18 Jun 2009 by Damien Tougas

Minimalist Footwear for Winter?

When it comes to minimalist footwear, there are many options available, all of which work very well in warm conditions. When it comes to cold, wet, snowy conditions however, I have yet to discover what I would consider a workable solution. Sure, there are options that might get you through a few inches of snow if you are out running for a couple of hours, but nothing for real adventuring: spending multiple days hiking or snowshoeing in the cold, wet, and deep.

I was pleasantly surprised this week to find out that Feelmax has a product in the works to be released in the USA this fall that may get things much closer. It is called the Kuuva, and Feelmax were kind enough to send me a couple of photos to get excited about:

Here is what I am looking forward to:

It is a boot, it comes above the ankle. This will be great for keeping out snow, and will make it possible to put on gaiters. It also looks like it will be possible to wear strap-on crampons as well, which is an absolute necessity when hiking in icy conditions.
The uppers are constructed out of a very durable, water-resistant, breathable, synthetic fabric. Synthetics handle water much better than leather, and breathable is really important, especially when trying to dry them out. For waterproofness, I would probably try pairing these with a Gore-tex sock.
There is no cushioning or support, which is what I like to see in my footwear. It is constructed using a flexible 2.5mm waterproof outsole. For colder conditions and more insulation under foot, I would probably try adding a pair of Aerogel insoles.
I am not sure how much (if any) insulation it has, but it looks like I will be able to experiment with a variety of sock combinations to get the warmth needed. In addition to that, one could also add overboots. Some experimentation will be reqired in this area.

This looks very promising for people who want to go minimal all year, I am looking forward to trying them out to see how they handle a Maine winter.

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Comments (16)

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Scott Mark

June 18, 2009, 10:10 a.m.

These are indeed very cool for we in the northern climates. I can picture these working well out on the Minnesota trails in winter. Can't wait to check these out.

Tina

June 18, 2009, 11:12 a.m.

This Feelmax news is very exciting! Could it be that the barefoot alternative product companies have heard our pleas for appropriate winter minimalist footwear? I hope so. These look very encouraging. Thanks Damien, you are truly on top of the market.

Tim Butterfield

June 22, 2009, 3:56 p.m.

The thing that bothers me about these Feelmax boots is the laces tightening around the ankles and restricting their movement. I think I would rather see the laces tied differently, looped loosely across the foot, straight up vertically through a few holes beside the ankle, and then loosely again across the leg above the ankle. That might help the ankle stay more flexible. But, if the tongue is insulated and padded, that still may not help. Still, a few simple velcro straps may be better than laces. There would be less transfer of tension from one area to another like there would be when laces slip.

I wonder whether something like a simple flat soled overboot may work, wearing socks inside instead of shoes or boots. In checking on the internet, I have seen things like the Forty Below and Outdoor Research Brooks Range overboots that may work for really cold weather. For a much simpler and much less expensive alternative, I also saw something described as bicycle overboots. They were made of a single ply urethane upper with a coated cordura sole. A couple of velcro straps and an elastic around the top held them on. With some nice wool socks, they may work fine for light winter use.

Damien Tougas 953

June 23, 2009, 7:27 p.m.

Yeah, I have heard someone else comment on that too. It will be interesting to see how the laces restrict ankle movement. My thought was that if they ended up being too restrictive, it might help to use some sort of elasticized lace around the ankle area to gain more flexibility.

I have tried using overboots. I got a pair of NEOS overboots and used those last winter. While they were flat, relatively thin soled, and flexible, they didn't breath at all and got very hot and sweaty. That is one thing that I am interested in with these Feelmax boots, the fact that they are supposed to be breathable. Perhaps other overboots might work too, depending on their construction, and how cold the weather is.

Anonymous

June 27, 2009, 8:55 p.m.

Hi, I wonder what the Native Americans wore during the winter? Have you tried lotion/ oil on your feet during the cold months?

My feet sweat a lot, in any weather, so I like to let the air get at them.

I wonder if a two part solution would be better, leggings, and a shoe. (Like WWII)

I am just getting into this barefoot / minimalist thing, so thanks for letting me question everything.

Damien Tougas 953

June 29, 2009, 9:07 a.m.

I am pretty sure that they wore leather moccasins/mukluks with some sort of fur (and later, felt) lining. My parents were teachers on native reservations in northern Canada for many years while I was growing-up, and so have a lot of experience with native culture. I was speaking with my mother recently about this, and she told me that moccasins were a bit of a problem in the wet (they always had a warm fire going to dry them out). Steger moccasins make several models that fall under this category.

I shoe/gaiter combination is quite popular in light weight backpacking circles. I think that this can be a good combination, but I haven't found the ideal minimalist shoe yet that would work well with any sort of gaiter. The New Balance 790 comes close, so do some of the Inov8 shoes. I am going to be very interested to see how these Feelmax boots work out.

I haven't tried tried the lotion/oil on my feet. I am assuming you mean as a waterproofing? The problem that I am trying to avoid is getting the insulation of the boot wet, because the insulative value drops considerably.

Anonymous

June 29, 2009, 4:37 p.m.

Lotion on my feet keeps them warm. I learned this when skiing. I hated the thick socks. I have not done any winter sports for a while, so bear with me :). And I am in NY, so it doesn't get as cold here as it does there.

I always thought that Native Americans oil treated the leather. To help make it water resistant. And had a couple of layers to make sure no water seeps in.

I never had a problem with my feet getting cold, with lotion / oil, and walking, hiking. As long as I did not get them wet. I usually were sneaker all winter. But I don't go trekking out in deep snow either. I tend to believe the blood will keep the feet warm, with activity.

This season, I am going to try and keep the minimalist foot ware going all year. (I have seen too many good improvements!) I wonder how cold I can stand in on my partial bare feet?

How cold does it have to get before you are forced into regular insulated boots? Please be mindful of frostbite.And other cold induced ill's.

Tom Harbold

July 15, 2009, 11:32 p.m.

I was glad to see you mention Steger mukluks. That was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the topic ("Minimalist Footwear for Winter"). They combine all the features you mention as being required in minimalist footwear, and come in both traditional and more "contemporary" styles, to boot (pun intended... grin).

http://www.mukluks.com

Alas, I know them only by reputation, but if ever I can afford a pair, I will...

Geraint

June 4, 2010, 1:13 p.m.

So, how did they cope with a Maine winter? I have a pair of the shoes and the soles are showing signs of wear after just one month. I'm tempted by the kuuvas but not if they wear out as quickly.

Damien Tougas 953

June 4, 2010, 1:48 p.m.

<pre><code>Which shoes do you have? The Niesas or the Osmas? The Osmas and Kuuvas have a different sole design that, while less flexible, is much more resilient. Provided of course that they have fixed some of the gluing issues that they had with the earlier models. The Kuuvas, while a great fitting boot, didn't have enough insulation under foot to cope with the cold ground, nor enough traction to handle the ice/snow very well. The uppers were fine in those conditions, but my feet froze from the bottom. Traction could be remedied with strap-on cleats, but the cold wasn't easily fixed. I ended-up using my Inov-8 Flyroc 310 shoes instead (paired with my 40 Below overboots in colder conditions). While not exactly minimalist, they had good traction and were warmer because of the cushioning (despite the fact that they have mesh uppers). </code></pre>

Geraint

June 9, 2010, 10:17 a.m.

Hi , I have the Kuusaa. I've smeared a layer of shoe-goo on the areas of the sole showing a bit of wear to protect them and I'll see how well that works over the summer.

I didn't realise the Kuuvas were thicker soled after you mentioned it I found details on the Feelmax website easily enough. Do you find the Kuuvaa sole stands up to wear reasonably well?

Damien Tougas 953

June 9, 2010, 3:32 p.m.

<pre><code>Yes, they stand up to wear much better than the Kuuvas or Kuusas. The downside of course is that the sole is thicker and therefore less flexible. The Osma has a similar sole to the Kuuva, but in running-shoe form. </code></pre>

Geraint

Aug. 25, 2010, 5:14 a.m.

I have been told by a British supplier that due to supply problems the Kuuva is no longer available in larger sizes. This seems to be confirmed by the Feelmax website which only has smaller ones listed now. Anyone else know about this?

Jim

Sept. 14, 2010, 6:57 p.m.

I have looked everywhere for a these but cant find them on-line or at any retailers. I even e-mailed the company but got no response. Please help....

Thanks Jim

Damien Tougas 953

Sept. 14, 2010, 9:59 p.m.

<pre><code>Yeah, it seems as if these are difficult to find these days. I don't know much about what is going on, perhaps they have been more popular than expected and they haven't produced enough... </code></pre>

Sally

Feb. 19, 2011, 7:45 a.m.

Nice shoes. To tell the truth, I was surprised to see that fabric was used instead of leather or rubber but I'm sure that for such weather conditions it will be nice. My congratulations on your web-site launch. I think you've touched a very important and not developed topic. You know, I try to make my living as healthy as it is possible. I read a lot of books and make some changes. Here is a link to films and books (torrents) about everything that can make our life better http://bytesland.com/healthy+living . I've read a lot about healthy way of living but I met very little information about our shoes and feet. The health of our feet is extremely important as through them you can influence the work of the whole organism.

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18 Jun 2009 by Damien Tougas

Minimalist Footwear for Winter?

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