Barefoot shoe recommendations, anyone? page 4

[Lynna]

Altra also makes minimal shoes.

[Tercio]

If tight uppers are a problem, look at https://www.lunasandals.com/. Almost no uppers at all. Just a protection layer for the sole of your foot. Once broken in the sole is no thicker than VFFs. I like my feet out in the sun and air but then I'm in Socal, ymmv.

Tercio

[Dirlot]

There are diferent styles of merrels. I had the same problem with the trail glove so went to the true glove with creative lacing.

[Jaradel]

Vibrams don't work for me...my little toe was very unhappy. I may try the new Fila's someday since the last two toes are together.

Regarding Merrills, I love mine. To the OP's comment about the uppers being tight and uncomfortable, I have found that there is something about their design that creates a tendency to over tighten; a woman I work with found the same thing. They fit snuggly enough that there is no need to make them tight. Hope that helps.

Ditto with the Merrells. I noticed that if you pull the laces as tight as you would with a conventional trainer, you can easily over-tighten. I purposefully leave the laces a wee bit loose on the upper for that reason, and have never had issues with tightness. I use the Merrell Barefoot Pace Glove and had no issues transitioning to it from a conventional motion control trainer. And I don't use socks - I tried that once on a cold day and noticed that it made the shoes too tight. Don't need socks, they will keep your feet warm enough in cold weather (like, 35-40F).

[Uncephalized]

i don't believe in "barefoot shoes"; you're either barefoot or you're not. and if you're not barefoot, you might as well rock a pair of converse all-stars, low-top when you run.

in all honesty, it does not take much time for your feet to become adjusted to barefoot asphalt walking, and then you will take on the little rocks and pebbles.

look at me, like iron my feet are.

i recommend you grow a set and walk it barefoot, kid.

+1000. Tell it Dado.

I used to love VFFs but either my feet changed shape or they changed something about the mold they use for the soles--because the last three pairs I have tried have poked into the underside of my big toe something fierce, to the point where it becomes unbearably uncomfortable after a few hours of wear. Unfortunately I don't have any of my old pairs that used to fit fine anymore for comparison so I can't tell if the problem is my foot or the shoe. It feels like there is a hard lump in the side of the toe pocket and over time it just keeps digging in more and more.

But the advantage is that now, I just go barefoot more of the time, because I still hate regular shoes. If I need protection because pavement is too hot or I want to eat at a restaurant, I go with flip-flops. And if it's cold or I need close-toed shoes for some reason, I slip on my Sanuks (these ones are my fave). This covers 99.9% of my shoe needs outside of formal-dress occasions, which I avoid like the plague anyway.

[peril]

I've been wearing vivobarefoot shoes for a bit over a month. The Ra have a huge toebox and are fine for the office. The neo are great for all the walking I do. Will reserve judgement on how well they wear.

I liked vibrams but mine have always worn ridiculously quickly. Also don't like the markup on them I suffer for living in paradise

[BarbeyGirl]

Toe shoes don't work for me, either.

I love my Soft Stars. They may not be the most fashionable, but I love them anyway.