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I would like to know your opinion on how these shoes should be made. You are critical when the shoes have no insole and when they have thicker insoles. You are critical about puncture resistance, which is a worthless test. If you were barefoot, guess what is going to happen! There are a few other issues with your review, but based on your lack of responses to comments, you probably won't respond to this either.
Hey you think you could do a review and tear down on the Nike Air Force 1 x John Elliott collab shoes I wanted to see what you think of the leather they used on those shoes I have a pair and I’m really impressed by the quality they put into them thank you n have a nice day
Hey, why not make a pair of barefoot shoes? You have serious knowledge of what makes a shoe durable and comfortable. You have really great knowledge of materials. I would love to see you design and make a pair of barefoot shoes. It would be fun to see your answers to the challenges.
Vivobarefoot shoes are kind of what he describes he would like to see. Plus they have removable insoles that you can replace with a thicker one if you need it (although that kind of diminishes the point of "barefoot" shoes).
Totally agree with the greenwashing from several "eco-friendly" brands. Seems like a way to make cheap plastic material seem classier than they actually are. Leather is definitely a more natural material that is more durabe and can be broken down in nature much easier without any hazardus effects (like microplastics, pollution). Especially if we talk about veggie tanned leather and some other more environmentally friendly leathers.
You obviously are incorrect. Just the raising of animals for food and leather is extremely detrimental to the environment as well as abhorrent to the animals and the workers. Try looking at the whole picture. Watch Slay - the film.
@@melanieweber1437 it doesn’t have to be, tho. And it doesn’t change the reality that leather biodegrades much better than plastic. The unethical and cruel treatment of animals and the several mile long list of reasons why factory farming is awful and should have been banned long ago doesn’t make plastic better than leather… it’s just a different kind of bad. Plastic is NOT eco-friendly, so the greenwashing of plastic is a problem!!
@@Feverm00nI'm by no means defending the widespread use of plastics, but growing livestock is environmentally detremental for far more reasons than the unethical animal treatment. The pollution and greenhouse gasses livestock causes (and there is no way to mitigate that completely, it's there by design) is the main thing. Livestock currently produces more greenhouse gas emissions than plastic production does and tbh I think that's a far more pressing issue than how fast something biodegrades. And while yes, livestock is not just grown for leather, removing one part of the profitability of livestock growing would make fewer people do it. And it's not like plastic is the only alternative - there are plenty of plant-based materials we could opt for instead.
Livestock do not produce any emissions. They eat grass, that would turn into methane in autumn anyway. In fact they reduce emissions, since they improve the land they graze and enable it to store more carbon and reduce the use of natural gas based fertilizers. Also, leather is a waste product of meat and milk production, so if would be more environment unfriendly to replace a leather product with a plastic product, that is made from oil. Even recycled plastic is plastic and is made from oil. All vegan leather products are plastic.
people have been raising livestock for thousands of years, industrial animal farming is what you should be mad at. Leather sourced from quality ranches won't have the issues a massive factory will. Animals all produce greenhouse gasses, the issue is the fossil fuels we are burning and the monocultures we are growing.@@SomePeculiarities
Back in the 1970s, before sneaker culture took off in the 1980s, you could buy simple canvas "plimsolls" everywhere for very little money. These were/are canvas uppers with thin rubber gum soles and very little heel drop and arguably served the same purpose as many of these zero drop shoes before they become a thing. You could certainly feel every little pebble and rock under your foot.
After wearing the same pair of Wildlings for almost 3 years and trekking through France with them, there hold up. The sole is still in tact with barely any tread (as little as there is) gone. Wildlings definitely are doing something right in longevity.
Mine have lasted a year so far and still look brand new. They are my main backpacking and mountain climbing shoe. So I agree with the original comment on their durability.
@@aacc8466 youse crazy, I have the same pair of mountain trekking/cross-country running Newbalance 574 for 5 years and the mosy worn out thing is the laces!
@@victorpapillon1487 you must have the perfect gait, I tore apart a pair of Salomon X-Ultra in around a year and that was with daily city commuting/leisure walking use 💀💀
Hey! About 2 years ago on this channel you cut open your first pair of "minimalist" shoes: Lems' Boulder Boot. That sparked my journey down the barefoot rabbit hole. I threw out all my old high-heeled narrow shoes, including expensive Red Wings, and bought a pair of Boulder Boots to 'transition' to barefoot. My knee pain DISAPPEARED, and I felt great, so I started running! Eventually moved on to actual barefoot shoes from Merrell (Vapor Glove), Vivobarefoot (Primus Lite 3, Tracker Decon FG2), XeroShoes (HFS, Forza, sandals), and Wildlings (Flying Fox). Damn, I didn't realize I'd bought so many shoes. ...... Anyway, THANKS! The TH-cam algorithm still recommends videos from your channel like this, as ye olde thick boots are dead to me, unless I'm going to be riding a horse and need the heel to fit into a stirrup, which is never. :)
I've only been going "minimalist" for about seven months but this! I am very interested to learn what this channel sees as evidence for/against the health claims. For me, my knees feel so much better, my tailor bunion pain is gone, and come home from teaching with my feet feeling just fine.
I really tried to like the vibram 5 toes (I think they were called) 15 years ago and was doing gym, walking outside etc and it really didn't work with my anatomy. Ppl are different so different stuff will work for them
Dude, the how'd I buy this many struggle is real... Recently counted like a dozen pair of 'barefoot' shoes I own at this point. Almost exactly 2 years since my first
I’ve started using barefoot shoes solely about 10 years ago and my own experience has been very varied with vegan materials. Most of the early vivobarefoot were in leather and I still wear some of them while the vegan materials haven’t fared so well. Most of them start cracking and breaking apart after 2-3 years. Worse is they’ve increased pricing exponentially and started using plastic while telling us it’s for the environment. These days I try to find leather barefoot shoes because I know they’ll last more than a year.
Same here, my leather vivobarefoots have fared extremely well. And I also loathe the “vegan leather” rebrand plain old plastic is being given. I have more sympathy for shoes made out of recycled material, but still… I do wish we weren’t all so liberal with plastic (plastic shopping bags increase my blood pressure lol)
I've rarely worn shoes for the vast majority of my life, and yet my flatter feet hurt least over time with an orthopedic sole in a shoe. So, I'm no expert but to me the claims of them spreading your toes and healing your flat feet problems are very sus too Love the idea, absolutely loathe the marketing strategies. feel like a scam
If you somehow can get them try belenka they use real leather and are all handmade in slovakia i have one pair of winter boots from them, they are 3 years old and look basicly new
@@ALAKAZOOVOLANT when its below like 10c i wear them everywhere if i need to go to the car or shop or anything i only wear those so basicly 2 full winters of only wearing them in all conditions, in hikes, on salted streets. The outsole is barely, i wear vivos in the summer and ussually i buy them when its starts to get warm until it gets cold enough to bring out boots, the outsole is so worn out i need to replace them, but the belenka's are great the stitching is holding up great they are warm and flexible enough you still feel the ground you dont slip and they are so comfortable i wore them as work boots for a year until i got tabi works shoes. If you ignore the oil stains from the machine shop they are like new i whole heartedly recomend them. The also sell barebaricks shoes on they site so maybe barebaricks also sells their shoes? I dont know if you can even get them in canada because slovakia is not big and its not a big brand but i love them even though they cost around 150 on christmass sales but they lasted so long i dont mind the price if they broke i would go buy new ones instantly. Also i got the belenka ranger 1.0 (since i bought they made a new model) great shoes overall 10/10 Edit because i made a another coment and it doesnt show so, the ydo shop to canada for 35€ and they cost 169€ the price is honestly worth it if you can afford it
Fun thing is, all these brands pretending to be eco-friendly (Adidas, I'm looking at you) just end up using plastic, be it recycled or not, and promote it as the best choice, all while increasing prices, generally speaking.
You have to wonder how much carbon was released during the development and manufacture of these plastics and other materials, as well as their impact when tossed out vs a piece of leather. I'm not convinced leather is an inferior or less ethical choice.
@@averyj.steele1074 Yeah, and as mentioned in the video how long will a pair of dead plastic sneakers be around? Green-washing all while using more and more plastic is all too real
@@averyj.steele1074 additionally, almost all leather is coming from animals that are being slaughtered for meat - the leather is just an economical benefit of that process. I can understand vegans not wanting to wear leather, but it’s not like cows are being murder just for their hides.
@@deficitstifflegzercherdeadlift I disagree, farming livestock is already barely profitable, hence why farms get bigger and bigger. Selling the leather is one reason making livestock farming economically feasible. Vegans therefore argue that it is not simply a by-product or waste. And we all know that these farms are not the nicest place to be in for an animal, to put animal abuse mildly. Farming also consumes a shit ton of other resources, but I won't go in depth here. Though, there may be alternative sources of leather, that are farmed more sustainably. In the end, neither "vegan" leather, nor your average sneaker leather is a sustainable or ethical choice.
My favorite barefoot shoe when i'm not working out is the Vivobarefoot Geo Court. You would definitely like it. It has a leather footbed, full leather upper, stitched on sole. Most high quality barefoot shoe I own.
It would be awesome if you did a collaboration with a boot company to make a resoleable, zero drop hiking boot/shoe. I love zero drop shoes and boots, but I have yet to find one that's actually durable enough to last more than a few months.
VivoBarefoot Tracker Forest ESC is what you're looking for. WIldhide leather and stitched Michelin soles (might be the best hiking soles ever). And Vivo does resole those.
An interesting counterpoint would be a traditional moccasin, like the full grain double sole from LL Bean or similar things from Minnetonka. Moccasins are the original barefoot shoes in a way.
The barefoot shoes are the modern equivalent. Moccasins but with a sole that will last if worn on pavement and concrete. Concrete is the worst on shoes, basically a huge course sandpaper.
I don't need Barefoot thin soles, but I have come to appreciate zero drop flat shoes. This has helped with my knees and my back. I used to have shoes with some heel and insoles that support the arch, because I thought jt was normal, but I always stood lightly slanted. It took a while for my feet and leg muscles to accommodate flat shoes, but I now feel more solid standing and my back and knees feel better. I do need thicker soles in winter, but I can wear quite flat shoes when jt is warm, but rather not go Barefoot thin. I do wear insoles, but flat wool ones, and no arch support. Strange that it is often stated that flat shoes are bad for the back and offer zero support! Yeah, you need to build up support in your muscles.
@@seand.5535 Yeah, but I don't like that Converse don't have removable insoles. I want to be able to put in flat felt insoles. But for others it might work. El Naturalista from Spain makes some great flat shoes.
I had a pair of xero shoes in college that I wore during practice. They definitly helped with providing a more natural way of moving, and felt like my feet took a lot more of the pressure from changing directions and running ect. instead of my ankles and knees, which was nice. The only issue is the shoes themselves could not hold up, and after about 3 weeks the sole came apart from the top of the shoe on both.
Same experience here. Had a pair of Xero Prio shoes, used them for light hiking. Comfy shoes, which provided a totally different feeling while walking in the field. Only problem? Durability! After two months, they just fell apart. At first, the sole came apart at the point. Shortly afterwards, the same thing happend at the sides on both left and right shoes.
I became a dog walker after 20 years of working in the office and wearing dress shoes. Within two years I had severe plantar fasciitis and after every known medical attempt to fix it, I got surgery. It did fix it but the doc said it could come back. I decided to go to zero drop barefoot shoes and now 10 years later my feet are stronger and I have no feet fatigue or pain. I will never go back!
I switched to mostly wearing barefoot/minimalist shoes over a year ago. I have several pairs of shoes from Xero (sneakers and boots) and Lems (boots mostly for hiking, winter, or rainy days). For me who is pigeon toed and very flatfoot they were a game changer. As a kid my parents took me to foot doctors who made casts of my feet to make plastic inserts for shoes I wore to "correct" my feet. They were very uncomfortable to use so I ended up never using them (this was in the early 90s). The wider toe boxes, foot shaped design and zero drop takes a bit of getting used to but my feet and legs feel way better after a long day on my feet or hiking. I like Xero's for every day use around town. Lems I use for hiking so there is more sole under my feet for rougher terrain but I do also use the Xero hiking boots to hike with often. This is anecdotal and each persons body is different. There is however no denying that an actual foot shaped shoe that doesn't squeeze your toes into an unnatural position is definitely better for your feet.
Wow. My feet are also flat, and I too endured awful plastic shoe inserts from a podiatrist as a child. But if I try lots of walking without support, the fatigue/pain goes straight up my calves to knees, hips, and back! But I know that men are women are constructed differently, with different angles happening at the hips. So maybe that's part of it. Still... your story tempts me to try some barefoot shoes.
I’ve been wearing barefoot shoes for over ten years, regularly running and exercising in them every week since. I’ve had no leg, knee, or back injuries at all after over a decade of an extremely physically active life. Compared to my peers in the same field I am an anomaly for not having had ANY injuries at all.
So glad you are doing this series and also comparing it to shoes with arch support later. Most of the barefoot shoe TH-camrs give off snake oil salesman vibes. It’s good to see an honest and fair analysis of both sides
Honestly, whenever I think about the barefoot shoes of today, I wonder why old school moccasins haven't made a comeback yet. Maybe the PNW boot guys should start building shoes like that to get a corner on this barefoot market people are trending towards. Maybe something you fellas at Rose Anvil should consider?
Oh my gosh that would be perfect for Rose anvil and crew, an all leather barefoot shoe. Something to keep them busy this time of year and something a lot of people would want
@@williamthompson8591 that's kind of my thought when he said they are so slow this time of year so it makes sense to find another niche market for leather goods that follows a trend.
They sorta have but are niche cuz they look even more goofy to us these days. They also don't tend to last. I'm currently working on something sorta similar that's easy to resole and my brain is fuming lmao
I've had my Wildlings for a little over 18 months, they were the second "barefoot" shoe after my Lems boulder boot. They're holding up just fine. I like the materials. With a touch of waterproofing spray and wool insole they work just fine during Wisconsin winters. They're funky, but the idea comes from the kinds of shoes we give kids when they're first learning how to walk, ya know, when building balance and stability mean the most.
My first ever pair of barefoot shoes were Wildlings. [The Manul, no longer available. They have an off white linen-hemp canvas upper and look like vintage Keds, sort of.] I have extremely wide feet, US Women's 6.5 EEE, or about 22cm long and 9.5cm wide. Despite looking narrow, the Wildlings are one of the best fitting shoes I own - that weird sole flattens out enough to hold my hobbit feet. I don't own a car, and I live in a big city. I walk a lot ... the Wildlings lasted through one spring-summer-fall season and there's very little wear, I was also curious about the sole cut-outs; they don't touch pavement. I can feel the pavement, definitely. I try to walk around broken glass and pebbles, but the times I stepped on things were no problem. I would not wear my Wildlings on a hike, or in very rough terrain .... but for basic walking around town, they're great warm weather casual shoes.
i've worn wildlings on a hike and they held up fine i really like them, if you have the higher ones they sit really comfortably and your grip is surprisingly good when its not really muddy
@@paiges. Start reading the Anya's reviews blog, especially the posts on how to measure feet and foot shape. I learned so much there! One of Anya's testers also has extremely wide feet. If shoes fit her, they're wide enough for me. In conventional shoes, I like Merrell, Keens, Munro, and New Balance, but I have to try on every pair. For barefoot shoes, trust Anya, I have Wildlings and Angles. I also have a pair of custom boots from Drifter Leather. They fit perfectly, and cost less than some of the sneakers Weston reviews here.
All I know is the effect theyve had on me. I of course own regular shoes as well, but they are great and fast to slip on, and depending on what my work day looks like, I enjoy wearing them to work or to family gatherings…especially as summer loafers. They are definitely comfortable and helped fix my fasciitis. Sure, for certain applications you’ll want something more bouncy and that has more beef to them, but they serve their purpose well. I also love having a pair for around the house in place of slippers. Whereas shoes that are shaped differently obviously change the shape and position of your foot, it’s hard for these to be uncomfortable when it’s the equivalent of walking around with socks on, but with much more protection.
Hen I was a almost broke university student back in the late '70's, the go-to shoe was the made in China White Doves in basic black, available for $7-$10 at your local Asian supermarket as one was buying their monthly 10lbs of rice. Lasted about a month maybe two. Thin black canvas(?) glued to plastic soles. It was a rite of passage...
having spent an unreasonable amount of time in "barefoot" shoes, it does make a difference. it's very difficult to twist an ankle in a barefoot shoe, and your body does take in a lot of information though your feet. they also help greatly in avoiding shin splints and joint pain while running. unfortunately, a lot of companies making "barefoot" shoes think their "anatomical" toe box counts as "wide," so their shoes just don't exist in a size i can wear. new balance's minimus line were the ones i kept going back to. specifically the MT10's. i swore by them for the gym and for running. xero is kind of interesting as a company though. they started out selling kits to make your own running sandals that basically consisted of a flap of rubber, some paracord, a hole punch, and instructions, and i honestly had no trouble running in those. and since they're A. sandals and B. you make them yourself, i didn't have to worry about width. but then they came out with a bunch of shoes i can't wear. i should also note that i have short, wide feet with high arches, so your experiences may vary. i'm basically stuck in new balance, sketchers, and crocs at this point for casual shoes.
When I was going through a bunch of barefoot shoe videos I came across alot of them and also alot of comments that say these use toe spacers pretty much at all times. I tried it myself and it definetly doesnt work for me. Super uncomfortable when wearing the toe spacers with shoes on. My pinky toe just gets crushed and so does my big toe. Not even the widest toe shoe i have used with toe spacers on work for me so it makes me wonder if these people that say they wear toe spacers at all times are just lying or have uncomfortable toes at all times.
@@uli3119 you need wide shoes for them definetely. try lems, be lenkas, but for me vivos are also fine, but I have to cut the small toe part of the correct toes in half so it doesnt get crushed. you have to modify the correct toes for your foot shape. I wear the largest size correct toes, but they fit horribly so i cut them shorter on the underside of the big and small toe so they sit deeper on my feet. Also i have multiple pair of correct toes and some i also cut the part of the small toe in half so my little toe doesnt get crushed. You can search for correct toes modifications to see what i mean. My correct toes are not the original ones because they are expensive af. I just buy the replicas from aliexpress. They are identical enough to the real thing.
@@svenvanderzwaag1012 Ihavent tried modifying my correct toes. I already own Lems Boulder Summit boots which are my work boots but Im at work more than at home so I pretty much have those boots on all the time. I had some vivobarefoot boots before that too and tried correct toes with both boots and with un altered correct toes it is definetly uncomfortable.
The one thing that sucks about most bare foot shoes is they don't work at all in the rain. Even slightly damp is awful. If you don't have the muscles in your feet don't even try a day in these moccasins.
Wanted to add a +1 for Wildling owners that experienced surprisingly good longevity on them. Granted, I would not recommend them for hard use activities. I wear mine for daily wear and light hikes and they still look brand new but dirty after a year. Also, maybe some models are different because both models of mine appear to have stitching around the outsole whereas you said yours were just cemented
I’ve been wearing my wildlings for about 18 months. I’ve gone on light hikes in Colorado and worn them all over. I currently use them as weekend shoes and my workout shoes. Barely any wear on bottom…yes I have no idea how they aren’t completely demolished but they hold up incredibly well.
I bought some Lems boots for work and don't regret trying this barefoot trend. I have really flat feet and have built up my arches (doing specific exercises to do so) and haven't had hardly any foot pain at all now. I also have lessened my lower back pain with the different way I'm walking now. I wish this information was available when I was a kid.
Hey RoseAnvil, I'm in the gym right now in BF shoes and love them. I love the content and we desperately need more of this kind of analysis online. Thanks for all the hard work!
I’ve been using wildlings for about a year now as my main shoe. I’ve got one that’s more winter capable and then a summer shoe for a bit of balance. Despite Swedish winters being long, cold, wet, snowy and plenty of rough terrain for hiking, neither pair of shoes have had any noticeable wear. As weirdly slim as they are they have held up better than my blundstones frankly, with the bonus of not crushing my toes during use. Their look certainly isn’t for everyone, but I like it, and I think I’ll likely be sticking to them for the foreseeable future. The one thing I will note for people in colder environments- use thick sucks or even multiple socks when it’s really cold. The thin (borderline nonexistent) gap from the ground means the cold seeps in to your feet if you aren’t wearing something a bit thicker. Makes it feel like the bottom of your feet are wet weirdly enough even though they are bone dry.
Switching to zero drop shoes 2 years ago changed both my life and my gf’s life for the better. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen my gf put on her knee brace when she works out or goes for a jog. Plus my plantar fasciitis problems went away for good.
I started wearing barefoot shoes when the five fingers first came out. It took a few weeks for my foot strength to build up. Muscles were getting used that hadn't been since I was a small child walking barefoot. After that? Never going back. I have an arch for the first time in my life. Not a high one, but an arch, which the podiatrist remarked on. My balance is much better.
Thanks for finally really opening up the "barefoot" can of worms to the full Rose Anvil treatment. I had a lot of damage to my feet, legs, and spinal cord/nervous system, and Vibram FiveFingers are the most comfortable as well as durable shoes I can wear. They're a bit overpriced in my opinion but in the latest models they fixed the only weakness of their previous outersole, and fixed it well. They thought a soft vinyl insert in the arch was a good idea and when it tears out there's an actual hole in the outsole - the new version made the sole whole and embedded a small hard plastic plate to protect your arch. Now they're about as perfect an all around shoe as I have ever owned. Avoid Fivefinger running styles unless you are going to have *zero* lateral movements; they're made to be ultralight running, specifically, and you can't boulder or carve with them. I currently rotate between two pairs of V-Trail 2.0 that I bought a few years ago and are still wearing strong; they're a little loose around the edges but nothing have come apart - they're glued ridiculously well, somehow. I have several other styles (one looks like a monster foot, made of wool and 3/4 ankle with ice soles on it) but those are my literal daily drivers don't wear any other shoes no matter if it's mud, sand, mountain, whatever the terrain, it doesn't matter when my feet are clad in form fitting armor. I live near the Oregon Coast Range on the Columbia River. Our terrain is on the Ring of Fire. These things wear like iron - they're a fully Vibram product, including the soles, of course. They're not for everyone - if you have super wide feet, sorry. Vibram also makes several styles of wraps from sandal to calf length boot in their Furoshiki line.
Working in a shoe store that's a classic sit and fit, working with podiatrists for shoe fittings, in Utah with the birth of mainstream Altra zero drop runners I've seen "proof" on both sides of this debate. The only thing I ask anyone with any shoe, insert, or anything is, "are your feet 98% good to go every day ALL day?". Lunchtime foot aches, quiting time foot soreness, and foot tiredness is not normal or needed in life. The ridiculous majority of people I ask this question say "yeah I'm good". I push deeper and ask how their feet feel on the morning, or after work, or after a hike... Specifically their feet. Almost always they say, oh well yeah my feet after waking up, or after work I want to get home and lay down.... That's not good to go ALL day. If you're truthful with yourself and get to around 90% your feet will be solid and comfortable with nothing really holding you back. I've worked with barefoot doctors and looked at their "evidence" and then immediately produced a more recent study that counters their argument and study. And I find the same against what I just provided as evidence. The only thing that does work is, if you are pain free. Truly pain free. I find barefoot shoes and zero drop shoes to be a lifestyle not a shoe. You have to have a strong foot and foot tendons to keep you supported. Without that you are overprinting your navicular and causing a fallen arch and eventually if more damage happens leads to Charcot foot. Within the next 15 years we are going to see a major uptick of these foot ailments. Barefoot for me is a cycle shoe where I would put it in a rotation once a week for a couple hours to hyper flex your foot and change your tendon structure. That being said no brand makes a shoe long enough or wide enough for me. So yeah there that too. But yeah short version is be honest about your foot health, get fitted correctly for any shoe you get, and make changes to be pain free with your feet.
Thank you for your details. I find that wearing different types of shoes works best for me. I have a pair of Altra running shoes and another of Birkenstocks and some others. I’m interested in learning more about barefoot shoes. I had the five toes ones and liked them but only for a couple of hours at a time.
Barefoot shoes have changed my life! I used to have foot pain even walking barefoot in my apartment, and now I can run in barefoot shoes without pain! Appreciate all your work and look forward to your future videos!!
I just received my barebarics today that I purchased because of this video and I’ve struggled with barefoot shoes curving too much in the pinky toe and these shoes have been my most comfortable shoes that I’ve purchased that are bare foot shoes. The mid sole is also wider where I’ve noticed that other shoes are more narrow in that area! I highly recommend to those who have wide square shaped feet where other shoes still feel tight
Barebarics are phenomenal. I also recommend Realfoot shoes (and Ahinsa if you have a flatter, low-volume foot). And of course FiveFingers are tried and true lovelies. 👍
You have hit the nail on the head with my chief complaint about barefoot shoes- crappy materials at a premium price. You say vegan , I say petroleum based. And fabric shoes don’t cut it in my old, wet climate. Also, I need a wide, foot shaped shoe, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I want the super thin sole (older people lose adipose tissue, we could use more thickness) and ugly. More stack height would go a long way to more style and could still be zero drop. Birchbury is definitely the most appealing of this group. I’m also eyeing Origo Everyday and as soon as they restock the silver, I’ll order. Dress shoes are even worse in terms of style.
Started wearing Whitin barefoot shoes 4 years ago, I have 13 wide feet and they helped my back pain and foot pain significantly. I then tried the Whitin barefoot trail runners for when I go hiking and camping, Will never go back to regular unnatural shaped shoes again. Another plus? They are still holding up great and they are $45.
Honestly glad I moved to barefoot shoes, all foot pain gone. Vivobarefoot only had one style wide enough for my feet (plus a pair of hiking boots) when I went into their London store, and I am so glad I moved over to them. However I am yet to find a decent pair of zero drop, wide toebox work/safety boots and though I have no regrets moving to barefoot shoes for everything else, I am in pain every minute I have to wear work boots. It's a shame none of these companies do proper work boots that your feet will fit into once you've adapted to the natural foot shape encouraged by barefoot shoes
Please do more of these exact videos. Barefoot shoes are REALLY expensive and if I had someone like you to review all the big players it would help me make more informed decisions. I'm on a budget and I'm super grateful. The other issue with barefoot shoes is you have to mostly get them online because stores don't stock them. Which makes videos like this double valuable. Thanks again. I'd love to see a barefoot dress shoe line up and a barefoot athletic shoe lineup. Thanks again.
Last spring I bought a pair of Wildlings (Tanuki Niji model). Their equivalent of the little white sneaker. Wore them non-stop all summer. When it gets warmer they will be on my feet again. Love em. I am amazed at how durable they feel considering the materials. That model's upper is made of stretch washi (75% paper, 25% polyester). It feels like a synthetic to the touch. Much more breathable than canvas sneakers. Quick drying. Wear them in water and they dry amazingly fast. Rather I should say, wear them without any socks in water. Otherwise, soggy socks. The shoes are water permeable. Upside of that is no sockless foot stink. Very airy shoes.
I wear Vibram Furoshiki because I have a high instep along with a wide foot 8.5 EEE/9 EE. Even those wide toe box shoes are really only about E width and few offer anything but their default width. Also if you can follow directions and have 30 minutes, the Hello Fresh is a decent meal box and you get lots of choices, so it was a good choice for sponsorship.
People are constantly asking about my Vibram Fivefinger shoes. I don't wear anything but FiveFinger and they last forever through whatever conditions you throw at them.
6:45 You are right in here if we are speaking about virgin materials. When you recycle plastic, qnd its doable quite easily, you basically are tqking plastic that someone essentially already burried in the graound, taking it out and making new product out of it. Even if thhat new product is going to end up in the landfill it already was pulled out of it to make it. So it is more eco than straight up just not recycling.
Softstar makes great barefoot shoes. Please look into them for this series. I've bought Xeros for myself and my kids and some of the other styles are much better than the Aptos. My sons had the Aptos and the hemp wore out quickly and the insole would come out or roll up constantly.
They are good, but watch the styling ... their Primal line classify as Clown Shoes. Especially the Primal Merry Janes ... I have incredibly wide feet and these are too big a toe box even for me!
@@lizcademy4809 Yeah, I have been wearing them for nearly a decade and go barefoot most of the time and still don't need the primal toebox. The other one is plenty roomy even for those of us with strong feet.
I am so glad you did this review the one thing barefoot enthusiasts are not willing to talk about his build quality. They talked about how amazing a shoe is that cost $150 and mention that they're made of synthetic materials and only last a month as if that's no big deal
This is my take on barefoot. The foot came before the shoe, so your shoes should look like feet, not your feet look like coffins or torpedoes. I switched to a pair of those Vibram toe shoes back in the spring of 2017, I believe. Sometime in 2017, but there was no question about it, this was a better trade off than any tennis shoes I had worn prior. Starting off was the hardest part, because I had to develop my feet to launch off the ball of my foot and the toes. I went from struggling to run a mile to easily running one, and probably could of ran 5 to 10 miles every morning if I wanted to. Defiantly a decrease in soreness,...., well, until June 2017. What the problem was, was the socks were too small, and the shoes were not wide enough. They had the right length, but needed more width. First, I changed out the socks, then I got, I believe, the a Vibram V-trail 1.0 shoes, but a size or two over. Those were defiantly wider, and have triangles on the bottom. Also, the loop for pulling them off on the back of the heel was horizontal, so you had to come in with your fingers vertically. Later bought the V-Trail 2.0's which has the loop running vertically where have to bring your fingers in from the sides. Anyways, the 1.0s worked, and eventually I just took the socks out entirely. I have yet to get socks that were big enough, and would likely only use them during the winter due to less overheating. Um.. Defiantly a decrease in soreness, defiantly an increase in the precision with my foot steps, and with me launching off the front of my feet, it added an extra bit of suspension. I've read that to, and could clearly hear a difference when putting on ear muffs. I would walk around, switching between walking on the heel and walking on the balls and toes, and could distinquly hear more shock being transferred through my legs when launching off my heels. Launching off the front of the foot, I guess having that extra bit of suspension dissipated the amount of shock to the point that I could barely hear anything being transmitted through my feet. I see this as the correct way to walk, but there is some complaints with the shoes. The length was always good, but not the width, so I had to order a couple sizes over. Then, I wish they had some boots with the same amount of toe width or even wider, but not all these individual cuts for the toes, at least not on the outside. Maybe something could keep the toes separated on the inside of the shoe. Why all of this, is one issue with the toes being separate is things like stickers and other poky things sometimes will work there way in between the toes or just fall down and lodge themselves between toes. Not too comfortable when that happens. Also, being so thin, I would wear a hole through the bottom of the shoes after a couple months of running. A simple fix I've used was smearing Shoe Goo on with something like those rubber spatulas used for spreading icing on a cake. Allows me to spread it out like jam, without leaving much on the tool. Works fine for me, and I'm still using those 1.0 shoes. The shoes now look,..., terrible, but I could still run plenty of miles on. I could probably make them last another 10 years, but probably not another 10 years of running. Well, if you can replace pieces of fabric and the tightening apparatus when needed, in addition to the use of Shoe Goo, you could. As I started this, I will end on the same note. Feet came before shoes, so shoes should look like feet, not your feet look like coffins or torpedoes. I believe to develop the right shoes, you must go back to the foot before the shoe, and build off that. Oh, also, me being flat foot may have helped me transition faster to barefoot. If your used to having thick cushioning and want to transition over to toe shoes, take it slow. Be patient and understand you may be basically rebuilding your feet in a process that may take years.
Your experience with the shoes aside, how do your feet feel? Noticed more strength or improved balance? Did it do anything for your posture? Did your toes splay out more etc? Do you only wear barefoot shoes?
@@wowandrss not the OP but my toes/feet definitely widened after a few years of foot shaped shoes. And I do feel like my feet are stronger and allow me to be slightly better balanced. I feel a lot more solid on my feet if that makes sense? It also changed my gait in a good way by making it less percussive. I don’t notice any difference in my posture. I’ve been wearing BF shoes for about 5-7 years now. Also, the main difference I noticed is just the pure comfort of it, honestly. As soon as I got my first pair I knew I’d never go back because the comfort difference was truly unbelievable to me. And for context I have very wide feet that often stretched over the edges of soles of non-anatomical shoes.
After doctors suggestion im running barefoots for a year now. A pair of vivobarefoot for summer and a pair of wildlings for winter. To cut a long story short, they do great things for my foot personally. However price vs what i get is where im not entirely happy. Im walking around a lot on streets and trails. At least 3 times 1 hour daily with my dog, often on the weekends full day hikes. They hold up, yes, but they do not hold up to their pricetag compared with "regular" / "normal" shoes around that price that i had from Nike, Asics and Fila. The sole wears thin rather quick and there is not much material to wear down from. Im a bit more happy with the Vivobarefoot as the sole of the wildling after only half a year starts coming off at some spots, whereas the vivo's only start getting thinner by the month. Furthermore the wildling winter boots although not being advertized as rainproof should be at least to some degree weather resistant as in "they are winter boots, they might come in contact with snow". Their "weather proofing" only lasted a week or so. After that i might as well just have walked out with socks in terms of "keeping my foot dry". Based on how they have worn down, i predict the vivos to last this season aswell but im not so sure for the wildlings hanging with me in the next season. I will keep looking for other barefoot shoes to try but for now, im a bit let down in terms of price vs quality. Id complain much less about both were they around the 60 to 90€ mark but i got them both for around 150€ and for that they just dont deliver what i expect in terms of built quality. My best deal so far was an older pair of asics that i had years ago. Paid 160€, used them 5 years before they fell apart. Dont expect my barefoot shoes to hold up that long but at least 2 to 3 years they should hold up for that pricemark.
I do appreciate the fact that you didn't present this barefoot option as this sort of granola gospel like I've seen it online. Walking barefoot on concrete isn't fun tbh, so I wouldn't really wanna replicate that feeling in a shoe anyway
Like everything else, there’s a lot of nuance around the barefoot shoe. Some podiatrists say hell no and others are barefoot runners themselves. If this doesn’t tell me there’s nuance, idk what does. But it’s the nuance that makes me give things a shot. If a community is insistent that one thing is better for every one in every situation, I get skeptical. Just seems more like a fad or propaganda than a conversation. I’m here for conversation. And I’m glad Rose Anvil is bringing conversation to it.
@@May-qb3vx oh I totally agree; tbh most of that is my own personal bias when barefoot shoe manufacturers treat what is essentially just another product on the market like we're all going to hobble ourselves if we don't run out and buy their shoes, yk?
I have spent over a decade in 'barefoot' zero drop shoes. Could never go back. Would literally make my own shoes vs wearing a normal heeled squeeze the hell out of my foot shoe. Never had any problems with protection and I'm extremely active. Run with no shoes whatsoever at this point and still no problems (that one may catch up to me one day).
Yeah, in summertime, I just walk around barefoot Or in flip-flops if shoes are absolutely necessary. Fall and winter it’s casual skate shoes (boots if there’s heavy rain or snow)
I enjoy your videos a lot and have learned a lot too. I just received my first Birchburys and I LOVE them! Love the look and love how comfortable they are from minute one. Wore them the first day for about 8 hours on marble floors and had no discomfort in my feet or legs.
Rating the durability by the thickness of the sole is a bit strange. Soles have different materials. Some rubber is harder and more durable than a different rubber and some soles are made out of cheap plastic or foam. A good indicator was the puncture test you did. My Vivobarefoot shoes are now about 4 years old. They have a 5 mm rubber sole that has almost no visible waer and the upper part is made from recycled plastic.
Glad I watched this! I’m thinking of switching over entirely to barefoot shoes and had the wildings on my wishlist because I’m a sucker for anything wool. I didn’t even check if they were using real leather! It’s a wool shoe! How could they not? Anyway, love the content. Love seeing the inside of these shoes. Thanks for destroying them for us. :) I’m subscribing.
I've tried on dozens of barefoot shoes and the only ones I found suitable for wide high volume feet were made by Softstar. The primal runamoc with megagrip sole is amazing.
I walk around a glass covered college town and bartending at a few very busy bars in barefoot shoes (Splay Freestyles) and after wearing barefoot shoes for years I've found its less about the material of the shoe being puncture resistant and more about learning through feeling the ground to be thoughtful about where you step. you're not just plodding about in thick shoes you're stepping carefully and with awareness...that's sort of one of the whole points of wearing barefoot shoes.
I won't fight you in durability. But man I LOVE my wildlings. I have low tops, and a wool boot height for the winter. They feel like I'm wearing socks, I've never had such a comfortable shoe. I've even taken them quite a bit on level 1 hikes with no issues
If you like leather please check out softstars, they're the best barefoot shoes on the market in my opinion. Would love to hear what you have to say about the leather as they make claims about the quality I don't necessarily buy, decent as it is 🤔
When it comes to “groundfeel”. I'm not sure why someone would want to feel asphalt and pebbles, but to each their own, I guess. Personally, I had enough after, less than, an hour after using some Converse copies Anatomical/wide toe box, though, Is something I'd love to see more of, as someone with really wide feet (and thin heels) it can be a pain to find shoes.
So several years ago I owned a pair of real leather upper Merrell barefoot/ glove style shoe….. They were light and cool for work, but a week of walking and shopping in Wellington made me realise they are not for me. No support, and my right big toe joint is very arthritic, and doesn’t like to bend. I ‘need’ a stiff foresole that doesn’t flex much.
Unpopular opinion here: I want a regular cushioned shoe AND a wide/anatomical toe box- I don’t give a crap about being barefoot. Seems like Altras are the only option, but the Barebarics look pretty promising! Great review- sorry for the rant 🫶
Im 46 dgaf what it looks like to me as long as they arent hurting my feet\calves. These clown shoes aren't even wide enough for me. I feel like William Wallace's feet screaming for freedom. That said I'd never be caught in public in Yeezy's because they are beyond fugly. Dont care if they are comfy or not.
6:40 Yes my man, exactly. Im actually vegan, I have been for almost a decade now. I don’t eat any animal products at all, but I wear leather boots and shoes almost exclusively. “Vegan leather” is a marketing ploy that works, no matter how senseless it is..
I don't really understand the worry about clown shoes. Have you seen the weird, cartoonishly bulbous stuff that comes under the heading of normal footwear these days? Yeezis, Crocs, Uggs and numerous varieties of blobby banana-shaped sneakers. Most minimalist shoes look pretty normal by comparison, and often, in my experience, either get compliments or pass unnoticed, i.e. when you tell people they're barefoot, they say, 'But aren't those just...normal shoes?' But I actually want the barefoot shoes most likely to elicit the clown shoe comment, mainly because my feet are wide, but also because I think they look great. The idea that they don't is just fashion. In a society that was saner about footwear, all these shoes that force the toes into a balletic point would be the ones considered stupid-looking, because stupid is what they are. It's not just a matter of different foot shapes, no one's foot is naturally shaped like a guided missile.
One super inexpensive "barefoot" shoe that is favored by martial artists and parkour traceurs is "Feiyue." They are originally from China, but rebranded by a French company to make them more hip, so they are also trendy these days. They are super cheap at $20 - 25 apiece. I find them to be super comfortable and surprisingly durable!
Barebarics for the win! Tested all these brands and Belenka/Barebarics are top. I also love the WPS rating, but it misses the point and is actually backwards. The wider the shoe is (in the toes), the better looking it is and the better all around it is. So... the opposite of what you described. Comfort and health = better all day long. Shouldn't care less about what other people think of your shoes.
Barefoot shoe companies : "Buy our shoes that has less materials and labor but cost just as much as a regular shoe does! Did we mention it's environmentally friendly and """""vegan"""""? It's also [insert purely marketing gimmick words]!! Order yours now!"
I am using Hykes Pinnacle barefoot shoes, best shoes I have ever owned and will never go back to restricted regular shoes. My feet are so much stronger and love the feeling once you get used to them.
I’d always liked Merrel Moab shoes and didn’t hear about wide toe box shoes until 2 years ago. I started with Altra Cayds cuz they came in all black and were good for street running or basically anything out and about. I just started wear toe spacers while I’m at home to fix my pinky toes and left foot Bunyan. I also have several pairs of Lems boots now, which I love. I just can’t stand the look of any of these barefoot shoes. They all look dorky and “blank” to me. Anyways, I love the content. It is maximally informative and you seem like a good dude. I really appreciate your eye for detail and want to show support. Much respect 🙏
Alls I know is that most people's feet,toes in particular, are shaped like the shoes that they most commonly wear....too me it looks like the problem us worse for a woman's foot.
I am a shoe snob,I will always go for leather,but I am a keen fan,they never hurt my bunion for the day I wore them,and as for feeling the ground,at 73,I need cushioning for my back and hips.
I ordered the slim wallet and I compliment the time it took to ship. Your email communication was better than a major sunglass brand that I ordered from the same day. Looking forward to receiving it, thank you!
Personally, I think Skora has the best minimalist shoes - the rounded heel is amazing to run in. They’re core and tempo series were superb. However they were recently bought out and I’m unsure if their quality took a hit. Goat leather, strong laces, held up hundreds of miles - love to see someone review them
Really looking forward for the suede standarized tier chart. I've been wondering what the exact difference is between pig skin suede, cow leather suede and flesh out suedes. Especially on sneakers like the puma suede and other Nike models.
I am currenly wearing Xeros as i can get them cheaply from EU store with reasonable postage. When not picky about colors too much you can get those that are on sale and save a lot of money.
The thing is, people have been using shoes for so long now that we may well have naturally selected enough taller looking people that we have actually evolved too need heeled shoes now - not saying that we have, saying that its possible - which likely means some people do need heels and some don’t.
@@PippetWhippet 1) adaptions are only selected if they make it more likely to pass your genes on to the next generation. 2) if you look at a babies foot, it's almost like a little hand, the toes spread wiiiide, and they grasp with them, so I don't think we've adapted to shoes genetically quite yet.
@@PippetWhippet Interesting point but intuitively seems wrong to me. Shoes are an old invention but heeled ones are fairly new, and even then people walk around without shoes on.
Yeah, well we aren't born with any clothes on and they still have a whole slew of benefits, just because it isn't something we're born with doesn't necessarily mean it isn't better for us. Basically what I'm saying is, why would we make a whole new standard if it didn't have any benefits, not saying there is no merit to a zero drop shoe but I gotta imagine that there is some merit to a heal too.
Can’t edit my last post so to finish up… the barefoot thing is really been a positive experience for me. Crossfit helped in the transition, but it definitely took some time to adapt. I would like to find a zero drop minimalized boot, and as I mentioned in my previous post, it looks like SOFTSTAR has a shoe that might work for this purpose. And they appear to have other stylings now, which are a little bit more business friendly. Nevertheless, having a true classic boot is clearly needed, depending on the work one is doing. Going barefoot, can change how you move through the environment and sometimes you have to go slower. It can be a little bit frustrating depending on the terrain. Thanks again keep up the great work. Love the channel.
Wearing barefoot shoes daily eventually eliminated my foot pain. I’d be interested in more reviews because the shoes are expensive to try and most of the brands are outside the US, so trying before buying is nonexistent.
You can get a pair of vans at journeys for $60. I walk about 50 miles a week. About 1/4 is desert rock trail. Be careful of big thorns but they give great foot feel and protect the top of your foot. I buy 1 pair per year on average.
Honestly, I’ve gotten used to it and I feel more comfortable in them? I was in NYC for a week and half averaging 15k steps a day and my wife complained about her feet pretty often (even though she was in average sneakers) but my feet felt pretty good the entire trip!
It was actually fine for me. I worked retail in a barn boutique with concrete flooring walking /standing all day for several years and it was fine. And they’re so much more comfortable than non-anatomical shoes that I’d actually say it was better and more comfortable. My gait naturally adjusted to be less percussive and I had no issues. The one thing I noticed was a thinner sole sometimes meant my feet were more susceptible to cold in the winter on concrete. But not by a lot.
Heel to toe drop insoles in these shoes are usually there to help people transition into the true barefoot experience. It's generally understood that the end goal is to wear the shoes without the insoles
Wildlings! They wear less than you would expect and they really strengthen the muscles in your feet because they are so flexible. But still warm and protective.
it is absolutely bonkers to me that almost all barefoot shoes are more than $100. they are the simplest shoes, usually made of cheap materials, and they have no technology or complicated materials in them. why is the most advance nike running shoe the same cost as some ugly ass weird barefoot shoes I will never understand. its not like these shoes are handmade in america or europe, they are made in a factory (sweatshop) and probably cost $4 in materials and maybe a few more for shipping. all these companies are just riding on the hype surrounding barefoot shoes because they are an REI type commodity; only upper middle class people actually have time and money to care about wearing barefoot shoes
Agreed. I feel like they’re more expensive than regular shoes which I can never understand! Feelgrounds is the worst because the soles are NOT durable, don’t come with insoles yet they cost $100+. CRAZY. Splay Athletics shoes are the only reasonably priced ones at around $50+.
The new barefoot shoe brand Fleeters seem worth the price considering the materials they use & the fact that the shoes are handmade in portugal. They look pretty cool too. Too bad they don’t have my size.
Let me just put this into perspective for you: My wedding dress was fully hand beaded, custom designed, custom to my body. The one I modeled it after was 5k in the states. I got it made for me from an etsy seller in Vietnam for 1300$ and that included shipping. 120$ for a pair of shoes made in Vietnam seems insane.
Are you gonna do Vivobarefoot shoes? Please do! I always love your videos! Thanks for keeping the humor alive and the fact that using natural materials like leather is actually more eco friendly! I hate the push of using plastic in everything!
btw, eventhough no one uses it, there is very tough fake leather out there. it can even outperform some types of leather. If you have to buy very durable furniture, you usurally get the tested information about the durability (at least in germany). but to make it short, the tougher it gets, the more expensive it is. A normal 24/7 office chair can be like 1k €
There is a purpose for tapered toe design. A tapered toe box transfers any forward force from the toes to the ball by compressing the toes together in into the ball. Try kicking something solid with an open toe vs tapered toe. Or walking down a steep grade. Your foot will slide forward in the shoe and the force will be on the tips of your toes. After one kick of a steel beam, wood block or rock or walking up and down in rough terrain and you will have sore toes. I have both for work boots. I have Addison steel toes and New Balance 989 comp toes. I have to be careful in my 989s not to kick anything or to walk around to much or I will have sore toes. They are more comfortable but less practical. If I'm just sitting in the cab of a crane, I'll take the 989s but if I'm going to be on the ground, I'll take the Addisons.
Yeah try my feet for a week and youll realize that to taper either adds unwieldy length or squish my feet. One size does not fit all. Feet come in different shapes and what works for you is a nightmare for another. For me, the taper is beyond stupid and is harmful.
I have hiked up and down the mountain trails in Alberta Can in barefoot shoes and had no problem with steep grades.It just depends on the person.All feet are different.
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I would like to know your opinion on how these shoes should be made. You are critical when the shoes have no insole and when they have thicker insoles. You are critical about puncture resistance, which is a worthless test. If you were barefoot, guess what is going to happen!
There are a few other issues with your review, but based on your lack of responses to comments, you probably won't respond to this either.
It's time for me to get a new wallet. What is the website?
Hey you think you could do a review and tear down on the Nike Air Force 1 x John Elliott collab shoes I wanted to see what you think of the leather they used on those shoes I have a pair and I’m really impressed by the quality they put into them thank you n have a nice day
🤡
@@frankgonzalez3822 www.roseanvil.com
Man selling fake leather as vegan leather is a really clever marketing strategy.
Vegans will fall for anything
You don’t need to be very clever to fool a fool.
@@eclark9965 fair point.
Just like "vegan cheese", ten years ago that was fake cheese used in cheap convenience produtcts that nobody wanted to eat.
@@BGRUBBIN or where the hell the cobalt for the batteries comes from, or how it's mined.
Hey, why not make a pair of barefoot shoes? You have serious knowledge of what makes a shoe durable and comfortable. You have really great knowledge of materials. I would love to see you design and make a pair of barefoot shoes. It would be fun to see your answers to the challenges.
If rose anvil made a pair if probably buy em
Vivobarefoot shoes are kind of what he describes he would like to see. Plus they have removable insoles that you can replace with a thicker one if you need it (although that kind of diminishes the point of "barefoot" shoes).
He kinda did a barefoot boot collab with jim green
This aged well
I would try for sure
Totally agree with the greenwashing from several "eco-friendly" brands. Seems like a way to make cheap plastic material seem classier than they actually are. Leather is definitely a more natural material that is more durabe and can be broken down in nature much easier without any hazardus effects (like microplastics, pollution). Especially if we talk about veggie tanned leather and some other more environmentally friendly leathers.
You obviously are incorrect. Just the raising of animals for food and leather is extremely detrimental to the environment as well as abhorrent to the animals and the workers. Try looking at the whole picture. Watch Slay - the film.
@@melanieweber1437 it doesn’t have to be, tho. And it doesn’t change the reality that leather biodegrades much better than plastic. The unethical and cruel treatment of animals and the several mile long list of reasons why factory farming is awful and should have been banned long ago doesn’t make plastic better than leather… it’s just a different kind of bad. Plastic is NOT eco-friendly, so the greenwashing of plastic is a problem!!
@@Feverm00nI'm by no means defending the widespread use of plastics, but growing livestock is environmentally detremental for far more reasons than the unethical animal treatment. The pollution and greenhouse gasses livestock causes (and there is no way to mitigate that completely, it's there by design) is the main thing. Livestock currently produces more greenhouse gas emissions than plastic production does and tbh I think that's a far more pressing issue than how fast something biodegrades. And while yes, livestock is not just grown for leather, removing one part of the profitability of livestock growing would make fewer people do it. And it's not like plastic is the only alternative - there are plenty of plant-based materials we could opt for instead.
Livestock do not produce any emissions. They eat grass, that would turn into methane in autumn anyway. In fact they reduce emissions, since they improve the land they graze and enable it to store more carbon and reduce the use of natural gas based fertilizers.
Also, leather is a waste product of meat and milk production, so if would be more environment unfriendly to replace a leather product with a plastic product, that is made from oil. Even recycled plastic is plastic and is made from oil. All vegan leather products are plastic.
people have been raising livestock for thousands of years, industrial animal farming is what you should be mad at. Leather sourced from quality ranches won't have the issues a massive factory will. Animals all produce greenhouse gasses, the issue is the fossil fuels we are burning and the monocultures we are growing.@@SomePeculiarities
Back in the 1970s, before sneaker culture took off in the 1980s, you could buy simple canvas "plimsolls" everywhere for very little money.
These were/are canvas uppers with thin rubber gum soles and very little heel drop and arguably served the same purpose as many of these zero drop shoes before they become a thing. You could certainly feel every little pebble and rock under your foot.
the emperors new clothes ✊
They were narrow as hell though. Wide is comfortable.
@@W1ldt1m Some were wide. The Dunlop Greenflash in the UK were always too wide for me but I suppose it depends on your feet.
Yeah we used to get these very cheap black elasticated plimsolls in the 80s, they were very minimal. They still sell them now for about £5 .
Bet they weren’t wide toe, which is more of the point than being thin
After wearing the same pair of Wildlings for almost 3 years and trekking through France with them, there hold up. The sole is still in tact with barely any tread (as little as there is) gone. Wildlings definitely are doing something right in longevity.
i call shenanigans on that.....almost no tread gone? 3 years? AND YOU TREK THROUGH FRANCE? Ok.
Mine have lasted a year so far and still look brand new. They are my main backpacking and mountain climbing shoe. So I agree with the original comment on their durability.
Can you stand in a small puddle?
@@aacc8466 youse crazy, I have the same pair of mountain trekking/cross-country running Newbalance 574 for 5 years and the mosy worn out thing is the laces!
@@victorpapillon1487 you must have the perfect gait, I tore apart a pair of Salomon X-Ultra in around a year and that was with daily city commuting/leisure walking use 💀💀
Hey! About 2 years ago on this channel you cut open your first pair of "minimalist" shoes: Lems' Boulder Boot. That sparked my journey down the barefoot rabbit hole. I threw out all my old high-heeled narrow shoes, including expensive Red Wings, and bought a pair of Boulder Boots to 'transition' to barefoot. My knee pain DISAPPEARED, and I felt great, so I started running! Eventually moved on to actual barefoot shoes from Merrell (Vapor Glove), Vivobarefoot (Primus Lite 3, Tracker Decon FG2), XeroShoes (HFS, Forza, sandals), and Wildlings (Flying Fox). Damn, I didn't realize I'd bought so many shoes. ...... Anyway, THANKS! The TH-cam algorithm still recommends videos from your channel like this, as ye olde thick boots are dead to me, unless I'm going to be riding a horse and need the heel to fit into a stirrup, which is never. :)
I've only been going "minimalist" for about seven months but this! I am very interested to learn what this channel sees as evidence for/against the health claims. For me, my knees feel so much better, my tailor bunion pain is gone, and come home from teaching with my feet feeling just fine.
I really tried to like the vibram 5 toes (I think they were called) 15 years ago and was doing gym, walking outside etc and it really didn't work with my anatomy.
Ppl are different so different stuff will work for them
Totally different for me.
I can't stand those style of shoes.
Dude, the how'd I buy this many struggle is real... Recently counted like a dozen pair of 'barefoot' shoes I own at this point. Almost exactly 2 years since my first
Nice story! I’ll use your transition technique to barefoot. It’s sounds like a good idea. Thanks
I’ve started using barefoot shoes solely about 10 years ago and my own experience has been very varied with vegan materials. Most of the early vivobarefoot were in leather and I still wear some of them while the vegan materials haven’t fared so well. Most of them start cracking and breaking apart after 2-3 years. Worse is they’ve increased pricing exponentially and started using plastic while telling us it’s for the environment. These days I try to find leather barefoot shoes because I know they’ll last more than a year.
Same here, my leather vivobarefoots have fared extremely well. And I also loathe the “vegan leather” rebrand plain old plastic is being given. I have more sympathy for shoes made out of recycled material, but still… I do wish we weren’t all so liberal with plastic (plastic shopping bags increase my blood pressure lol)
I've rarely worn shoes for the vast majority of my life, and yet my flatter feet hurt least over time with an orthopedic sole in a shoe.
So, I'm no expert but to me the claims of them spreading your toes and healing your flat feet problems are very sus too
Love the idea, absolutely loathe the marketing strategies. feel like a scam
If you somehow can get them try belenka they use real leather and are all handmade in slovakia i have one pair of winter boots from them, they are 3 years old and look basicly new
@@fyjypko4207 where are you using them? I had vivo winter boots but now i need new ones but the Canadian distributor is insane with their pricing.
@@ALAKAZOOVOLANT when its below like 10c i wear them everywhere if i need to go to the car or shop or anything i only wear those so basicly 2 full winters of only wearing them in all conditions, in hikes, on salted streets. The outsole is barely, i wear vivos in the summer and ussually i buy them when its starts to get warm until it gets cold enough to bring out boots, the outsole is so worn out i need to replace them, but the belenka's are great the stitching is holding up great they are warm and flexible enough you still feel the ground you dont slip and they are so comfortable i wore them as work boots for a year until i got tabi works shoes. If you ignore the oil stains from the machine shop they are like new i whole heartedly recomend them. The also sell barebaricks shoes on they site so maybe barebaricks also sells their shoes? I dont know if you can even get them in canada because slovakia is not big and its not a big brand but i love them even though they cost around 150 on christmass sales but they lasted so long i dont mind the price if they broke i would go buy new ones instantly. Also i got the belenka ranger 1.0 (since i bought they made a new model) great shoes overall 10/10
Edit because i made a another coment and it doesnt show so, the ydo shop to canada for 35€ and they cost 169€ the price is honestly worth it if you can afford it
Fun thing is, all these brands pretending to be eco-friendly (Adidas, I'm looking at you) just end up using plastic, be it recycled or not, and promote it as the best choice, all while increasing prices, generally speaking.
You have to wonder how much carbon was released during the development and manufacture of these plastics and other materials, as well as their impact when tossed out vs a piece of leather. I'm not convinced leather is an inferior or less ethical choice.
@@averyj.steele1074 Yeah, and as mentioned in the video how long will a pair of dead plastic sneakers be around? Green-washing all while using more and more plastic is all too real
@@averyj.steele1074 additionally, almost all leather is coming from animals that are being slaughtered for meat - the leather is just an economical benefit of that process. I can understand vegans not wanting to wear leather, but it’s not like cows are being murder just for their hides.
@@deficitstifflegzercherdeadlift I disagree, farming livestock is already barely profitable, hence why farms get bigger and bigger. Selling the leather is one reason making livestock farming economically feasible. Vegans therefore argue that it is not simply a by-product or waste. And we all know that these farms are not the nicest place to be in for an animal, to put animal abuse mildly. Farming also consumes a shit ton of other resources, but I won't go in depth here. Though, there may be alternative sources of leather, that are farmed more sustainably. In the end, neither "vegan" leather, nor your average sneaker leather is a sustainable or ethical choice.
@@Mirkkko As long as we eat meat we should use the leather that is being produced with it
My favorite barefoot shoe when i'm not working out is the Vivobarefoot Geo Court. You would definitely like it. It has a leather footbed, full leather upper, stitched on sole. Most high quality barefoot shoe I own.
Agreed, I was hoping to see these in the lineup. Lems Primal Zen or Chillum also look nice.
@@MichaelChelen i prefer the lems
It would be awesome if you did a collaboration with a boot company to make a resoleable, zero drop hiking boot/shoe. I love zero drop shoes and boots, but I have yet to find one that's actually durable enough to last more than a few months.
👏🏼
Cause it’s a Consoomer trap for fomo Consoomers.
I agree!
VivoBarefoot Tracker Forest ESC is what you're looking for. WIldhide leather and stitched Michelin soles (might be the best hiking soles ever). And Vivo does resole those.
Commenting to bring this to the top. Zero drop boots could be so much better. A wide toe box with zero drop in a quality boot would be amazing
An interesting counterpoint would be a traditional moccasin, like the full grain double sole from LL Bean or similar things from Minnetonka. Moccasins are the original barefoot shoes in a way.
The barefoot shoes are the modern equivalent. Moccasins but with a sole that will last if worn on pavement and concrete. Concrete is the worst on shoes, basically a huge course sandpaper.
I don't need Barefoot thin soles, but I have come to appreciate zero drop flat shoes. This has helped with my knees and my back. I used to have shoes with some heel and insoles that support the arch, because I thought jt was normal, but I always stood lightly slanted. It took a while for my feet and leg muscles to accommodate flat shoes, but I now feel more solid standing and my back and knees feel better. I do need thicker soles in winter, but I can wear quite flat shoes when jt is warm, but rather not go Barefoot thin. I do wear insoles, but flat wool ones, and no arch support. Strange that it is often stated that flat shoes are bad for the back and offer zero support! Yeah, you need to build up support in your muscles.
I agree, I am more interested in zero drop than barefoot thin (though I do value lightness).
@@Petitephysiquebarre same! Where do you buy shoes like that though? Cant find anything zero drop without it being ‘barefoot’
converse are more of less zero drop and fairly thick soles
@@seand.5535 Yeah, but I don't like that Converse don't have removable insoles. I want to be able to put in flat felt insoles. But for others it might work. El Naturalista from Spain makes some great flat shoes.
@@areebhussain321Altra!
I had a pair of xero shoes in college that I wore during practice. They definitly helped with providing a more natural way of moving, and felt like my feet took a lot more of the pressure from changing directions and running ect. instead of my ankles and knees, which was nice. The only issue is the shoes themselves could not hold up, and after about 3 weeks the sole came apart from the top of the shoe on both.
Same experience here. Had a pair of Xero Prio shoes, used them for light hiking. Comfy shoes, which provided a totally different feeling while walking in the field. Only problem? Durability! After two months, they just fell apart. At first, the sole came apart at the point. Shortly afterwards, the same thing happend at the sides on both left and right shoes.
Get yourself some Shoe Goo, and they'll last a lot longer. It's an easy fix.
I became a dog walker after 20 years of working in the office and wearing dress shoes. Within two years I had severe plantar fasciitis and after every known medical attempt to fix it, I got surgery. It did fix it but the doc said it could come back. I decided to go to zero drop barefoot shoes and now 10 years later my feet are stronger and I have no feet fatigue or pain. I will never go back!
I switched to mostly wearing barefoot/minimalist shoes over a year ago. I have several pairs of shoes from Xero (sneakers and boots) and Lems (boots mostly for hiking, winter, or rainy days). For me who is pigeon toed and very flatfoot they were a game changer. As a kid my parents took me to foot doctors who made casts of my feet to make plastic inserts for shoes I wore to "correct" my feet. They were very uncomfortable to use so I ended up never using them (this was in the early 90s). The wider toe boxes, foot shaped design and zero drop takes a bit of getting used to but my feet and legs feel way better after a long day on my feet or hiking. I like Xero's for every day use around town. Lems I use for hiking so there is more sole under my feet for rougher terrain but I do also use the Xero hiking boots to hike with often. This is anecdotal and each persons body is different. There is however no denying that an actual foot shaped shoe that doesn't squeeze your toes into an unnatural position is definitely better for your feet.
I also love the freedom I feel when wearing Xero shoes. But looking at Bareberics in this video, they look awesome.
Wow. My feet are also flat, and I too endured awful plastic shoe inserts from a podiatrist as a child. But if I try lots of walking without support, the fatigue/pain goes straight up my calves to knees, hips, and back! But I know that men are women are constructed differently, with different angles happening at the hips. So maybe that's part of it. Still... your story tempts me to try some barefoot shoes.
I’ve been wearing barefoot shoes for over ten years, regularly running and exercising in them every week since. I’ve had no leg, knee, or back injuries at all after over a decade of an extremely physically active life. Compared to my peers in the same field I am an anomaly for not having had ANY injuries at all.
So glad you are doing this series and also comparing it to shoes with arch support later.
Most of the barefoot shoe TH-camrs give off snake oil salesman vibes. It’s good to see an honest and fair analysis of both sides
Honestly, whenever I think about the barefoot shoes of today, I wonder why old school moccasins haven't made a comeback yet. Maybe the PNW boot guys should start building shoes like that to get a corner on this barefoot market people are trending towards. Maybe something you fellas at Rose Anvil should consider?
Oh my gosh that would be perfect for Rose anvil and crew, an all leather barefoot shoe. Something to keep them busy this time of year and something a lot of people would want
@@williamthompson8591 that's kind of my thought when he said they are so slow this time of year so it makes sense to find another niche market for leather goods that follows a trend.
They sorta have but are niche cuz they look even more goofy to us these days. They also don't tend to last. I'm currently working on something sorta similar that's easy to resole and my brain is fuming lmao
I used to wear Sanuk shoes. Looking at these prices, I'll get a pair if those. They lasted for ages.
I've had my Wildlings for a little over 18 months, they were the second "barefoot" shoe after my Lems boulder boot. They're holding up just fine. I like the materials. With a touch of waterproofing spray and wool insole they work just fine during Wisconsin winters. They're funky, but the idea comes from the kinds of shoes we give kids when they're first learning how to walk, ya know, when building balance and stability mean the most.
My first ever pair of barefoot shoes were Wildlings. [The Manul, no longer available. They have an off white linen-hemp canvas upper and look like vintage Keds, sort of.]
I have extremely wide feet, US Women's 6.5 EEE, or about 22cm long and 9.5cm wide. Despite looking narrow, the Wildlings are one of the best fitting shoes I own - that weird sole flattens out enough to hold my hobbit feet.
I don't own a car, and I live in a big city. I walk a lot ... the Wildlings lasted through one spring-summer-fall season and there's very little wear, I was also curious about the sole cut-outs; they don't touch pavement.
I can feel the pavement, definitely. I try to walk around broken glass and pebbles, but the times I stepped on things were no problem.
I would not wear my Wildlings on a hike, or in very rough terrain .... but for basic walking around town, they're great warm weather casual shoes.
i've worn wildlings on a hike and they held up fine
i really like them, if you have the higher ones they sit really comfortably and your grip is surprisingly good when its not really muddy
@@paiges. Start reading the Anya's reviews blog, especially the posts on how to measure feet and foot shape. I learned so much there!
One of Anya's testers also has extremely wide feet. If shoes fit her, they're wide enough for me.
In conventional shoes, I like Merrell, Keens, Munro, and New Balance, but I have to try on every pair.
For barefoot shoes, trust Anya, I have Wildlings and Angles.
I also have a pair of custom boots from Drifter Leather. They fit perfectly, and cost less than some of the sneakers Weston reviews here.
All I know is the effect theyve had on me. I of course own regular shoes as well, but they are great and fast to slip on, and depending on what my work day looks like, I enjoy wearing them to work or to family gatherings…especially as summer loafers. They are definitely comfortable and helped fix my fasciitis.
Sure, for certain applications you’ll want something more bouncy and that has more beef to them, but they serve their purpose well. I also love having a pair for around the house in place of slippers. Whereas shoes that are shaped differently obviously change the shape and position of your foot, it’s hard for these to be uncomfortable when it’s the equivalent of walking around with socks on, but with much more protection.
Hen I was a almost broke university student back in the late '70's, the go-to shoe was the made in China White Doves in basic black, available for $7-$10 at your local Asian supermarket as one was buying their monthly 10lbs of rice. Lasted about a month maybe two. Thin black canvas(?) glued to plastic soles. It was a rite of passage...
having spent an unreasonable amount of time in "barefoot" shoes, it does make a difference. it's very difficult to twist an ankle in a barefoot shoe, and your body does take in a lot of information though your feet. they also help greatly in avoiding shin splints and joint pain while running.
unfortunately, a lot of companies making "barefoot" shoes think their "anatomical" toe box counts as "wide," so their shoes just don't exist in a size i can wear. new balance's minimus line were the ones i kept going back to. specifically the MT10's. i swore by them for the gym and for running.
xero is kind of interesting as a company though. they started out selling kits to make your own running sandals that basically consisted of a flap of rubber, some paracord, a hole punch, and instructions, and i honestly had no trouble running in those. and since they're A. sandals and B. you make them yourself, i didn't have to worry about width. but then they came out with a bunch of shoes i can't wear.
i should also note that i have short, wide feet with high arches, so your experiences may vary. i'm basically stuck in new balance, sketchers, and crocs at this point for casual shoes.
You tried lems, softstar primals and freet?
When I was going through a bunch of barefoot shoe videos I came across alot of them and also alot of comments that say these use toe spacers pretty much at all times. I tried it myself and it definetly doesnt work for me. Super uncomfortable when wearing the toe spacers with shoes on. My pinky toe just gets crushed and so does my big toe. Not even the widest toe shoe i have used with toe spacers on work for me so it makes me wonder if these people that say they wear toe spacers at all times are just lying or have uncomfortable toes at all times.
@@uli3119 you need wide shoes for them definetely. try lems, be lenkas, but for me vivos are also fine, but I have to cut the small toe part of the correct toes in half so it doesnt get crushed. you have to modify the correct toes for your foot shape. I wear the largest size correct toes, but they fit horribly so i cut them shorter on the underside of the big and small toe so they sit deeper on my feet. Also i have multiple pair of correct toes and some i also cut the part of the small toe in half so my little toe doesnt get crushed. You can search for correct toes modifications to see what i mean. My correct toes are not the original ones because they are expensive af. I just buy the replicas from aliexpress. They are identical enough to the real thing.
@@svenvanderzwaag1012 Ihavent tried modifying my correct toes. I already own Lems Boulder Summit boots which are my work boots but Im at work more than at home so I pretty much have those boots on all the time. I had some vivobarefoot boots before that too and tried correct toes with both boots and with un altered correct toes it is definetly uncomfortable.
Bohempia is my best fit as I have wide feet at the toes and shorter feet. They have an extra wide version and look like converse and vans
The one thing that sucks about most bare foot shoes is they don't work at all in the rain. Even slightly damp is awful. If you don't have the muscles in your feet don't even try a day in these moccasins.
Wanted to add a +1 for Wildling owners that experienced surprisingly good longevity on them. Granted, I would not recommend them for hard use activities. I wear mine for daily wear and light hikes and they still look brand new but dirty after a year. Also, maybe some models are different because both models of mine appear to have stitching around the outsole whereas you said yours were just cemented
I’ve been wearing my wildlings for about 18 months. I’ve gone on light hikes in Colorado and worn them all over. I currently use them as weekend shoes and my workout shoes. Barely any wear on bottom…yes I have no idea how they aren’t completely demolished but they hold up incredibly well.
I bought some Lems boots for work and don't regret trying this barefoot trend. I have really flat feet and have built up my arches (doing specific exercises to do so) and haven't had hardly any foot pain at all now. I also have lessened my lower back pain with the different way I'm walking now. I wish this information was available when I was a kid.
Link for those exercises?
Wow you can actually get arches for flat feet? I have flat feet and knee pain. My pediatrist said to buy wider toe shoes like NB
Hey RoseAnvil, I'm in the gym right now in BF shoes and love them. I love the content and we desperately need more of this kind of analysis online. Thanks for all the hard work!
Great for deadlifts but thats it.
@@moorshound3243 Nah, great for everything.
I’ve been using wildlings for about a year now as my main shoe. I’ve got one that’s more winter capable and then a summer shoe for a bit of balance. Despite Swedish winters being long, cold, wet, snowy and plenty of rough terrain for hiking, neither pair of shoes have had any noticeable wear. As weirdly slim as they are they have held up better than my blundstones frankly, with the bonus of not crushing my toes during use. Their look certainly isn’t for everyone, but I like it, and I think I’ll likely be sticking to them for the foreseeable future. The one thing I will note for people in colder environments- use thick sucks or even multiple socks when it’s really cold. The thin (borderline nonexistent) gap from the ground means the cold seeps in to your feet if you aren’t wearing something a bit thicker. Makes it feel like the bottom of your feet are wet weirdly enough even though they are bone dry.
I’m told a wool layer insole can pull a lot of weight for keeping your feet warm
Switching to zero drop shoes 2 years ago changed both my life and my gf’s life for the better. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen my gf put on her knee brace when she works out or goes for a jog. Plus my plantar fasciitis problems went away for good.
I started wearing barefoot shoes when the five fingers first came out. It took a few weeks for my foot strength to build up. Muscles were getting used that hadn't been since I was a small child walking barefoot. After that? Never going back. I have an arch for the first time in my life. Not a high one, but an arch, which the podiatrist remarked on. My balance is much better.
Thanks for finally really opening up the "barefoot" can of worms to the full Rose Anvil treatment.
I had a lot of damage to my feet, legs, and spinal cord/nervous system, and Vibram FiveFingers are the most comfortable as well as durable shoes I can wear.
They're a bit overpriced in my opinion but in the latest models they fixed the only weakness of their previous outersole, and fixed it well. They thought a soft vinyl insert in the arch was a good idea and when it tears out there's an actual hole in the outsole - the new version made the sole whole and embedded a small hard plastic plate to protect your arch. Now they're about as perfect an all around shoe as I have ever owned.
Avoid Fivefinger running styles unless you are going to have *zero* lateral movements; they're made to be ultralight running, specifically, and you can't boulder or carve with them.
I currently rotate between two pairs of V-Trail 2.0 that I bought a few years ago and are still wearing strong; they're a little loose around the edges but nothing have come apart - they're glued ridiculously well, somehow. I have several other styles (one looks like a monster foot, made of wool and 3/4 ankle with ice soles on it) but those are my literal daily drivers don't wear any other shoes no matter if it's mud, sand, mountain, whatever the terrain, it doesn't matter when my feet are clad in form fitting armor.
I live near the Oregon Coast Range on the Columbia River. Our terrain is on the Ring of Fire. These things wear like iron - they're a fully Vibram product, including the soles, of course.
They're not for everyone - if you have super wide feet, sorry. Vibram also makes several styles of wraps from sandal to calf length boot in their Furoshiki line.
Working in a shoe store that's a classic sit and fit, working with podiatrists for shoe fittings, in Utah with the birth of mainstream Altra zero drop runners I've seen "proof" on both sides of this debate. The only thing I ask anyone with any shoe, insert, or anything is, "are your feet 98% good to go every day ALL day?". Lunchtime foot aches, quiting time foot soreness, and foot tiredness is not normal or needed in life. The ridiculous majority of people I ask this question say "yeah I'm good". I push deeper and ask how their feet feel on the morning, or after work, or after a hike... Specifically their feet. Almost always they say, oh well yeah my feet after waking up, or after work I want to get home and lay down.... That's not good to go ALL day. If you're truthful with yourself and get to around 90% your feet will be solid and comfortable with nothing really holding you back.
I've worked with barefoot doctors and looked at their "evidence" and then immediately produced a more recent study that counters their argument and study. And I find the same against what I just provided as evidence. The only thing that does work is, if you are pain free. Truly pain free.
I find barefoot shoes and zero drop shoes to be a lifestyle not a shoe. You have to have a strong foot and foot tendons to keep you supported. Without that you are overprinting your navicular and causing a fallen arch and eventually if more damage happens leads to Charcot foot. Within the next 15 years we are going to see a major uptick of these foot ailments.
Barefoot for me is a cycle shoe where I would put it in a rotation once a week for a couple hours to hyper flex your foot and change your tendon structure.
That being said no brand makes a shoe long enough or wide enough for me. So yeah there that too.
But yeah short version is be honest about your foot health, get fitted correctly for any shoe you get, and make changes to be pain free with your feet.
Thank you for your details. I find that wearing different types of shoes works best for me. I have a pair of Altra running shoes and another of Birkenstocks and some others. I’m interested in learning more about barefoot shoes. I had the five toes ones and liked them but only for a couple of hours at a time.
Barefoot shoes have changed my life! I used to have foot pain even walking barefoot in my apartment, and now I can run in barefoot shoes without pain! Appreciate all your work and look forward to your future videos!!
I just received my barebarics today that I purchased because of this video and I’ve struggled with barefoot shoes curving too much in the pinky toe and these shoes have been my most comfortable shoes that I’ve purchased that are bare foot shoes. The mid sole is also wider where I’ve noticed that other shoes are more narrow in that area! I highly recommend to those who have wide square shaped feet where other shoes still feel tight
Barebarics are phenomenal. I also recommend Realfoot shoes (and Ahinsa if you have a flatter, low-volume foot). And of course FiveFingers are tried and true lovelies. 👍
You have hit the nail on the head with my chief complaint about barefoot shoes- crappy materials at a premium price. You say vegan , I say petroleum based. And fabric shoes don’t cut it in my old, wet climate. Also, I need a wide, foot shaped shoe, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I want the super thin sole (older people lose adipose tissue, we could use more thickness) and ugly. More stack height would go a long way to more style and could still be zero drop. Birchbury is definitely the most appealing of this group. I’m also eyeing Origo Everyday and as soon as they restock the silver, I’ll order. Dress shoes are even worse in terms of style.
Please review “vivo barefoot” next time! I’ve been wearing them for almost a year, but really curious about the puncture force
Started wearing Whitin barefoot shoes 4 years ago, I have 13 wide feet and they helped my back pain and foot pain significantly. I then tried the Whitin barefoot trail runners for when I go hiking and camping, Will never go back to regular unnatural shaped shoes again. Another plus? They are still holding up great and they are $45.
Honestly glad I moved to barefoot shoes, all foot pain gone. Vivobarefoot only had one style wide enough for my feet (plus a pair of hiking boots) when I went into their London store, and I am so glad I moved over to them. However I am yet to find a decent pair of zero drop, wide toebox work/safety boots and though I have no regrets moving to barefoot shoes for everything else, I am in pain every minute I have to wear work boots. It's a shame none of these companies do proper work boots that your feet will fit into once you've adapted to the natural foot shape encouraged by barefoot shoes
I work as a nurse and because of that I am on my feet the whole day. I have found the barefoot shoes to be the best work shoes for me.
Please do more of these exact videos. Barefoot shoes are REALLY expensive and if I had someone like you to review all the big players it would help me make more informed decisions. I'm on a budget and I'm super grateful. The other issue with barefoot shoes is you have to mostly get them online because stores don't stock them. Which makes videos like this double valuable. Thanks again. I'd love to see a barefoot dress shoe line up and a barefoot athletic shoe lineup. Thanks again.
Last spring I bought a pair of Wildlings (Tanuki Niji model). Their equivalent of the little white sneaker. Wore them non-stop all summer. When it gets warmer they will be on my feet again. Love em.
I am amazed at how durable they feel considering the materials. That model's upper is made of stretch washi (75% paper, 25% polyester). It feels like a synthetic to the touch. Much more breathable than canvas sneakers. Quick drying. Wear them in water and they dry amazingly fast.
Rather I should say, wear them without any socks in water. Otherwise, soggy socks. The shoes are water permeable. Upside of that is no sockless foot stink. Very airy shoes.
I wear Vibram Furoshiki because I have a high instep along with a wide foot 8.5 EEE/9 EE. Even those wide toe box shoes are really only about E width and few offer anything but their default width.
Also if you can follow directions and have 30 minutes, the Hello Fresh is a decent meal box and you get lots of choices, so it was a good choice for sponsorship.
People are constantly asking about my Vibram Fivefinger shoes. I don't wear anything but FiveFinger and they last forever through whatever conditions you throw at them.
Furoshiki technically aren’t barefoot shoes
6:45
You are right in here if we are speaking about virgin materials.
When you recycle plastic, qnd its doable quite easily, you basically are tqking plastic that someone essentially already burried in the graound, taking it out and making new product out of it. Even if thhat new product is going to end up in the landfill it already was pulled out of it to make it. So it is more eco than straight up just not recycling.
Softstar makes great barefoot shoes. Please look into them for this series. I've bought Xeros for myself and my kids and some of the other styles are much better than the Aptos. My sons had the Aptos and the hemp wore out quickly and the insole would come out or roll up constantly.
They are good, but watch the styling ... their Primal line classify as Clown Shoes. Especially the Primal Merry Janes ... I have incredibly wide feet and these are too big a toe box even for me!
@@lizcademy4809 Yeah, I have been wearing them for nearly a decade and go barefoot most of the time and still don't need the primal toebox. The other one is plenty roomy even for those of us with strong feet.
I am so glad you did this review the one thing barefoot enthusiasts are not willing to talk about his build quality. They talked about how amazing a shoe is that cost $150 and mention that they're made of synthetic materials and only last a month as if that's no big deal
Outrageous. Just DIY some sandals or moccasins
This is my take on barefoot. The foot came before the shoe, so your shoes should look like feet, not your feet look like coffins or torpedoes. I switched to a pair of those Vibram toe shoes back in the spring of 2017, I believe. Sometime in 2017, but there was no question about it, this was a better trade off than any tennis shoes I had worn prior. Starting off was the hardest part, because I had to develop my feet to launch off the ball of my foot and the toes. I went from struggling to run a mile to easily running one, and probably could of ran 5 to 10 miles every morning if I wanted to. Defiantly a decrease in soreness,...., well, until June 2017. What the problem was, was the socks were too small, and the shoes were not wide enough. They had the right length, but needed more width. First, I changed out the socks, then I got, I believe, the a Vibram V-trail 1.0 shoes, but a size or two over. Those were defiantly wider, and have triangles on the bottom. Also, the loop for pulling them off on the back of the heel was horizontal, so you had to come in with your fingers vertically. Later bought the V-Trail 2.0's which has the loop running vertically where have to bring your fingers in from the sides. Anyways, the 1.0s worked, and eventually I just took the socks out entirely. I have yet to get socks that were big enough, and would likely only use them during the winter due to less overheating.
Um.. Defiantly a decrease in soreness, defiantly an increase in the precision with my foot steps, and with me launching off the front of my feet, it added an extra bit of suspension. I've read that to, and could clearly hear a difference when putting on ear muffs. I would walk around, switching between walking on the heel and walking on the balls and toes, and could distinquly hear more shock being transferred through my legs when launching off my heels. Launching off the front of the foot, I guess having that extra bit of suspension dissipated the amount of shock to the point that I could barely hear anything being transmitted through my feet. I see this as the correct way to walk, but there is some complaints with the shoes. The length was always good, but not the width, so I had to order a couple sizes over. Then, I wish they had some boots with the same amount of toe width or even wider, but not all these individual cuts for the toes, at least not on the outside. Maybe something could keep the toes separated on the inside of the shoe. Why all of this, is one issue with the toes being separate is things like stickers and other poky things sometimes will work there way in between the toes or just fall down and lodge themselves between toes. Not too comfortable when that happens. Also, being so thin, I would wear a hole through the bottom of the shoes after a couple months of running. A simple fix I've used was smearing Shoe Goo on with something like those rubber spatulas used for spreading icing on a cake. Allows me to spread it out like jam, without leaving much on the tool. Works fine for me, and I'm still using those 1.0 shoes. The shoes now look,..., terrible, but I could still run plenty of miles on. I could probably make them last another 10 years, but probably not another 10 years of running. Well, if you can replace pieces of fabric and the tightening apparatus when needed, in addition to the use of Shoe Goo, you could. As I started this, I will end on the same note. Feet came before shoes, so shoes should look like feet, not your feet look like coffins or torpedoes. I believe to develop the right shoes, you must go back to the foot before the shoe, and build off that.
Oh, also, me being flat foot may have helped me transition faster to barefoot. If your used to having thick cushioning and want to transition over to toe shoes, take it slow. Be patient and understand you may be basically rebuilding your feet in a process that may take years.
Your experience with the shoes aside, how do your feet feel? Noticed more strength or improved balance? Did it do anything for your posture? Did your toes splay out more etc? Do you only wear barefoot shoes?
@@wowandrss not the OP but my toes/feet definitely widened after a few years of foot shaped shoes. And I do feel like my feet are stronger and allow me to be slightly better balanced. I feel a lot more solid on my feet if that makes sense? It also changed my gait in a good way by making it less percussive. I don’t notice any difference in my posture. I’ve been wearing BF shoes for about 5-7 years now. Also, the main difference I noticed is just the pure comfort of it, honestly. As soon as I got my first pair I knew I’d never go back because the comfort difference was truly unbelievable to me. And for context I have very wide feet that often stretched over the edges of soles of non-anatomical shoes.
After doctors suggestion im running barefoots for a year now. A pair of vivobarefoot for summer and a pair of wildlings for winter. To cut a long story short, they do great things for my foot personally. However price vs what i get is where im not entirely happy. Im walking around a lot on streets and trails. At least 3 times 1 hour daily with my dog, often on the weekends full day hikes. They hold up, yes, but they do not hold up to their pricetag compared with "regular" / "normal" shoes around that price that i had from Nike, Asics and Fila. The sole wears thin rather quick and there is not much material to wear down from. Im a bit more happy with the Vivobarefoot as the sole of the wildling after only half a year starts coming off at some spots, whereas the vivo's only start getting thinner by the month. Furthermore the wildling winter boots although not being advertized as rainproof should be at least to some degree weather resistant as in "they are winter boots, they might come in contact with snow". Their "weather proofing" only lasted a week or so. After that i might as well just have walked out with socks in terms of "keeping my foot dry".
Based on how they have worn down, i predict the vivos to last this season aswell but im not so sure for the wildlings hanging with me in the next season.
I will keep looking for other barefoot shoes to try but for now, im a bit let down in terms of price vs quality. Id complain much less about both were they around the 60 to 90€ mark but i got them both for around 150€ and for that they just dont deliver what i expect in terms of built quality.
My best deal so far was an older pair of asics that i had years ago. Paid 160€, used them 5 years before they fell apart. Dont expect my barefoot shoes to hold up that long but at least 2 to 3 years they should hold up for that pricemark.
I do appreciate the fact that you didn't present this barefoot option as this sort of granola gospel like I've seen it online. Walking barefoot on concrete isn't fun tbh, so I wouldn't really wanna replicate that feeling in a shoe anyway
Like everything else, there’s a lot of nuance around the barefoot shoe. Some podiatrists say hell no and others are barefoot runners themselves. If this doesn’t tell me there’s nuance, idk what does. But it’s the nuance that makes me give things a shot. If a community is insistent that one thing is better for every one in every situation, I get skeptical. Just seems more like a fad or propaganda than a conversation. I’m here for conversation. And I’m glad Rose Anvil is bringing conversation to it.
@@May-qb3vx oh I totally agree; tbh most of that is my own personal bias when barefoot shoe manufacturers treat what is essentially just another product on the market like we're all going to hobble ourselves if we don't run out and buy their shoes, yk?
@@iwannaseethereceipts absolutely!
I have spent over a decade in 'barefoot' zero drop shoes. Could never go back. Would literally make my own shoes vs wearing a normal heeled squeeze the hell out of my foot shoe. Never had any problems with protection and I'm extremely active. Run with no shoes whatsoever at this point and still no problems (that one may catch up to me one day).
Yeah, in summertime, I just walk around barefoot Or in flip-flops if shoes are absolutely necessary.
Fall and winter it’s casual skate shoes (boots if there’s heavy rain or snow)
I enjoy your videos a lot and have learned a lot too. I just received my first Birchburys and I LOVE them! Love the look and love how comfortable they are from minute one. Wore them the first day for about 8 hours on marble floors and had no discomfort in my feet or legs.
Rating the durability by the thickness of the sole is a bit strange. Soles have different materials. Some rubber is harder and more durable than a different rubber and some soles are made out of cheap plastic or foam. A good indicator was the puncture test you did.
My Vivobarefoot shoes are now about 4 years old. They have a 5 mm rubber sole that has almost no visible waer and the upper part is made from recycled plastic.
Glad I watched this! I’m thinking of switching over entirely to barefoot shoes and had the wildings on my wishlist because I’m a sucker for anything wool. I didn’t even check if they were using real leather! It’s a wool shoe! How could they not? Anyway, love the content. Love seeing the inside of these shoes. Thanks for destroying them for us. :) I’m subscribing.
I have several pair of the Vivobarfeet, Xero and Birchbury...you can't go wrong!!!
I've tried on dozens of barefoot shoes and the only ones I found suitable for wide high volume feet were made by Softstar. The primal runamoc with megagrip sole is amazing.
I had a bad break in my big toe last year and can barely wear anything but a barefoot show at this point. They're game changers.
I walk around a glass covered college town and bartending at a few very busy bars in barefoot shoes (Splay Freestyles) and after wearing barefoot shoes for years I've found its less about the material of the shoe being puncture resistant and more about learning through feeling the ground to be thoughtful about where you step. you're not just plodding about in thick shoes you're stepping carefully and with awareness...that's sort of one of the whole points of wearing barefoot shoes.
I've been waiting on a restock notification for the Splay Freestyle in my size. I'm glad to hear they hold up well!
The spin
I won't fight you in durability. But man I LOVE my wildlings. I have low tops, and a wool boot height for the winter. They feel like I'm wearing socks, I've never had such a comfortable shoe. I've even taken them quite a bit on level 1 hikes with no issues
If you like leather please check out softstars, they're the best barefoot shoes on the market in my opinion. Would love to hear what you have to say about the leather as they make claims about the quality I don't necessarily buy, decent as it is 🤔
Agreed. They are the best by far. If I'm not literally barefoot, I am in them 90% of the time.
When it comes to “groundfeel”. I'm not sure why someone would want to feel asphalt and pebbles, but to each their own, I guess. Personally, I had enough after, less than, an hour after using some Converse copies
Anatomical/wide toe box, though, Is something I'd love to see more of, as someone with really wide feet (and thin heels) it can be a pain to find shoes.
Same here! I would love more companies to have anatomical shapes.
5.5mm is quite thick. Many of my vivos are 3mm. I love getting back into them in the spring after 7mm winter boots.
So several years ago I owned a pair of real leather upper Merrell barefoot/ glove style shoe…..
They were light and cool for work, but a week of walking and shopping in Wellington made me realise they are not for me. No support, and my right big toe joint is very arthritic, and doesn’t like to bend. I ‘need’ a stiff foresole that doesn’t flex much.
Unpopular opinion here: I want a regular cushioned shoe AND a wide/anatomical toe box- I don’t give a crap about being barefoot. Seems like Altras are the only option, but the Barebarics look pretty promising!
Great review- sorry for the rant 🫶
Im 46 dgaf what it looks like to me as long as they arent hurting my feet\calves. These clown shoes aren't even wide enough for me. I feel like William Wallace's feet screaming for freedom. That said I'd never be caught in public in Yeezy's because they are beyond fugly. Dont care if they are comfy or not.
Check out Softstar Primal ... and if even those aren't wide enough, there are some reasonably prices custom shoe makers.
6:40
Yes my man, exactly.
Im actually vegan, I have been for almost a decade now. I don’t eat any animal products at all, but I wear leather boots and shoes almost exclusively. “Vegan leather” is a marketing ploy that works, no matter how senseless it is..
A couple zero drop guys I know wear Merrill's. I'd be curious to see how they stack up in this series.
I don't really understand the worry about clown shoes. Have you seen the weird, cartoonishly bulbous stuff that comes under the heading of normal footwear these days? Yeezis, Crocs, Uggs and numerous varieties of blobby banana-shaped sneakers. Most minimalist shoes look pretty normal by comparison, and often, in my experience, either get compliments or pass unnoticed, i.e. when you tell people they're barefoot, they say, 'But aren't those just...normal shoes?'
But I actually want the barefoot shoes most likely to elicit the clown shoe comment, mainly because my feet are wide, but also because I think they look great. The idea that they don't is just fashion. In a society that was saner about footwear, all these shoes that force the toes into a balletic point would be the ones considered stupid-looking, because stupid is what they are. It's not just a matter of different foot shapes, no one's foot is naturally shaped like a guided missile.
One super inexpensive "barefoot" shoe that is favored by martial artists and parkour traceurs is "Feiyue." They are originally from China, but rebranded by a French company to make them more hip, so they are also trendy these days. They are super cheap at $20 - 25 apiece. I find them to be super comfortable and surprisingly durable!
Thanks for the head's up I'm going to try and find some
Barebarics for the win! Tested all these brands and Belenka/Barebarics are top.
I also love the WPS rating, but it misses the point and is actually backwards. The wider the shoe is (in the toes), the better looking it is and the better all around it is. So... the opposite of what you described. Comfort and health = better all day long. Shouldn't care less about what other people think of your shoes.
Barefoot shoe companies : "Buy our shoes that has less materials and labor but cost just as much as a regular shoe does! Did we mention it's environmentally friendly and """""vegan"""""? It's also [insert purely marketing gimmick words]!! Order yours now!"
I am using Hykes Pinnacle barefoot shoes, best shoes I have ever owned and will never go back to restricted regular shoes. My feet are so much stronger and love the feeling once you get used to them.
I’d always liked Merrel Moab shoes and didn’t hear about wide toe box shoes until 2 years ago. I started with Altra Cayds cuz they came in all black and were good for street running or basically anything out and about. I just started wear toe spacers while I’m at home to fix my pinky toes and left foot Bunyan. I also have several pairs of Lems boots now, which I love. I just can’t stand the look of any of these barefoot shoes. They all look dorky and “blank” to me.
Anyways, I love the content. It is maximally informative and you seem like a good dude. I really appreciate your eye for detail and want to show support. Much respect 🙏
Lems Boulder boots are my favorite.
I wear minimalist shoes now and at first feet kind of hurt but then my feet started feeling better and better. no more painful arches at all.
Alls I know is that most people's feet,toes in particular, are shaped like the shoes that they most commonly wear....too me it looks like the problem us worse for a woman's foot.
So true, women’s shoes are sometimes comically narrow.
Which would I choose? Lems
You totally convinced me in an earlier video, and I've been quite happy with them.
Lems are soooooooo comfy!
I’m really curious to get your thoughts on Allbirds and Nothing New sneakers.
Any chance of an Allbirds August? Sustainable May-nable?
I am a shoe snob,I will always go for leather,but I am a keen fan,they never hurt my bunion for the day I wore them,and as for feeling the ground,at 73,I need cushioning for my back and hips.
Would love to hear your opinion on the Birkenstocks Bend Low shoes.
Yes!
I ordered the slim wallet and I compliment the time it took to ship. Your email communication was better than a major sunglass brand that I ordered from the same day. Looking forward to receiving it, thank you!
Personally, I think Skora has the best minimalist shoes - the rounded heel is amazing to run in. They’re core and tempo series were superb.
However they were recently bought out and I’m unsure if their quality took a hit. Goat leather, strong laces, held up hundreds of miles - love to see someone review them
man's dressed like he's going out crab fishing in the bering sea
LEM Bolder boot and Splay freestyle were the ones I chose to go with. So far I am very pleased
Really looking forward for the suede standarized tier chart.
I've been wondering what the exact difference is between pig skin suede, cow leather suede and flesh out suedes. Especially on sneakers like the puma suede and other Nike models.
I am currenly wearing Xeros as i can get them cheaply from EU store with reasonable postage. When not picky about colors too much you can get those that are on sale and save a lot of money.
I like how suspicious people are of zero drop shoes. We aren't born with heels on.
The thing is, people have been using shoes for so long now that we may well have naturally selected enough taller looking people that we have actually evolved too need heeled shoes now - not saying that we have, saying that its possible - which likely means some people do need heels and some don’t.
@@PippetWhippet 1) adaptions are only selected if they make it more likely to pass your genes on to the next generation.
2) if you look at a babies foot, it's almost like a little hand, the toes spread wiiiide, and they grasp with them, so I don't think we've adapted to shoes genetically quite yet.
@@PippetWhippet Interesting point but intuitively seems wrong to me. Shoes are an old invention but heeled ones are fairly new, and even then people walk around without shoes on.
Our ancestors didn’t walk on concrete
Yeah, well we aren't born with any clothes on and they still have a whole slew of benefits, just because it isn't something we're born with doesn't necessarily mean it isn't better for us. Basically what I'm saying is, why would we make a whole new standard if it didn't have any benefits, not saying there is no merit to a zero drop shoe but I gotta imagine that there is some merit to a heal too.
Can’t edit my last post so to finish up… the barefoot thing is really been a positive experience for me. Crossfit helped in the transition, but it definitely took some time to adapt. I would like to find a zero drop minimalized boot, and as I mentioned in my previous post, it looks like SOFTSTAR has a shoe that might work for this purpose. And they appear to have other stylings now, which are a little bit more business friendly. Nevertheless, having a true classic boot is clearly needed, depending on the work one is doing.
Going barefoot, can change how you move through the environment and sometimes you have to go slower. It can be a little bit frustrating depending on the terrain. Thanks again keep up the great work. Love the channel.
Wearing barefoot shoes daily eventually eliminated my foot pain. I’d be interested in more reviews because the shoes are expensive to try and most of the brands are outside the US, so trying before buying is nonexistent.
You can get a pair of vans at journeys for $60. I walk about 50 miles a week. About 1/4 is desert rock trail. Be careful of big thorns but they give great foot feel and protect the top of your foot. I buy 1 pair per year on average.
I can't even imagine wearing these while walking on concrete floors and sidewalks all day.
Takes some adjusting, once you have the mid foot strike down I find my feet hurt less after a long day of walking vs heeled shoes.
Honestly, I’ve gotten used to it and I feel more comfortable in them? I was in NYC for a week and half averaging 15k steps a day and my wife complained about her feet pretty often (even though she was in average sneakers) but my feet felt pretty good the entire trip!
It was actually fine for me. I worked retail in a barn boutique with concrete flooring walking /standing all day for several years and it was fine. And they’re so much more comfortable than non-anatomical shoes that I’d actually say it was better and more comfortable. My gait naturally adjusted to be less percussive and I had no issues. The one thing I noticed was a thinner sole sometimes meant my feet were more susceptible to cold in the winter on concrete. But not by a lot.
For me, wearing barefoot shoes has changed my life by helping with back pain. I have a herniated disc and it has saved me from so much misery.
Heel to toe drop insoles in these shoes are usually there to help people transition into the true barefoot experience. It's generally understood that the end goal is to wear the shoes without the insoles
Wildlings! They wear less than you would expect and they really strengthen the muscles in your feet because they are so flexible. But still warm and protective.
it is absolutely bonkers to me that almost all barefoot shoes are more than $100. they are the simplest shoes, usually made of cheap materials, and they have no technology or complicated materials in them. why is the most advance nike running shoe the same cost as some ugly ass weird barefoot shoes I will never understand. its not like these shoes are handmade in america or europe, they are made in a factory (sweatshop) and probably cost $4 in materials and maybe a few more for shipping. all these companies are just riding on the hype surrounding barefoot shoes because they are an REI type commodity; only upper middle class people actually have time and money to care about wearing barefoot shoes
Agreed. I feel like they’re more expensive than regular shoes which I can never understand! Feelgrounds is the worst because the soles are NOT durable, don’t come with insoles yet they cost $100+. CRAZY. Splay Athletics shoes are the only reasonably priced ones at around $50+.
The new barefoot shoe brand Fleeters seem worth the price considering the materials they use & the fact that the shoes are handmade in portugal. They look pretty cool too. Too bad they don’t have my size.
Let me just put this into perspective for you:
My wedding dress was fully hand beaded, custom designed, custom to my body. The one I modeled it after was 5k in the states. I got it made for me from an etsy seller in Vietnam for 1300$ and that included shipping. 120$ for a pair of shoes made in Vietnam seems insane.
Are you gonna do Vivobarefoot shoes? Please do! I always love your videos! Thanks for keeping the humor alive and the fact that using natural materials like leather is actually more eco friendly! I hate the push of using plastic in everything!
Great video. Would love to see more barefoot teardowns!
btw, eventhough no one uses it, there is very tough fake leather out there. it can even outperform some types of leather. If you have to buy very durable furniture, you usurally get the tested information about the durability (at least in germany). but to make it short, the tougher it gets, the more expensive it is. A normal 24/7 office chair can be like 1k €
There is a purpose for tapered toe design.
A tapered toe box transfers any forward force from the toes to the ball by compressing the toes together in into the ball. Try kicking something solid with an open toe vs tapered toe. Or walking down a steep grade. Your foot will slide forward in the shoe and the force will be on the tips of your toes. After one kick of a steel beam, wood block or rock or walking up and down in rough terrain and you will have sore toes.
I have both for work boots.
I have Addison steel toes and New Balance 989 comp toes.
I have to be careful in my 989s not to kick anything or to walk around to much or I will have sore toes. They are more comfortable but less practical. If I'm just sitting in the cab of a crane, I'll take the 989s but if I'm going to be on the ground, I'll take the Addisons.
Yeah try my feet for a week and youll realize that to taper either adds unwieldy length or squish my feet. One size does not fit all. Feet come in different shapes and what works for you is a nightmare for another. For me, the taper is beyond stupid and is harmful.
Protip, don't kick steel beams.
So playing football, wear tapered. If you respect your feet, let them decompress
@@ElijsDima unless you are tony Ferguson
I have hiked up and down the mountain trails in Alberta Can in barefoot shoes and had no problem with steep grades.It just depends on the person.All feet are different.