I dipped my toes into minimalist and barefoot running late last spring, and have now worked up to a 90% ratio of minimalist miles to traditional. My stable of shoes consists of Brooks Switch 3 (2-4 runs/mo), VFF Bikila, Newton Motus, Brooks Mach 11 spikeless and Saucony Knvara. Because of current temps, I tend to use the shoes with thicker soles for winter runs, thus the Bikilas and Mach 11's are getting a break. I did some barefoot running last summer, and found that I was most comfortable on asphalt. I don't like the stones on the gravel country roads, and don't have enough groomed grass in the area to try that out. Getting weeds and such caught between my toes is not a fun experience. I have 2 sons running varsity CC. One has spent the last year in Green Silence (has gotten along great), and the 8th grader is impatiently waiting for New Balance's line to debut. His wide, short feet have made shoes a challenge, and he wasn't ready to make the jump to the other options this last summer. My 11 year old daughter loves her Injinji socks, and will probably continue to run in flip-flops all summer again. I look forward to what this forum has to offer, and will share my experiences when appropriate.
Southern Minnesota runner
Dalesrunning 3
Update - just had my last run in the Brooks Switch. After 2+ weeks in the other shoes, the heels really bothered me during the cold (-10* windchill) 6 miler I just did. Will have to go on just 4 pairs of shoes while I do some more shoe research.