Comments on: Barefoot Alternatives

By: Sean Carley

Sean Carley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:02:32 +0000

I wear Vibram Five Fingers everywhere. I’ve worn them on a job interview and got the job. They will get you noticed and talked about. But no shoes no service cannot have a complaint against them. I have not tried to go completely barefoot anywhere.

By: Kitty

Kitty — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:55:57 +0000

Question. I’m just learning about this primal thing so maybe it’s already been answered and I just haven’t found that page yet, but aren’t athletic shoes better for the artificial surfaces than barefoot? I’ve been a barefoot fan since infancy, but I have trouble with foot and back pain when I walk for long on Cement or black top. not to mention I’m becoming more sensitive to gravel.

I have to admit I spent about four years nearly immobile while I was ill with incipient diabetes and cancer so I’m guessing that has a lot to do with loss of callouses and sensitivity but I just don’t know if I’m up to forcing myself to walk on stuff that hurts just to build them up again. LOL So what do you do when you walk on artificial rock? LOL Kitty

By: Raleigh

Raleigh — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:19:40 +0000

I worked at a camp for seven years, often playing bball barefoot on the asphalt. As you may guess, my feet are tough enough that I’ve stepped on tacks without noticing (aside from the clicking noise when I walked).

I just bought my first pair of Vibrams, and I’m of a like mind with Thinnman. I’ve been searching for posts to confirm my suspicion that playing in my Vibrams will be safe, but this is the best I could get. I’ll probably hit the court a lot sooner than 6 months. I’ll try to let you know what happens.

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:56:56 +0000

I have extremely wide feet, and have such a hard time buying shoes that I would prefer to be bare foot. The trouble is, though, I have very high arches, and have lots of foot pain if not given enough support. The pain was bad enough I had to quit martial arts from my feet getting so torn up on the mats. Even conventional shoes (New Balance) with added arch support don’t quite do it. Is there any hope for me?

I have found Teva flip flops to work well, though I only got away with wearing them to work or with slacks when I was pregnant…

By: Bron

Bron — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:02:38 +0000

Ya I agree. I went with Sanuks.. got em at Sanuk.com

Sweet!

By: hitchhiker42

hitchhiker42 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:18:28 +0000

Two years ago I purchased a pair of Fila low-profile shoes to work with my bicycle. I needed to find shoes that were smaller than normal running shoes so they would fit into the toe-clips on my pedals.

The shoes that worked out really well were Fila Retro Spike Suede. The sole is very thin, and it is close to those “barefoot” running shoes.

I just looked up “Fila Retro Spike” on the Internet and I came up with several shoes on those big online-mega-shoe-sites. Fila has apparently decided this is now a Women’s shoe and no longer a Unisex shoe. Well, whatever, these Fila shoes were only 25 dollars when I got them, and they are a nice alternative to the typical running shoe. They are almost form-fit around the foot, and have a thin sole on the ball of the foot, and about 1 cm of foam at the heel. It’s a very modest “running” shoe. Might be worth a try for folks who don’t want to spend 150 for special kevlar barefoot shoes.

By: Grok

Grok — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:06:25 +0000

Make at home moccasin kits from a craft store are pretty cheap. Not sure how they hold up.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:01:50 +0000

It has been a little over 2 months since I first posted so I decided to report back.

Since I posted I went barefoot at home and I have only been wearing my thin plastic 10 year+ old jelly slip on shoes when I have to go out. I have not used my custom arch supports since that day either.

I did try Sanuks in that first week but they felt too flat to me then. I tried the Vibrams which did feel great but theya re pricey and so I have not taken the plunge yet.

After two months of no more fancy shoes and supports though I tried the Sanuks again and they feel good now! My feet have definitely changed! I notice that when I do wear a pair of my old sandals or other old shoes for a day that my feet hurt A LOT the next day.

Now that fall/winter is approaching and my plastic shoes are started to fall apart from all the use I decided I need find something new. I am not happy with how expensive all the options are though!

Anyone have any cheaper ideas?

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement thinnman! My feet still hurt but they are A LOT better now. I am not turning back!

By: marilyn

marilyn — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:32:03 +0000

We have alot of Amish around us (out in the country) and they all go barefoot all summer. Even mucking out the barn (ugh). I guess they have healthy feet…………….

By: Grok

Grok — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:54:43 +0000

The new Vibram KSO Trek will be out soon, but may or may not work for your application. Who knows. You might be able to spray them with a water proofer to help keep out some moisture.

Get some Injinji socks. They have a wool cold weather version. They’ll offer some bennies for your toes anyway.