Bison Bushcraft Boot or any other thin-soled walking boots.

[forestwalker]

And I have an answer from Kero: same price, same sole as they are normally sold with, but no heel. "Normally wide" is all they said to that question, though. Ok, a Swedish last is fairly wide on an international scale, I recall readung somewhere, but still. I will attempt to find some in a store here in Östersund and try them on, both for width and stiffness.

 

[Lou]

stay indoors? You got to be joking lol.

I was. Yeah, it is important to have warm and dry feet methinks.

 

[Dreadhead]

You should be aware that the flat soles will stretch the achilles tendon so initially it will feel strange and you may feel you are getting fatigued. I am used to them so can walk a fair distance without any bother although I wouldn't use them for hard-core hiking - but then they're not designed for that..

do you reckon that would cause any significant harm to your feet? or after time adjustment would alter walking patterns etc. Im a firm lover of flat soled or barefoot shoes for running and walking but not found much research on flat soles/BF for long distance walking/hiking :S

 

[Pablo]

I don't think it will cause harm as long as youmake sure the achilles is stretched over a period of time. A sudden change from heeled shoes to flat shoes coupled with long-distance or high impact running would do no good. Look at the horredous effect on some women after wearing high heels most of their lives.
I used to be a sprinter and ran on my toes all the time. Consequently, my achilles and the associated calf muscles (soleus I think) were shortened and tight. It took a while to get them used to flat soled shoes. I would suggest that gaits would also be significantly changed. My stride length is far shorter because the heel isn't striking the ground in the same manner and I walk much slower - which in a way isn't a bad thing.

 

[Dreadhead]

shall certainly have to find more literature on the art of walking without modern footwear . youd have thought as a species we would have walking sussed by now

 

[mrcairney]

FWIW modern footwear is actually bad for your feet. Hibernates muscle groups, removes natural pronation. The best thing is your brain is wired for barefooting and will remember quite quickly. I've got a great resource about it is you'd like to see dread, but I can't put my finger on it right now. I'll ask about and PM you the URL when I get it!

 

[mrcairney]

Here it is, thought I'd post it here for all interested: http://naturallyengineered.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/CouchToBarefoot.pdf

 

[Dreadhead]

fantastic link cheers. im trying to adopt a barefooted approach from now on and use boots less and less adopting better footwear to simulate barefoot conditions on rough terrain etc.

anyway sorry for unrailing your thread! back on topic...

 

[treadlightly]

I've been using flat soled "barefoot" footwear for almost two years. For eveyday use, for walking/hiking and for running.

It takes a little time for your feet to adapt, especially to running which tends to involve a change from heel strike (heel hitting ground first) to bring the balls of your feet into play. It does cause stiffness in the calves and achilles but as long as you take things gradually then you should be OK

I have walked up Snowdon in my VFF and find them very comfortable for a day's walking with a pack.

The holy grail is to find a similar shoe that will work in winter..

 

[forestwalker]

The holy grail is to find a similar shoe that will work in winter..

i you mean *winter* then there already is one; a mukluk/winter moccasin (as in the Connovers book). I'd be tempted to add a thin rubber sole, just for the improved grip (snow is slippery!), and they do not work with skis.

If you mean "winter", then the best solution probably is a soft shoe and wool socks or footwraps. If someone would make a "barefoot L.L. Bean boot" I would buy immediately. Tretorn makes a welly that is softer, but it still has the heel.

 

[Bucketosudz]

Another sole material that is quite flexible, renewable and fairly easy to make is "Sole in a Jar" or "Goop" made by this company:
http://www.sodhoppers.com/html/goop.html

If you have a tire recycler or industrial/commercial tire "re-capper" the will have gobs of the finely shredded rubber shavings. Mix it with some Barge Leather Cement and apply to your clean leather sole. It adds a negligible amount of thickness and can be re-added to worn spots with time. I have gathered all the materials to make myself some to add to some bespoke shoes I have started. Works great for moccasins as well.

 

[Beardy Adam]

I'm on the lookout for something like this. So far I've only been barefoot in the woods a few times when I can and I love it, it's a completely different experience being able to feel everything about the ground through your toes, not to mention I feel a lot more balanced and agile. On my next journey I'm planning on travelling barefoot, but because I'll be in mountainous regions I'm wanting to take a lightweight hiking boot with as flat a sole as possible, but it's proving hard to find. I've seen these Vivo Franklin Hiking Boots but I don't like the looks of the inner lining, and if the sole had a slightly more aggressive tread I would be able to use it on mountain paths and rocky terrain, but as it is, I don't think they would last very long.

Has anybody else seen anything similar?

 

[mrcairney]

Ah, good find there Adam. I'm liking those. Seem more 'weather proof' than the others.

 

[Beardy Adam]

Ah, good find there Adam. I'm liking those. Seem more 'weather proof' than the others.

They do indeed some more weatherproof Steve, but as to them being robust enough or providing enough grip I'm not sure. I also find it bemusedly ironic that these barefoot shoes contain less materials using less sophisticated manufacturing processes and very little rubber on the soles, yet they are still £130? That's got to be capitalist greed if ever I saw it. The more I look into it, the more I keep thinking about visiting my local cobbler and inquire about having an ankle high, thin soled boot made for my own purposes and see how much I was quoted. The sole is the crucial element that seems to let these barefoot boots down whenever I look at pictures of them. Either too thick and leaning more towards conventional footwear, or too thin, or too smooth to be used on trails.

 

[mrcairney]

You're right. The Green Dollar is a very lucrative dollar (to paraphrase the mighty Bill Hicks)

 

[Dreadhead]

does anybody know how thick the bison boot sole is?

 

[treadlightly]

They do indeed some more weatherproof Steve, but as to them being robust enough or providing enough grip I'm not sure. I also find it bemusedly ironic that these barefoot shoes contain less materials using less sophisticated manufacturing processes and very little rubber on the soles, yet they are still £130? That's got to be capitalist greed if ever I saw it. The more I look into it, the more I keep thinking about visiting my local cobbler and inquire about having an ankle high, thin soled boot made for my own purposes and see how much I was quoted. The sole is the crucial element that seems to let these barefoot boots down whenever I look at pictures of them. Either too thick and leaning more towards conventional footwear, or too thin, or too smooth to be used on trails.

What about inov8 roclite 400's? leather, grippy sole and lightweight. The only downside for you maybe is the goretex lining. I don't have a pair but am thinking about either these or the BB boots for winter.

 

[Snufkin]

does anybody know how thick the bison boot sole is?

Haven't got them with me to measure but about a cm I would guess. I haven't proofed mine and I was caught out in the rain for a couple of hours on Thursday and the water didn't get in, so with dubbin....

 

[treadlightly]

Haven't got them with me to measure but about a cm I would guess. I haven't proofed mine and I was caught out in the rain for a couple of hours on Thursday and the water didn't get in, so with dubbin....

Did you get yours online Snufkin? What's the sizing like? Do they tend to be generous or otherwise in the fitting?

 

[Snufkin]

I got them online. I take a 9 shoe and they fit well, maybe a little wider than normal but not excessively so. I tend to wear a wool walking sock with them whatever the weather.