Bizarre Tech: Sandfrogs, Sand Traxx and Lagu beach blanket

Sandfrogs

Not made of frogs or sand. Bummer.

This is not just any sandal. This is a Sandfrog sandal.

The ‘first-of-its-kind’ all-terrain beach sandal is apparently engineered to increase your swimming ability when you’re in the water. It also allegedly provides protection, support, comfort, and performance. M’kay.

You can use SandFrogs in and out of the water as they have the “awesome” ability to acclimate between the two environments. So they’re like swim fins that won’t make you look like a penguin as you conquer the sands. Sweet?

SandFrogs “look awesome” – all right! – and protect your feet from sharp rocks (blunt rocks will destroy them, obviously), broken glass and hot sand. Das Labs, the company behind the sandal, says the it performs like a snowshoe, but with sand. Sand shoe. Sand al. Who’s Al?

Costing about $15 for a standard pair and $29 for designer (whatever that will look like), the team’s manufacturing operation produces moulded products from “all manner of plastics”, which apparently relate to the landscape and building products industry. Love me some buzzwords.

According to the makers of the footwear, an average of over 1,000 people drown daily worldwide, the majority being children.

The mission statement is “to make SandFrogs swim-aid sandals accessible and available to as many children and communities as quickly as possible”. Pretty cool concept, especially if it ends up saving lives. By sharing its intellectual property and working with manufacturers and outreach organisations around the world, the company hopes to maximise distribution of its swim-aid sandals to impoverished and high-risk communities. Sweet idea. Let’s hope its campaigning gets the ball rolling.

Sand Traxx

Have a pair of pointlessness. Go on. Make. My. Day.

So apparently, a dude called Jeff Wagener came up with this after he watched an episode of ‘Shark Tank’. A person had flip-flops with a saying embossed on the soles. Wagener then thought that idea was OK, but “it would be nice if a person could personalise their message”. This is all on the campaign page, by the way.

Anywho, he thought about it for several years, mentioned his idea to a friend, and then they went to manufacturers to create Sand Traxx.

One of the lines of the campaign reads: “So with your help, we can help those who want to make a statement, say it without saying a word.” Good lord.

Each flippy floppy has Velcro adhered to the sole in a recessed area, and you can stick up to 10 characters any way you choose. I can think of a few choice phrases.  

Sand Traxx flip-flops are made of leather, have an anti-slip sole, an orthotic arch support, and are apparently super comfortable. All that is still not convincing me, bud. Sorry.

Each pair will apparently come with two sets of alphabets, eight spaces, as well as two each of  1,&,#,$,? and two hearts. How’s about ‘I H8 THIS!’? Wait, I need an 8 for that. Damn.

Sand Traxx will come in US men’s sizes 8-13. What about the ladies who will obviously want to partake?

The characters you will receive are mirror image so will read the right way in the sand. Mine will say ‘F#&? THIS’. No? How’s about ‘GET BENT’? Ha. This is fun.

The footwear also comes with a cotton bag so you can carry extra letters and switch it up when you’re feeling sassy at the beach.

If they raise $20,000, they’ll add medium brown Sand Traxx to the mix. Because we all want that.

Lagu beach blanket

D’ya like sand?

Lagu has been keeping sand out of our nooks and crannies for almost a decade, and now its first printed collection is being launched complete with sand-repellent fabric (they spelled it ‘repellant’ in the campaign. They advertise that repelling sand is what it does, yet they can’t even spell it correctly. Sheesh.).

Costing $25 each and measuring 71 x 178cm, the beach blankies will come in three collections: marine creatures, tropical birds, and plants, aka Pintados Collection. If they get enough funding, the company can start mass production and “benefit marine conservation groups that do important work for the environment and endangered marine animals”. Each Pintados purchase helps Lagu’s partner organisations, such as Balyena.org, which supports conservation of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) in the Philippines.

The Lagu towel repels sand so you don’t get it all up in your bits. Apparently, it has quick-dry properties too, so it stays fresher for longer. This seems to be a pretty good product and there’s a gap in the market, especially now we’re finally being allowed out of our homes. Staycation, anyone?

All blankets are sewn in a sewing community in Biñan, Laguna, Philippines, and the fabric used is polyester and is apparently woven in a way that doesn’t hold sand or other small particles.

Do you reckon it could work with small, irritating people... I mean, particles?