Questions & Answers

I have a pair of these in large and it fits my 10.5 - 11 foot very well. They are not running shoes, the side/top material flows down to be the outer edge around the sole and may not hold up to repeated impact. They are more like great slippers you can wear outside or on the beach. The stretchy top bands work well holding them on and they are very comfortable for walking. You can feel the ground.

Here's an interesting one if you're a rugby player and like minimal shoes. Adidas has debuted the "AdiZero" line of rugby boots for a minimalist feel on the pitch. They're saying they work best for backs and loose forwards, but presumably if you're a fast pack player you could try these.

For anyone who doesn't know rugby well, it's not a sport you play barefoot or in minimal shoes. Many rugby boots have heavy-duty metal cleats, so it's not like you want to be out there wearing VFF treks against someone with metal spikes on his/her feet.

There's one catch: you need to be really committed to lighter shoes OR rugby, because these suckers are $200!

Check 'em out at Rugby Imports: http://www.rugbyimports.com/site/product_detail.aspx?item_guid=6a584d39-ed19-4988-b4e0-bd913b3eb3cf&ipguid=79aa8e73-7a13-459b-8659-024d6400c4c7

Anyone else deal with the issue of heavy, stiff rugby boots after being in more lightweight running/hiking shoes?

Merrell has just released a new barefoot site:

http://www.merrell.com/barefoot/

Enjoy!

i'm currently wear testing a new minimalist model for brooks, and while i'm not allowed to say anything about them, i will say that i'm in love with them!!!!

I read an interesting article today. http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/

Has anyone tried these?

I think a lot of minimalist shoe lovers have been waiting for this: Teva goes barefoot too! Minimalist shoes are always shoes. In hot summer a sandal is nice too. Just as we are giving more freedom to our soles, the uppers of our feet are still covered. So this one might fill up a gap.

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/gear-blog/tevas-new-barefoot-sandal/7789.html

According to the website it will be released in March. Let summer come!

http://birthdayshoes.com/2011-fall-vibram-fivefingers-boots-laces-leather-and-more

The boots don't do much for me personally, but the laced KSO Treks (Trek LS) are interesting. The Bormio looks cool, but I am not sure where you could wear it. It definitely isn't for running or exercise of any sort - ankle movement is to restricted. I guess in place of KSO Treks where your ankle would be a bit chilly.

Too bad there is no KSO with laces. I like the ultra-thin sole of the original KSO but laces would be nice vs the current slipper model.

The pictures don't show much, but I'm excited to see this!

http://www.zemblog.com/sneak-peek-zem-360s/

So, thinking about the directory, what kind of standards should we have regarding what goes in there? This is a tricky question because minimalist footwear can be a lot of different things. Some are stiffer than others (New Balance 101), some have a foam midsole (GoLite), some have a raised heel (Inov-8), etc. I have been wondering if it would be worth coming up with a list of specifications that we use that must be met in order to consider adding something to the directory...

Any thoughts on this?

Ok, so we have managed to kick-start a new community resource here. I would love to know what you guys would like to see to make this the BEST resource, and community for barefoot/minimalist footwear enthusiasts. Anyone have suggestions?

Is any as excited for this line of shoes as I am? I have heard nothing but great things about The Adam. You can pre-order their shoes on the website which I did the other day. It was also announced that Altra shoes will be available through Running Warehouse!

Is it just me or are many minimalist shoes just as or more expensive than "regular" shoes. You would think that with less material that the cost would be less.

I know that many of these shoes come from smaller companies and don't have sweat shops set up in China like many of the major shoe manufacturers but paying $100 or more for very little shoe seems a bit unreasonable. Thoughts?

Link from the Army Times. Minimalism is being embraced in some areas/units, but there's still some die-hard resistance to anything not "traditional".

http://www.armytimes.com/offduty/health/mil-offduty_toeshoes_101110/

(Link posted here because I can't seem to post it in the directory)

I'm really interested to try a pair of Osma's but I read that the factory in Thailand making Feelmax had a fire, then didn't produce any shoes for Feelmax last year? Their website doesn't seem to be have updated in a long time.

Anybody have any inside information on whether we will ever be able to get a pair of these?