You have to take it slow when you first start wearing them or you will frick up your feet. There's a bunch of muscles in your feet that never get used, so if you suddenly try to hike with them you're going to be very, VERY sore. Read up on barefoot running for more info.
I haven't bought any yet. I have started with some foot exercises, trying to move my toes individually, got toe spreaders and socks with articulated toes.
I don't intend to go running anytime soon, but maybe getting some for every day wear, walking or hiking. I have flat feet which contributed to knee issues and I'm trying to fix them.
You have to fix your whole gait. In normal shoes you'll typically overextend and twist your hips when you walk. In minimalist shoes your stride needs to be smaller, you don't twist your hips, and you don't land on your heels first. Walking wrong in minimalist shoes will frick you up.
>your stride needs to be smaller, you don't twist your hips
That happens automatically when walking barefoot, in my experience.
>and you don't land on your heels first
That is complete bs. Unless you're running, it is completely unnatural and weird to walk and not strike heels first.
You are right. You should be landing heel first when walking but you should not add your whole bodyweight just onto your heel. The correct technique is to roll onto your middlefoot before this. When your toes touch the ground you can add pressure to your feet
Literally everyone that uses normal shoes or does not pay attention to it puts weight on ther feet too early. Your heel should only gently touch the ground before you are already on your middle foot.
You are moronic, you should never land heel first. That's the whole purpose of the barefoot shoes to use your feet's muscles. If you land heel first why even buy barefoot shoes in the first place?
2 years ago
Anonymous
Provide a video of you or someone else walking ball of the foot first.
>That is complete bs
You sir are a fricking idiot.
You are right. You should be landing heel first when walking but you should not add your whole bodyweight just onto your heel. The correct technique is to roll onto your middlefoot before this. When your toes touch the ground you can add pressure to your feet
>You are right.
He's not, and neither are you. >Practice landing on your midfoot versus your heel. Don’t be afraid to let the heel contact the ground, but concentrate on striking with the midfoot first. >https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/basics-of-barefoot-minimalist-running.html >While running barefoot or in minimalist shoes, initial foot contact should occur with the forefoot or the midfoot rather than the heel (Figure 1). This results in a forefoot-to-heel or a midfoot-to-heel pattern. The gastroc-soleus complex eccentrically contracts to control the foot and ankle in forefoot strikers,2 potentially increasing stress on the Achilles tendon. For runners with a history of Achilles tendinitis switching to minimalist shoes, a midfoot strike pattern in a transitional shoe may be advisable to reduce the risk of reinjury. >https://lermagazine.com/article/effects-of-minimalist-shoes-on-running-gait >>and you don't land on your heels first >That is complete bs. Unless you're running, it is completely unnatural and weird to walk and not strike heels first.
Because you're used to wearing traditional shoes
Early shoes wrapped the foot in a piece of soft leather or cloth, but it still allowed for humans to walk naturally. Modern shoes changed all this. With the creation of thicker soles, humans changed how they walked. We started to take longer strides and impact heel-first. >https://www.businessinsider.com/shoes-changed-way-humans-evolved-to-walk-2017-11
The link you provided talks about RUNNING. I'm talking about WALKING. Get some reading skills before you call people idiots.
2 years ago
Anonymous
>The link you provided talks about RUNNING. I'm talking about WALKING. Get some reading skills before you call people idiots.
There are three links with excerpts you monumental homosexual.
All my shoes are vivobarefoots.
Xeroshoes are nice too, not as stylish or well made, but they are slightly wider, cheaper, and have half sizes. I lift in those black primus on the right, including squats and deadlifts.
I also use toe spacers. Have only been using them for a few weeks though. I recommend switching over to barefoot shoes asap, my feet feel great and are stronger now than they've ever been. I have to wear steel toed work boots for my job and they are truly awful
>be me >read about vivobarefoots >interesting, never heard about those >visit their website >picrel is the first thing I see >Looks like a schizo site, written on a squarespace template
Whoever is responsible for their marketing needs to be replaced, jesus christ.
>tfw want vivo shoe >save tab >revisit tab next day >shoe no longer available
Fricking vivo. Their website is fricking 90% jargon and when you click shit it just routes you back to the beginning like a highschool web design project.
I might as well wait for them to come out, buy their stock, then resell them at a 10% markup. Picrel, i can't tell if they're out of stock or discontinued.
no idea. i saw those on the website for a while, but there's no way to know. try amazon, that's where i had to order those black boots. they aren't on the vivo website anymore.
Frick em. I'd probably rip holes in them biking anyway. If they can't be assed to sort out their distribution i can't be assed to pay 210 usd for their shoes. I'm not going to sit around waiting for a new drop like a fricking hype beast, i've got shit to do
Vivo sucks. They were alright before there were many alternatives but they have the same or worse quality than no name brands for a third of the price these days.
Honestly it highly depends on the shape of your feet and personal preference. If you can I'd recommend going to a barefoot shoe store and trying a few different. From what I know through first and second hand experience most brands are alright just the two pairs by vivo I've bought were badly made.
If you live in yrop you want to check out Groundies. Made in EU ( shoes constructed in portugal and soles are made in germany). They also give 3 years of guarantee for their soles.
They do ship overseas but you obviously need to pay the import duties and returning the wrong size can be a hassle.
Some of my mates have groundies but I think their soles are too thick/stiff. In general I think wildlings are best, sadly they don't conform well to my hobbit feet. They also have a us store https://us.wildling.shoes/
Thanks to the coof I started working from home, which meant never having to leave home if I didn't want to, which meant being barefoot 24/7, which led to me walking barefoot outside near my house, which led me to walking barefoot further from my house, which led me to get Xero Shoes huarache-style sandals so I could be close to barefoot even at the store and other places that require footwear because I was loving barefoot life too much...
Anyway, fast forward a few months of being either barefoot or in barefoot sandals at all times, including a couple short afternoon hikes in the mountains (tough on my feet at first, but very strengthening); work needs me to come in for a meeting that can't be done remotely, closed toed shoes are required in the dress code.
So I put my normal tennis shoes back on, and holy SHIT I could not believe how weird they felt. My feet felt so restricted and immobile, I was too high off the ground, the foam soles made me feel like I was on a damn boat and always off-kilter... I simply can't go back to normal shoes ever again. I ended up ordering closed toed barefoot shoes and I'm never looking back. I see a lot of people write it all off as a meme, but for me the switch was genuinely life-changing, if I have kids they're never wearing the goyclogs.
I feel your pain. I’ve been in barefoot/zero drop shoes for over 5 years. It’s painful for me to stand in my heeled dress shoes for longer than 10 minutes.
>barefoot >shoes
wat?
I saw a tutorial where you get the 5 toe socks and spray them with layers of rubber from rustoleum instead of paying these israelites.
go spend 5 minutes and look up what causes blisters.
then ask yourself if toe shoes are good idea for long distance endurance activity lol.
no avoid them at all costs if you fricked up and got flat feet from the Born To Run Black person zero drop moronation memes >throw out all your shoes including your casual ones, or buy orthodics for them >8mm-12mm drop on everything you wear not just PrepHole
its probably your daily shoes fricking your feet up the most not your hiking shoes.
>fell for the "Born to Run" yuppie meme and fricked your feet up with zero drop shoes >"hey guys is the other shitty trope that came out of that shitty book born to run, barefoot shoes, a good way to fix the damage "Born to Run" did to my feet?
STOP
FALLING
FOR
MEMES
FROM
A
SHITTY BOOK
that's why your feet hurt buy normal shoes or orthodics +8-12mm minimum and fix your damn feet.
>schizo
are you stupid or trolling?
barefoot shoes and "low drop" running shoes originate from a bunch of pseudoscience bullshit in this book, which was a new york times best seller published in 2009. https://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307279189
quit shitting up this board with your shitty reddit troony >muh schizo forced memes.
Flat feet is purely genetic. No shoes are going to change that.
2 years ago
Anonymous
did people have flat feet 6,000 years ago?
no, Black person.
2 years ago
Anonymous
The ones that did died
2 years ago
Anonymous
>A recent randomized controlled trial found no evidence for the efficacy of treatment of flat feet in children either from expensive prescribed orthotics (i.e., shoe inserts) or less expensive over-the-counter orthotics. As a symptom itself, flat feet usually accompany genetic musculoskeletal conditions such as dyspraxia,[4] ligamentous laxity or hypermobility.
>One medical study in India with a large sample size of children who had grown up wearing shoes and others going barefoot found that the longitudinal arches of the bare-footers were generally strongest and highest as a group, and that flat feet were less common in children who had grown up wearing sandals or slippers than among those who had worn closed-toe shoes. Focusing on the influence of footwear on the prevalence of pes planus, the cross-sectional study performed on children noted that wearing shoes throughout early childhood can be detrimental to the development of a normal or a high medial longitudinal arch. The vulnerability for flat foot among shoe-wearing children increases if the child has an associated ligament laxity condition. The results of the study suggest that children be encouraged to play barefooted on various surfaces of terrain and that slippers and sandals are less harmful compared to closed-toe shoes. It appeared that closed-toe shoes greatly inhibited the development of the arch of the foot more so than slippers or sandals. This conclusion may be a result of the notion that intrinsic muscle activity of the arch is required to prevent slippers and sandals from falling off the child's foot.
2 years ago
Anonymous
>if you dont work a muscle it will atrophy or not develop at all in the first place
amazing that it takes a study for people to realize this
2 years ago
Anonymous
so thats why i have girlfeet
my feet are very narrow and small with high arches and i assumed it was hormonal (probably plays a role in the size) but i have spent the vast majority of my life barefoot or in only socks in my house
never bothered with slippers either
i dont find regular shoes to be uncomfortable tho
Are you seriously claiming high heels are healthy? That using your feet in a way they didn't evolve to is healthy?
Also, why and how would barefoot shoes give anyone flat feet? If anything the arch gets more defined with increased muscle strength.
Btw. I only bought barefoot shoes after already walking around barefoot proper for almost a year as normal shoes became unbearable.
>fell for the "Born to Run" yuppie meme and fricked your feet up with zero drop shoes >"hey guys is the other shitty trope that came out of that shitty book born to run, barefoot shoes, a good way to fix the damage "Born to Run" did to my feet?
STOP
FALLING
FOR
MEMES
FROM
A
SHITTY BOOK
that's why your feet hurt buy normal shoes or orthodics +8-12mm minimum and fix your damn feet.
Ive been using minimalistic shoes for most of my adult life and my feet are fine. Most normal shoes are just too damn tight in the toebox area and i fricking hate when my big toes touch the sides of the shoe. I also dont like thick soles because they restrict movement of my feet. They throwh me out of balance when i cant "grab" things with my foot and have full contact with the uneven ground. Never going back to the normal shoes.
I've always had "flat feet", but I ran around barefoot as a veritable hippie child until I started school and had to wear shoes. When we started having to run long distances for gym class my feet hurt like hell. Until I was 30 I dealt with lots of pain any time I had to be on my feet all day. Doctors always said I should do orthotics and expensive shoes about it. All that stuff just made things worse. When I took the barefoot pill all that went away. I've never tried Vivo, but I like my Xeros. Lems fall apart within months.
if you wear a shoe below 8mm drop this bald homosexual esquire and new york times journalist larping as a biologist and sports medicine expert is why. he's the sole reason why its difficult to buy normal running shoes ever since 2012 or so. and he's probably responsible for more sports injuries and foot deformities than anyone on the planet.
i wear 4mm drop shoes because of this homosexual. he made buying decent running shoes and trailrunners impossible. thanks for the planar fascitis, blank stare homosexual.
Who is a PrepHole /leathersandal/ Chad here?
I used part of a cowhide from a butcher for a village feast (Indian rez).
You will need to learn how to cure raw leather but its not the hardest thing, lots of traditional techniques from water salt soaking to wood ash soaking and animal fat tanning.
The traditional sandal design i use is for desert walking. Open top and straps in-between first and second toe with a heel strap.
I've also made a couple pairs out of deer hide. The tire tread ones you have seen are a copy of this design.
But you can buy ready leather from Tandy and moccasins kits.
Feels good man
You got a manual how to make them? Including the tanning process, preferably? I can get free hides from my girlfriend's parents and have been left underwhelmed by commercial barefoot shoes.
Look at books on Indian( Native American indians) craft and survival techniques and culture.
Desert tribal were a favorite subject of early 1900 - 1970 anthropology and many of these study are well documented and available in print.
Every tribe on southern border Pima, digueno up to Canada
It's what they're called. Come up with a better name or be quiet >pointless toe spacers
Most don't have those. I agree that they're silly and the worst kind of compromise.
I never fell for the zero drop meme. but I did fall for the low drop meme. I swear these shoes saved my feet. they're so comfy. but I only need them cause I got mad bunions. if you're a healthy guy with normal feet you don't need any of this shit.
Worst mistake of my life. Bought some and went on short hike and they fricked up my feet and put me in the worst foot pain of my life. The people shilling for them are liars or monkey footed.
Your feet is weak because of decades of normal shoes so what do you expect? I bet you also go to gym and try to bench 250 pounds straight away and then whine because you get crushed under the bar.
I bought some Merrell zero drop ...first two weeks sucked. After that my calf's got crazy strong and felt like I was using all my leg muscles to walk. Which is tiring. But these shoes do NOT last long at all, that's why few companies make zero drop shoes...meaning it has no angle or rise to help you soften the walk. When you go back to "regular" shoes or hell even boots...the whole world feels odd like your drunk. If you go zero drop...you stay zero drop.
I grew up barefoot in the woods. I can do whatever the frick I want now and my feet and legs don't care. I did a 30 mile single day hike in sperries last year.
>realize i have hammer toes >fix it by remaining mindful of the positioning of my toes until they remain in the correct position unconsciously >realize i have flat feet >fix it by remaining mindful of the flexion of my ankle until it remains in the correct position unconsciously
There's really no difference between foot posture problems and shit like biting your nails or excessive slouching. Why do you all need so many fricking gimmicks to correct what is ostensibly a learned problem, are you a child? Just unlearn it.
>zero drop
I hate this marketing garbage with a passion, they're called flat soled shoes they've been around since the dawn of shoes and people all over the world wear them to this day I cannot believe some people managed to make a gimmick out of this.
It's not a gimmick, and I didn't know "flat soled" shoes existed because the shoe industry only markets shoes that are designed to keep your feet weak and coddled. Something something da joos.
You know how when you walk into a shoe store and immediately bline it to the colorful gay sports shoes? yeah the flat soled shoes are down the isle from those, mostly browns and blacks. Adults getting tripped up by literal kids breakfast cereal marketing you hate to see it 🙁
>still has arch support >still has thick, minimally flexible soles >still unnaturally narrow
These shoes contribute to foot atrophy as much as any other modern shoe.
2 years ago
Anonymous
>still has arch support
no they dont >still has thick, minimally flexible soles
the soles are so thin and flexible you can only really compare then to sandals >still unnaturally narrow
correct
Which is why I never said they were good for your feet. I said they were zero drop shoes, which they are.
2 years ago
Anonymous
>the soles are so thin and flexible you can only really compare then to sandals
Maybe my perception has just been warped by wearing shoes with 5-7mm soles for so long, but those soles look unbearably thick to me. I can't even imagine the shoes that make those soles look thin.
2 years ago
Anonymous
>look
That's the edge, the actual soles are about half the height of the sidewall. Like the top of the black line is where the soles are.
So like 8-9mm which is again only really comparable to sandals
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Altra-Men-s-Lone-Peak-Mid-3-0-Neoshell-Mountain-Trail-Running-Shoes-Red-10-0M/107160099 >Zero drop >Affordable >Wide toe-box >thick sole
80 bucks is low, its nearly impossible to find a shoe from any of these independent shoe companies like vivo that sell shoes under 100 dollars.
even bigger joke when you realize all these barefoot shoes have less materials and are less durable than regular shoes... they literally advertise that all of their shoes are flimsy and can be crumpled into a ball easily
Groundies autumn sale righ now. A lot of shoes under 100$ and under 80$. Their regular prices are reasonable too even when they are made in eu. This really shows how full of shit vivo is with their made in china pricing. Their soles are a little bit thicker than vivos but this will add durability and insulation for winter use.
Just keep in mind that they have models with both regular and wide toe boxes.
what works well with barefoot shoes is they can use rubber or a rubber mix into the outsole compound rather than using a fatass foam midsole (EVA/Polyurethane) that either also functions as the outsole or uses a thin rubber compound at the bottom.
Look up Danner Boots for a perfect example of this. A 3-5 pound boot that uses a vibram kletter outsole. Some of their boots use a thin vibram kletter outsole. Pic related is normal vibram kletter.
With eva foam which is most running shoes, the shoe shop and 'experts' will say the foam is shot by 500 miles and you need to buy a new one.
In contrast, Xero warranties their outsole for 5000 miles. I'd love to just own something that is leather and rubber, and that is where vivobarefoot has their offerings.
the trainers your dad still owns from before the 21st century were using rubber compounds and not the foam shit that the industry is addicted to today. And even if you do need them, I use the $4 ones Freet sells and its all the cushion I need.
Hiked a lot in them. Ran a 3:36 marathon in them. Had to switch to 3 mm lift due to sore Achilles after years. Now I'm good. I miss them, though, bc they feel so free and ninja.
why the frick do designers make such narrow shoes? EVERY shoe I've ever owned starts breaking apart on both lateral sides (near my thumb, and near my little toe). Might be because my feet are big - EU size 47 (size 12.5 in USA). should I just buy those barefoot shoes that look like clown shoes? they go wider towards the toes and look comfy.
i wana get a pair only cos boys will probably think its hot in a moronic boy way
they look stupid and uncomfertable lel but they could be fashion if u tried
can somone pls explaib this autism?
what is zero drop and should i care
i wana get some shoes or boots for mtb / hiking and just to wear around is this nonsense something i should look for / avoid?
there is no replacement for just going barefoot.. the best place for barefoot exercising in my experience is a well-groomed lawn or sports field.. the beach is good too. "barefoot" shoes in conjunction with some kind of agility activity will improve strength and mobility but you should definitely be aware of the way your stride will change and how your body will bear a load differently with different footwear. It's easy to over-do it and injure yourself by changing to a footwear with less support and cushioning and great range of movement. But starting out with just jogging or briefly sprinting on grass is good.. I liked some of the old nike free and new balance minimus shoes that had low drop(like 4mm).. they were a nice balance of freedom of movement and lightness, mixed with comfort and safety. Haven't bought any recently because the problem was that they would wear out in probably a couple years at most.. have switched to trying to find more rugged boot-like options. Russell Moccasin makes boots with minimalist design options that are super durable.
i read every post in this thread and feel dumber than when i first clicked
barefoot shoes sound like a no brainer because utilizing all of your foot muscles seems like common sense but all the brands like vivo who rep this shit charge out the ass for their shoes which have no good reason to be so expensive
i already walk a lot barefoot so it probably doesnt matter but looking at anything shoe related just pisses me off to no end
I can't imagine hiking in rough mountainous terrain with those things, that's just an injury waiting to happen
but they're neat for your city walks to feel different and unique like the snowflake you are, so go ahead and BUYBUYBUY these amazing quirky shoes
I fricked my knee up playing rugby, tore my ACL around end of May.
So me being a fricking idiot, I've not gone to see a doctor or anything. Just running through the pain after 3 weeks of rest.
Anyway, I had a long Vietnam trip coming up (which I've just returned from). I bought a pair of Xeros sandals to go with my New Balance Herrios. Figured I could run and Hike in the Herrios and then get around on the Xeros.
After 3 weeks of use, I noticed that my knee would shortly start aching in the Herrios (which have a 8mm heel). Never had any issues in the Xeros, although my feet were very sore in the first few days of use.
DO NOT WEAR THEM UNLESS YOU WANT MAJOR FOOT ISSUES.
if you think the idea of hiking barefoot is neat, do that for a while. you're body will stop/slow you as needed. dont be stupid and pay money for injuries
Running in Xero Shoes Genesis fixed my flat feet. I fricked my ankle up this summer being a moron, but next spring I want to try running completely barefoot.
You have to take it slow when you first start wearing them or you will frick up your feet. There's a bunch of muscles in your feet that never get used, so if you suddenly try to hike with them you're going to be very, VERY sore. Read up on barefoot running for more info.
I haven't bought any yet. I have started with some foot exercises, trying to move my toes individually, got toe spreaders and socks with articulated toes.
I don't intend to go running anytime soon, but maybe getting some for every day wear, walking or hiking. I have flat feet which contributed to knee issues and I'm trying to fix them.
You have to fix your whole gait. In normal shoes you'll typically overextend and twist your hips when you walk. In minimalist shoes your stride needs to be smaller, you don't twist your hips, and you don't land on your heels first. Walking wrong in minimalist shoes will frick you up.
>your stride needs to be smaller, you don't twist your hips
That happens automatically when walking barefoot, in my experience.
>and you don't land on your heels first
That is complete bs. Unless you're running, it is completely unnatural and weird to walk and not strike heels first.
You are right. You should be landing heel first when walking but you should not add your whole bodyweight just onto your heel. The correct technique is to roll onto your middlefoot before this. When your toes touch the ground you can add pressure to your feet
What kind of moron needs to be told to do this?
Literally everyone that uses normal shoes or does not pay attention to it puts weight on ther feet too early. Your heel should only gently touch the ground before you are already on your middle foot.
You are moronic, you should never land heel first. That's the whole purpose of the barefoot shoes to use your feet's muscles. If you land heel first why even buy barefoot shoes in the first place?
Provide a video of you or someone else walking ball of the foot first.
?t=357
>That is complete bs
You sir are a fricking idiot.
>You are right.
He's not, and neither are you.
>Practice landing on your midfoot versus your heel. Don’t be afraid to let the heel contact the ground, but concentrate on striking with the midfoot first.
>https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/basics-of-barefoot-minimalist-running.html
>While running barefoot or in minimalist shoes, initial foot contact should occur with the forefoot or the midfoot rather than the heel (Figure 1). This results in a forefoot-to-heel or a midfoot-to-heel pattern. The gastroc-soleus complex eccentrically contracts to control the foot and ankle in forefoot strikers,2 potentially increasing stress on the Achilles tendon. For runners with a history of Achilles tendinitis switching to minimalist shoes, a midfoot strike pattern in a transitional shoe may be advisable to reduce the risk of reinjury.
>https://lermagazine.com/article/effects-of-minimalist-shoes-on-running-gait
>>and you don't land on your heels first
>That is complete bs. Unless you're running, it is completely unnatural and weird to walk and not strike heels first.
Because you're used to wearing traditional shoes
Early shoes wrapped the foot in a piece of soft leather or cloth, but it still allowed for humans to walk naturally. Modern shoes changed all this. With the creation of thicker soles, humans changed how they walked. We started to take longer strides and impact heel-first.
>https://www.businessinsider.com/shoes-changed-way-humans-evolved-to-walk-2017-11
The link you provided talks about RUNNING. I'm talking about WALKING. Get some reading skills before you call people idiots.
>The link you provided talks about RUNNING. I'm talking about WALKING. Get some reading skills before you call people idiots.
There are three links with excerpts you monumental homosexual.
They're great. All I wear now
Take it slow at first or you'll mess your shit up
All my shoes are vivobarefoots.
Xeroshoes are nice too, not as stylish or well made, but they are slightly wider, cheaper, and have half sizes. I lift in those black primus on the right, including squats and deadlifts.
I also use toe spacers. Have only been using them for a few weeks though. I recommend switching over to barefoot shoes asap, my feet feel great and are stronger now than they've ever been. I have to wear steel toed work boots for my job and they are truly awful
>be me
>read about vivobarefoots
>interesting, never heard about those
>visit their website
>picrel is the first thing I see
>Looks like a schizo site, written on a squarespace template
Whoever is responsible for their marketing needs to be replaced, jesus christ.
If you're not schizo in 2022 then you haven't been paying attention.
>then you haven't been paying attention.
You are right I haven't. And I refuse to do so in the future. All I do is go PrepHole and fish.
seems like standard fare marketing
>tfw want vivo shoe
>save tab
>revisit tab next day
>shoe no longer available
Fricking vivo. Their website is fricking 90% jargon and when you click shit it just routes you back to the beginning like a highschool web design project.
their shoes go out of stock quickly, it's annoying. they don't ever post any updates either so you have to just wonder
I might as well wait for them to come out, buy their stock, then resell them at a 10% markup. Picrel, i can't tell if they're out of stock or discontinued.
no idea. i saw those on the website for a while, but there's no way to know. try amazon, that's where i had to order those black boots. they aren't on the vivo website anymore.
Frick em. I'd probably rip holes in them biking anyway. If they can't be assed to sort out their distribution i can't be assed to pay 210 usd for their shoes. I'm not going to sit around waiting for a new drop like a fricking hype beast, i've got shit to do
Vivo sucks. They were alright before there were many alternatives but they have the same or worse quality than no name brands for a third of the price these days.
Who would you recommend other than Vivo?
Honestly it highly depends on the shape of your feet and personal preference. If you can I'd recommend going to a barefoot shoe store and trying a few different. From what I know through first and second hand experience most brands are alright just the two pairs by vivo I've bought were badly made.
I trail run in the orange ones and camp, hike, and hunt in the boots. They're great. I'll never wear anything else
If you live in yrop you want to check out Groundies. Made in EU ( shoes constructed in portugal and soles are made in germany). They also give 3 years of guarantee for their soles.
They do ship overseas but you obviously need to pay the import duties and returning the wrong size can be a hassle.
>Groundies
lol
Roasties Vision vegan Women
Some of my mates have groundies but I think their soles are too thick/stiff. In general I think wildlings are best, sadly they don't conform well to my hobbit feet. They also have a us store https://us.wildling.shoes/
Thanks to the coof I started working from home, which meant never having to leave home if I didn't want to, which meant being barefoot 24/7, which led to me walking barefoot outside near my house, which led me to walking barefoot further from my house, which led me to get Xero Shoes huarache-style sandals so I could be close to barefoot even at the store and other places that require footwear because I was loving barefoot life too much...
Anyway, fast forward a few months of being either barefoot or in barefoot sandals at all times, including a couple short afternoon hikes in the mountains (tough on my feet at first, but very strengthening); work needs me to come in for a meeting that can't be done remotely, closed toed shoes are required in the dress code.
So I put my normal tennis shoes back on, and holy SHIT I could not believe how weird they felt. My feet felt so restricted and immobile, I was too high off the ground, the foam soles made me feel like I was on a damn boat and always off-kilter... I simply can't go back to normal shoes ever again. I ended up ordering closed toed barefoot shoes and I'm never looking back. I see a lot of people write it all off as a meme, but for me the switch was genuinely life-changing, if I have kids they're never wearing the goyclogs.
I feel your pain. I’ve been in barefoot/zero drop shoes for over 5 years. It’s painful for me to stand in my heeled dress shoes for longer than 10 minutes.
>barefoot
>shoes
wat?
I saw a tutorial where you get the 5 toe socks and spray them with layers of rubber from rustoleum instead of paying these israelites.
These should be called "foots," pronounced with the schwa "o" like "boots."
How the frick do you pronounce boots?
B-schwa-ts
So you think boot and book use the same middle sound???
go spend 5 minutes and look up what causes blisters.
then ask yourself if toe shoes are good idea for long distance endurance activity lol.
no avoid them at all costs if you fricked up and got flat feet from the Born To Run Black person zero drop moronation memes
>throw out all your shoes including your casual ones, or buy orthodics for them
>8mm-12mm drop on everything you wear not just PrepHole
its probably your daily shoes fricking your feet up the most not your hiking shoes.
What the frick are you on about, shizo?
>schizo
are you stupid or trolling?
barefoot shoes and "low drop" running shoes originate from a bunch of pseudoscience bullshit in this book, which was a new york times best seller published in 2009. https://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307279189
quit shitting up this board with your shitty reddit troony >muh schizo forced memes.
Is human evolution pseudoscience now?
is christopher mcdougall a scientist, or a journalist?
drop is what's giving you flat feet. shoes with wide toeboxes and normal drop exist. saucony sells two models.
Flat feet is purely genetic. No shoes are going to change that.
did people have flat feet 6,000 years ago?
no, Black person.
The ones that did died
>A recent randomized controlled trial found no evidence for the efficacy of treatment of flat feet in children either from expensive prescribed orthotics (i.e., shoe inserts) or less expensive over-the-counter orthotics. As a symptom itself, flat feet usually accompany genetic musculoskeletal conditions such as dyspraxia,[4] ligamentous laxity or hypermobility.
>One medical study in India with a large sample size of children who had grown up wearing shoes and others going barefoot found that the longitudinal arches of the bare-footers were generally strongest and highest as a group, and that flat feet were less common in children who had grown up wearing sandals or slippers than among those who had worn closed-toe shoes. Focusing on the influence of footwear on the prevalence of pes planus, the cross-sectional study performed on children noted that wearing shoes throughout early childhood can be detrimental to the development of a normal or a high medial longitudinal arch. The vulnerability for flat foot among shoe-wearing children increases if the child has an associated ligament laxity condition. The results of the study suggest that children be encouraged to play barefooted on various surfaces of terrain and that slippers and sandals are less harmful compared to closed-toe shoes. It appeared that closed-toe shoes greatly inhibited the development of the arch of the foot more so than slippers or sandals. This conclusion may be a result of the notion that intrinsic muscle activity of the arch is required to prevent slippers and sandals from falling off the child's foot.
>if you dont work a muscle it will atrophy or not develop at all in the first place
amazing that it takes a study for people to realize this
so thats why i have girlfeet
my feet are very narrow and small with high arches and i assumed it was hormonal (probably plays a role in the size) but i have spent the vast majority of my life barefoot or in only socks in my house
never bothered with slippers either
i dont find regular shoes to be uncomfortable tho
i'll bet money you're heavily medicated and take anti depressants. people always project their own inadequacies.
Human feet is not ment for heel striking. Human have been here hundreds of years before shoes were invented.
is it not conventional knowledge to wear a higher drop shoe if you have a heel strike?
So your heel will strike even sooner? What the frick are you talking about?
is it not conventional knowledge to train yourself to not fricking heal strike?
Are you seriously claiming high heels are healthy? That using your feet in a way they didn't evolve to is healthy?
Also, why and how would barefoot shoes give anyone flat feet? If anything the arch gets more defined with increased muscle strength.
Btw. I only bought barefoot shoes after already walking around barefoot proper for almost a year as normal shoes became unbearable.
>fell for the "Born to Run" yuppie meme and fricked your feet up with zero drop shoes
>"hey guys is the other shitty trope that came out of that shitty book born to run, barefoot shoes, a good way to fix the damage "Born to Run" did to my feet?
STOP
FALLING
FOR
MEMES
FROM
A
SHITTY BOOK
that's why your feet hurt buy normal shoes or orthodics +8-12mm minimum and fix your damn feet.
Ive been using minimalistic shoes for most of my adult life and my feet are fine. Most normal shoes are just too damn tight in the toebox area and i fricking hate when my big toes touch the sides of the shoe. I also dont like thick soles because they restrict movement of my feet. They throwh me out of balance when i cant "grab" things with my foot and have full contact with the uneven ground. Never going back to the normal shoes.
wtf does the drop of your shoes have to do with the toebox?
Barefoot shoes have almost always large toebox. Makes easy for searching new shoes. I dont care about drop.
I've always had "flat feet", but I ran around barefoot as a veritable hippie child until I started school and had to wear shoes. When we started having to run long distances for gym class my feet hurt like hell. Until I was 30 I dealt with lots of pain any time I had to be on my feet all day. Doctors always said I should do orthotics and expensive shoes about it. All that stuff just made things worse. When I took the barefoot pill all that went away. I've never tried Vivo, but I like my Xeros. Lems fall apart within months.
That's unfortunate, I was looking at buying a pair of lems. Which ones did you have
I can out ruck you in my zero drop boots.
What boots do you have?
if you wear a shoe below 8mm drop this bald homosexual esquire and new york times journalist larping as a biologist and sports medicine expert is why. he's the sole reason why its difficult to buy normal running shoes ever since 2012 or so. and he's probably responsible for more sports injuries and foot deformities than anyone on the planet.
i wear 4mm drop shoes because of this homosexual. he made buying decent running shoes and trailrunners impossible. thanks for the planar fascitis, blank stare homosexual.
Who is a PrepHole /leathersandal/ Chad here?
I used part of a cowhide from a butcher for a village feast (Indian rez).
You will need to learn how to cure raw leather but its not the hardest thing, lots of traditional techniques from water salt soaking to wood ash soaking and animal fat tanning.
The traditional sandal design i use is for desert walking. Open top and straps in-between first and second toe with a heel strap.
I've also made a couple pairs out of deer hide. The tire tread ones you have seen are a copy of this design.
But you can buy ready leather from Tandy and moccasins kits.
Feels good man
You got a manual how to make them? Including the tanning process, preferably? I can get free hides from my girlfriend's parents and have been left underwhelmed by commercial barefoot shoes.
Look at books on Indian( Native American indians) craft and survival techniques and culture.
Desert tribal were a favorite subject of early 1900 - 1970 anthropology and many of these study are well documented and available in print.
Every tribe on southern border Pima, digueno up to Canada
Thanks mate.
>Indian( Native American indians)
Just say American Indian in the first place so you don't have to do this autistic parenthetical.
I dont see a point but others swear by em then again I just wear my old army bootd everywhere they are ultimate comf
>barefoot hiking shoes
>barefoot
>hiking shoes
oh so you're running barefoot because your shoes are thin and have pointless toe spacers
ok
PrepHole is nothing more than an outdoors shopping board these days where we discuss what we've bought and what we're buying next
It's what they're called. Come up with a better name or be quiet
>pointless toe spacers
Most don't have those. I agree that they're silly and the worst kind of compromise.
I never fell for the zero drop meme. but I did fall for the low drop meme. I swear these shoes saved my feet. they're so comfy. but I only need them cause I got mad bunions. if you're a healthy guy with normal feet you don't need any of this shit.
>if you got healthy feet still you may continue fricking them up
So tell me anon, what causes bunions?
Tell me you are under 6' tall, without telling me that you are under 6' tall.
I’d rather die.
Worst mistake of my life. Bought some and went on short hike and they fricked up my feet and put me in the worst foot pain of my life. The people shilling for them are liars or monkey footed.
Your feet is weak because of decades of normal shoes so what do you expect? I bet you also go to gym and try to bench 250 pounds straight away and then whine because you get crushed under the bar.
I bought some Merrell zero drop ...first two weeks sucked. After that my calf's got crazy strong and felt like I was using all my leg muscles to walk. Which is tiring. But these shoes do NOT last long at all, that's why few companies make zero drop shoes...meaning it has no angle or rise to help you soften the walk. When you go back to "regular" shoes or hell even boots...the whole world feels odd like your drunk. If you go zero drop...you stay zero drop.
I grew up barefoot in the woods. I can do whatever the frick I want now and my feet and legs don't care. I did a 30 mile single day hike in sperries last year.
>realize i have hammer toes
>fix it by remaining mindful of the positioning of my toes until they remain in the correct position unconsciously
>realize i have flat feet
>fix it by remaining mindful of the flexion of my ankle until it remains in the correct position unconsciously
There's really no difference between foot posture problems and shit like biting your nails or excessive slouching. Why do you all need so many fricking gimmicks to correct what is ostensibly a learned problem, are you a child? Just unlearn it.
>zero drop
I hate this marketing garbage with a passion, they're called flat soled shoes they've been around since the dawn of shoes and people all over the world wear them to this day I cannot believe some people managed to make a gimmick out of this.
It's not a gimmick, and I didn't know "flat soled" shoes existed because the shoe industry only markets shoes that are designed to keep your feet weak and coddled. Something something da joos.
You know how when you walk into a shoe store and immediately bline it to the colorful gay sports shoes? yeah the flat soled shoes are down the isle from those, mostly browns and blacks. Adults getting tripped up by literal kids breakfast cereal marketing you hate to see it 🙁
Why would I go down an aisle for gays?
It's all one isle anon, every shoe store is only one isle. Any isle numbers are just obfuscation to keep you from finding the flat sole shoes.
>and I didn't know "flat soled" shoes existed
yes you did
>implying Converse don't have arch and ankle support
>still has arch support
>still has thick, minimally flexible soles
>still unnaturally narrow
These shoes contribute to foot atrophy as much as any other modern shoe.
>still has arch support
no they dont
>still has thick, minimally flexible soles
the soles are so thin and flexible you can only really compare then to sandals
>still unnaturally narrow
correct
Which is why I never said they were good for your feet. I said they were zero drop shoes, which they are.
>the soles are so thin and flexible you can only really compare then to sandals
Maybe my perception has just been warped by wearing shoes with 5-7mm soles for so long, but those soles look unbearably thick to me. I can't even imagine the shoes that make those soles look thin.
>look
That's the edge, the actual soles are about half the height of the sidewall. Like the top of the black line is where the soles are.
So like 8-9mm which is again only really comparable to sandals
comfy i miss mine
too bad the quality is absolute garbage now and they dont come with zips on the sides anymore
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Altra-Men-s-Lone-Peak-Mid-3-0-Neoshell-Mountain-Trail-Running-Shoes-Red-10-0M/107160099
>Zero drop
>Affordable
>Wide toe-box
>thick sole
>80 bucks for shoes
christ, I could live a year off that amount of money
80 bucks is low, its nearly impossible to find a shoe from any of these independent shoe companies like vivo that sell shoes under 100 dollars.
even bigger joke when you realize all these barefoot shoes have less materials and are less durable than regular shoes... they literally advertise that all of their shoes are flimsy and can be crumpled into a ball easily
Groundies autumn sale righ now. A lot of shoes under 100$ and under 80$. Their regular prices are reasonable too even when they are made in eu. This really shows how full of shit vivo is with their made in china pricing. Their soles are a little bit thicker than vivos but this will add durability and insulation for winter use.
Just keep in mind that they have models with both regular and wide toe boxes.
what works well with barefoot shoes is they can use rubber or a rubber mix into the outsole compound rather than using a fatass foam midsole (EVA/Polyurethane) that either also functions as the outsole or uses a thin rubber compound at the bottom.
Look up Danner Boots for a perfect example of this. A 3-5 pound boot that uses a vibram kletter outsole. Some of their boots use a thin vibram kletter outsole. Pic related is normal vibram kletter.
With eva foam which is most running shoes, the shoe shop and 'experts' will say the foam is shot by 500 miles and you need to buy a new one.
In contrast, Xero warranties their outsole for 5000 miles. I'd love to just own something that is leather and rubber, and that is where vivobarefoot has their offerings.
the trainers your dad still owns from before the 21st century were using rubber compounds and not the foam shit that the industry is addicted to today. And even if you do need them, I use the $4 ones Freet sells and its all the cushion I need.
Hiked a lot in them. Ran a 3:36 marathon in them. Had to switch to 3 mm lift due to sore Achilles after years. Now I'm good. I miss them, though, bc they feel so free and ninja.
why the frick do designers make such narrow shoes? EVERY shoe I've ever owned starts breaking apart on both lateral sides (near my thumb, and near my little toe). Might be because my feet are big - EU size 47 (size 12.5 in USA). should I just buy those barefoot shoes that look like clown shoes? they go wider towards the toes and look comfy.
Because narrow shoes look good. No other reason.
>why the frick do designers make such narrow shoes?
>barefoot shoes that look like clown shoes?
Seems like your second question answers the first.
i wana get a pair only cos boys will probably think its hot in a moronic boy way
they look stupid and uncomfertable lel but they could be fashion if u tried
can somone pls explaib this autism?
what is zero drop and should i care
i wana get some shoes or boots for mtb / hiking and just to wear around is this nonsense something i should look for / avoid?
there is no replacement for just going barefoot.. the best place for barefoot exercising in my experience is a well-groomed lawn or sports field.. the beach is good too. "barefoot" shoes in conjunction with some kind of agility activity will improve strength and mobility but you should definitely be aware of the way your stride will change and how your body will bear a load differently with different footwear. It's easy to over-do it and injure yourself by changing to a footwear with less support and cushioning and great range of movement. But starting out with just jogging or briefly sprinting on grass is good.. I liked some of the old nike free and new balance minimus shoes that had low drop(like 4mm).. they were a nice balance of freedom of movement and lightness, mixed with comfort and safety. Haven't bought any recently because the problem was that they would wear out in probably a couple years at most.. have switched to trying to find more rugged boot-like options. Russell Moccasin makes boots with minimalist design options that are super durable.
i read every post in this thread and feel dumber than when i first clicked
barefoot shoes sound like a no brainer because utilizing all of your foot muscles seems like common sense but all the brands like vivo who rep this shit charge out the ass for their shoes which have no good reason to be so expensive
i already walk a lot barefoot so it probably doesnt matter but looking at anything shoe related just pisses me off to no end
garbage fricking industry through and through
Probably a smoothbrain question here but.
Do these come in steel toed variety?
I've looked, none of them do.
I can't imagine hiking in rough mountainous terrain with those things, that's just an injury waiting to happen
but they're neat for your city walks to feel different and unique like the snowflake you are, so go ahead and BUYBUYBUY these amazing quirky shoes
Barefoot shoes give you a lot of grip so they are good for rocky terrain and climbing uphill.
I fricked my knee up playing rugby, tore my ACL around end of May.
So me being a fricking idiot, I've not gone to see a doctor or anything. Just running through the pain after 3 weeks of rest.
Anyway, I had a long Vietnam trip coming up (which I've just returned from). I bought a pair of Xeros sandals to go with my New Balance Herrios. Figured I could run and Hike in the Herrios and then get around on the Xeros.
After 3 weeks of use, I noticed that my knee would shortly start aching in the Herrios (which have a 8mm heel). Never had any issues in the Xeros, although my feet were very sore in the first few days of use.
DO NOT WEAR THEM UNLESS YOU WANT MAJOR FOOT ISSUES.
if you think the idea of hiking barefoot is neat, do that for a while. you're body will stop/slow you as needed. dont be stupid and pay money for injuries
Funny, ive been wearing these for years. Wheres my injury?
Why wouldn't I slow as needed when wearing shoes?
Running in Xero Shoes Genesis fixed my flat feet. I fricked my ankle up this summer being a moron, but next spring I want to try running completely barefoot.
just go barefoot
I would but mountains are sharp