Vibram Five Fingers shoes - long term review

[Mikey P]

I've also really wanted to get a pair of these for a while - it's just the cost that puts me off at the moment and also the fact that I can't find anywhere to try them on for size.

I tend to spend nearly all my time at home in bare feet and sandals in summer (no socks, mind!). These would be a natural way to extend that idea outside my home.

As for looking a bit 'different', I think you get equal amounts of grief dressed in the standard bushcraft outfit of wide-brimmed hat, Swanni/swanni copy/wool shirt, and stout sensible shoes! So, those without sin and all that...

I think they're a great idea (area in the market for those like me who want to go barefoot more often but whose feet aren't hard enough to do it outdoors) but pretty expensive.

One day...

 

[stooboy]

These are heavily plugged in the book "born to run" by chris mcdougall, was NY times best seller for umpteen weeks and as ive read it i can see why. gives a compelling factual acount of a mexican running tribe who run hundreds of miles daily with basic sandals and no arch support with many well written extract to scientific backing up the barefoot approach, main argument for me as a engineer was that an arch is a naturally strong shape, so why would you put support under it? you dont see that under railway arches..

Anyhoo, at the outdoor show that primallifstyle store had a stall but they didnt have any of the KSO style five fingers, and they had limited sizes to try, and this was early on the friday of the show, a major disapointment for me, i tried a pair of classics on but i did not like the feel of them.

There is however alternatives to these shoes which i think are a bit overpriced i.e. over £100 in the uk

TerraPlana sell a minimalist shoe, i own both a pair of Oaks which are suitable for work wear and also a pair of their EVO's which are running shoes but are of the more conventional form.

There are also shoes called aqua socks that might suit someone who wants a minmilast shoe that dries quick with no support and around a fiver...

the other thing ive tried is actuall barefoot running on st andrews beach.

im not sold on it all i think it could be a gimmick but what ive read on the subject im intrigued and am game to try something else

ive done about 45 miles in my evo running shoes, not sure if you plan on running in yours but the transition isnt with out problems but there are a few barefoot websites around with advice and information.

might be worth comparing notes ill keep an eye on the thread.

ATB
Stoo

 

[stooboy]

did you get a pair of injini socks to go with them?

 

[Buckshot]

The only time I run is if I'm trying to get fit - or rather less unfit! - for an expedition or some such. For example I ran for a bit this year for the Namibia trip in April and for the Borneo one a couple of years ago. So not really.

I did get a pair of socks to but I find that the shoes are too tight to get my feet and socks in comfortably, plus the toe lengths are wrong for me (too long)

Mark

 

[darrenh]

ive had a pair of these for nearly 2 years. I use them for canoeing there great for just jumping in and out of the boat in and around camp. Got mine from Country Covers they also do a lot of trade shows and agricultural shows, they are fantastic and so comfortable.You actually walk differently in them you feel all the different muscles and tendons in your feet working inderpendently (sic) and they are very lightweinght and feel natural.

 

[Ph34r]

I would not want to stub my feet in those

 

[Minotaur]

Looks like a perfect device for snapping toes off one by one.

I would say that the toes are extremely vulnerable. I have not seen a pair, so can't really make an accurate review, but I don't like the way the toes are isolated, also what protection is there from above to protect from falling stones etc?


It only takes 7 pounds of pressure to break a digit, so I think I might give these a miss.

Know that bizarrily people who spend a lot of time barefoot do not stub their toes, so maybe these would work like that. They think you pay more attention to were your feet are.

The price would be the big thing for me. You can get allsorts of tabi stuff for half that.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

evil blighters i now ave added them to my list of must haves errrrrrrrrrrr it only ever gets longer this list

 

[Bush Matt]

got a pair for watersports and they are great when you want toe control - kitesurf, wakeboard, etc. Saw them at the london marathon expo where they were plugging them for running. Would like to give it a go but they are pricey!

 

[Bushwhacker]

They give me the creeps.

Interesting footprints though. I'm wondering whether there's going to be reports from people thinking that bigfoot is in their woods

 

[Buckshot]

I took these out yesterday having a walk round the pheasant pen and doing some general duties
Apart from the looks on the farm hands faces when they saw what I was searing they preformed fine.
As I suspected, the mesh material on the front didn't stop the stingers so you quickly learn to walk sole forward when stingers and brambles are around!
One interesting thing though, the pen is in an old Bluebell wood...

Wandering through checking the wire and looking for hazle spindles for a PR day we're doing soon I looked down and saw this

It seems flower heads get caught between toes!
They're very comfy and feels really nice to walk on natural surfaces rather than the tarmac and other man made stuff.

Mark

 

[Mikey P]

Self decorating shoes!

 

[Toddy]

I quite fancy these, but I have horrible memories of the five toe socks of my teenage years. They left me with dozens of small blisters between my toes.
How have these performed against your skin Mark ?

cheers,
M

 

[spiritwalker]

im waiting for the first dog turd now we all now a spoon is vital tool for cleaning poo off the shoe but on these beauties it will open an whole new can of worms lol

 

[Buckshot]

I quite fancy these, but I have horrible memories of the five toe socks of my teenage years. They left me with dozens of small blisters between my toes.
How have these performed against your skin Mark ?

cheers,
M

Much better than I feared to be honest Mary. I expected a fairly long period of my feet getting used to them but straight away they were fine. Because you are supposed to get a size smaller than normal they do fit very close and then stretch slightly as you wear them. Mine are just starting to stretch now so are getting more comfortable than before. Not had any issues with blisters or even hot spots with them and I'm not used to shoes with no socks, even my moccs I've worn with socks.
If Lorraine didn't hate them so much I'd wear them much more...

im waiting for the first dog turd now we all now a spoon is vital tool for cleaning poo off the shoe but on these beauties it will open an whole new can of worms lol

Yep I agree
maybe a paddle in a stream is the best option?...

Mark

 

[silentpaddler]

Thanks for all the info, people. I think I'm sold... BTW they are a lot cheaper here in Canada... about $75 CDN.

 

[Mojoracinguk]

Ha I love it when Fellow Five Fingers enthusiasts spread the word.
Mine are Taupe KSO's. They have been used over the last 12 months for walking around the Brecon beacons but were brought mainly as a running aid.
They have all so been cannoning (including accidental swim), Cycling, Used down the gym, to the beech, Camping, on holiday as a nice lightweight pair of shoes. The sand still gets into the KSO’s even though KSO stands for ‘keep stuff out’…but show me a pair of shoes that keep sand out….

They do attract comments (Most notably a group of c. 8 year olds in Italy sniggering and pointing at me as they followed the freaky feet around a supermarket) But you pay your money and makes your choice, so I do not mind

I've only caught a toe on an object once, but wearing these shoes whilst out and about (especially when using a blade or carrying anything heavy) really concentrates your mind onto how exposed you feet are as they flail around on the end of your legs. Far from being a bad thing I believe it to be good, as many a time I've been a little blasé about my extremities just because I’m wearing shoes that feel like little fall out shelters for my feet, when in reality I would have been more careful if I had been wearing these.
All in all they have lasted well and not worn much on the thin sole.
The only down side I have experienced was that they stained on there second outing (not sure by what but they have a muddy brown mark all over the one foot) It just won't wash off.
Also when running in them the ends of my toes seem to blister (the very tip of my second and third toes) as if they are scraping across the ground as I take off, this is not so much an issue with the shoe but more my feet (I have finger toes...very long and thin) but the shoes still fit well.

Next time I wear them I’ll be trying a pair of finger socks (My significant other got me) inside to help with the blistering and also allow the shoes to go longer between washings….

All in all I think I could have sold six or seven pairs of these shoes…..If they were 40% cheaper….

 

[JohnC]

Well I bought a pair last week as I'd been thinking about them before, and I am very happy with them....
Havent tried running yet over any real distance, but walking around town and on grass and working in the garden they are very comfortable.

 

[Laurentius]

I saw a guy running a marathon in a pair today, it looked wierd.

 

[Buckshot]

Because running in them requires a different technique to running in 'normal' running shoes (you're supposed to run on the front of your foot in these rather than on the heel and roll forward) they reccomend the distance increases slowly.
I tried a little jog on Saturday. It was more sifficult as I'm used to running in heeled shoes so had to change technique so I was using muscles I'd not used before and having to concentrate much more.
They did feel good too though and with practice I'm sure they'll be great

Mark