For this autumn and winter season VIVOBAREFOOT has launched a new range of shoes for daily use. They have insulated uppers and an insulated insole. VIVOBAREFOOT uses its V Multi 1 sole for most of these shoes. This sole is designed for cold weather use, has a thickness of about 4mm and a sole pattern that consists of indented hexagons that provides good stability, traction and proprioception. The exception is the woman’s Ryder boot that has the On Road sole which is thinner (3mm).

The men’s model is the Scott and will be reviewed on Toe Salad. The uppers are made of a combination of leather and organic waxed canvas. New for VIVOBAREFOOT is the addition of an ion-mask waterproofing to the leather and canvas.

The Scott has a very sturdy design that will suit a lot of different clothing styles. I comes in two colors, brown and black with a white sole. Both have very different appearances. The brown Scott has a very classic appearance while the black Scott will attract the younger crowd.

I own an older type of VIVOBAREFOOT shoe with the same type of sole: the Aqueous which is out of production now. The Aqueous fits me too small, so I was concerned that the Scott would be too small as well. Thankfully, the Scott has the same fit as most of my other VIVO’s. The whole shoe fits very roomy, not only the toebox. My feet can move freely in the shoes which also leaves room for wearing them with thick socks. There is one exception and that is the wiggle room for the toes. I think the toes could use more room. Strangely, the right shoe has more room to wiggle my toes than the left shoe.

From left to right the Karma, Mia and Ryder for women. Not visible is that the Mia and the Ryder have a zipper on the inside to make stepping in more easy. The Mia has a full zipper and the Ryder has a half-length zipper.

VIVOBAREFOOT uses three types of insulation: Real and faux sheepskin and a Thinsulate lining. The sheepskin lined models are the warmest and are used in the woman’s Karma and the kid’s Becks. The Thinsulate is used in the men’s Scott and the woman’s Mia and Ryder. The Thinsulate doesn’t cover the whole foot but only around the ankles. Together with an insole that is slightly thicker this line of shoes will get you barefoot style through the winter months.

These shoes will not be warm enough for everyone. In especially harsh winter conditions, people will have the need for thicker soles. I got myself two pairs of wool socks from Woolpower (the 400 and 600 models) to add warmth.

Of particular interest is the use of ion-mask which is new to VIVOBAREFOOT. I am very interested in seeing how it will stand up in wet weather.

VIVOBAREFOOT also has some other shoes that can be used in winter. Models with the Off-Road sole offer more protection from the cold ground; most notably the Off-Road Hi and the Synth Hiker. The Waterloo boot for women and kids can also make for good winter footwear.

The Kid’s Becks which is mainly aimed at girls.