not?!
If you’re indecisive like me, there’s almost too much choice!
Sizing
Sizing is really simple. There’s video showing you exactly how to measure the length of your feet. Then you just need to choose your size from the dropdown menu. My feet are 25.4cm long, and I chose size F (up to 25.5cm).
If you want to double check, you can print out templates for each size.
Once your sandals arrive, you can either leave the soles as they are, or trim them to fit as necessary.
Verdict
Who needs flip flops when you can have Xero DIYs? They’re cheap and cheerful, endlessly customisable, and incredibly minimal too.
If you like the look of them but don’t want the faff of making them yourself, have a look at the Genesis (£34.95) or the Amuri Cloud (£39.95). They’re still a reasonable price, but come fully assembled, so no elbow grease required.
- Buy from Xero shoes UK
- Prices start from £16.95 for the 4mm sole (the 6mm sole is £3 extra)
Baresteps 
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