Barefoot Shoes

Hey all, I'm retiring almost all of my footwear - After working from home in VFFs and sandals for a few years every single pair of normal boots and shoes that I own is a size or a size and a half too small. Now I'm in the market for a couple of pairs of barefoot boots that don't trash my smallest two toes on one foot.

So far I've tried the Jim Green barefoot African ranger in my true brannock size (12) and it was murder - the toebox rounds just in the right place to thrash those toes while at the same time being so wide that I have to crank the laces down enough that the boot folds over the bridge of my foot (just below the start of the tongue) when snugged down.

Here's a JG barefoot African ranger (BFAR) in size 12, these murder my smallest two toes and fold over the foot bridge when snugged:

A JG BFAR size 12½ is better but still not great, and if I use enough insole (4-6mm) to solve the volume issue my toes hit the top of the toebox on those last two toes:

At this point I'm kinda loathe to keep trying these things, maybe a 12½ or 13 in their non barefoot last (JG regular or STC) might fit with thick veg tan insoles or something but I'd rather just find a boot that actually fits my toebox instead of trying to jury rig a fit that'll never be quite right.

Anyone have suggestions here? The closest thing I can find to these boots is the Bearfoot Bruin Patriot, but they're twice the price and I have no idea what my sizing is going to be.

I'm also kinda toying with the idea of a set of Nick's boots DeltaArch half length insoles, those should give enough mid foot volume that I'm not folding boots over the top of my feet when snugging them down but that's another ~55-65$ to solve a problem that wouldn't exist with a better toebox shape around the last two toes.

Some thoughts: I'm not entirely set on zero drop, if a boot has a toebox that fits well I don't mind a little bit of heel drop as long as it's not more than something like a wedge sole. I'd be fine with a JG wedge sole boot if it fit though ideally I'd prefer no more than maybe 15-16mm of sole stack at the thickest if possible. I'm tall enough already, I don't need to tower over people in 3in heels.

Edit: sizing pics in case anyone has similar feet and has found something that works well:

So far everything that fits well has been a size 12-12½US or a 46-47EU with an anatomical toebox, VFFs in 47 fit comfortably and these Splay slides in US 12 are great too:

I'm looking for an affordable option so I can replace all my normal socks. Not necessarily individual toe socks, but just wide enough in the front to better fit with a wide toe box shoe.

What are your recommendations for barefoot basketball shoes of any at all. There are two schools of thought that I've seen.

One says, that basketball is a very intensive sport and barefoot shoes dont give enough cushion supprt for all the jumping and quick movement.

The other side says, that any movement you make is a natural movement and playing with cushioned shoes transfers all the impacts to your joints that cause damage over time.

The narrow toe box of bb shoes also doesn't help, I've been wearing barefoot shoes for around 6 months and I can't find a basketball shoe that is wide enogh without it being too long for my foot. I usually wear EU 42-43 but now bb shoes around 45 are roughly wide enough but extremly too long for me.

Does anybody have any recomendations for barefoot bb shoes or just bb shoes with a wide toe box?

As the title says. Looking for something zero drop with a wide-ish toe box that can be worn to semi-formal / dress type events. Would love any community input!

How are you managing foot sweat and comfort? Basically, what type of socks are you using?

I love my vibram v-run 2.0s but it rains a lot where I live and I don't like them getting soaked all the time. Anyone have any experience with V-Aqua?

TL;DR Are the Vivobarefoot Scott IV Mens Zero-Drop?

Hi, I'm thinking about buying the Vivobarefoot Scott IV Mens, but on their website under the heading 'geo outsole' it says the following:

[...] this outsole raises up towards the heel to hold feet firmly in place.

This sounds like those shoes aren't zero drop which would be a dealbreaker for me. Does anyone have experience with this model or similar shoes by Vivobarefoot?

Also, if anyone can recommend other warm barefoot winter shoes, feel free to let me know. :)

Thanks in advance!

I just got the V-Trail 2.0, but after trying them on indoors, I experienced that they were not that flexible compared to my Xero HFS. Will my VFFs break in or are VFF:s not really worth it in comparison to other barefoot shoes? My toes are not crammed and I use correct toes as often as I can. I have used only barefoot shoes now for a few years.

Bought them online for like $25 or so. They are super comfortable. I bought them for trail hiking, but now they are pretty much the only shoe I wear. No problems with quality, and I use them daily.

Love the look of my white Primus Asana, but i cant walk 10 feet without the left insole somehow working its way back in the shoe and up my heel. Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions for a fix?

I've seen these shoes I quite like and thought I might pick them up since they're cheap as chips, but they mention bring Aqua shoes as well as barefoot shoes. Can they be both? Or are they a waste of money?

I've mostly gotten glazed/confused/vaguely frightened looks from people who've asked about my shoes, or when conversations about footwear have come up. (I'm not stopping people on the street and proselytizing mind you.)

Do you have to fight the urge to approach people wearing shoes with 4-inch thick soles, shouting, "Vivo saves!!" 😏

What's your experience been when discussing your footwear with 'civilians'? 🤔

I've been running in barefoot shoes for several years, and xero hfs for the last two years. I find that they wear out rather quickly, in the range of 230-250 miles

What brands have longer lasting materials for the sole? Are there any that could stretch to 300 miles and beyond?

Specifically the military sandals with metal studs on the bottom to maintain grip on muddy soil.

For those in the UK, BBC radio did a programme this week looking at the evidence surrounding barefoot and minimal shoes and their claimed benefits.

Here’s a list of what I wear and when:

• Vivobarefoot Primus Asana - casual summer
• Vivobarefoot Gobi III - casual all seasons
• Vivobarefoot Tracker Forest ESC - hiking all seasons
• Feelmax Kuuva 6 - winter and snow boots
• Wildlings North Wolf - casual winter shoes
• Chala Classics Dünn - casual summer
• Joe Nimble BizToes - office all seasons
• Sole Rummer Dakota - office warm and dry weather
• Shamma Warriors - running and trekking
• Merrell Vapor Glove 4 3D - running and trekking
• Vibram FiveFingers V-Train 2.0 - gym
• Xero Aqua Cloud - beach and water activities

Questions are welcome!

Edit: I forgot a couple + formatting

Hullo! Here’s the first post to kick off this community about shoes that respect the natural way our feet move and feel - everything with minimal but shod walking, running and hiking.

I welcome you all and hope that who seeks for information and help, can find it here!