Barefooters - what to wear in the midwest winter?? page

[jenn26point2]

I've been going as barefoot as possible since April and recently started running barefoot (it feels so great, by the way!). Wearing any kind of running shoe at this point makes my hips talk. Obviously, I can't go without something on my feet in the winter in the midwest... Any suggestions for barefooting it in the winter?

[wiltondeportes]

I've been going as barefoot as possible since April and recently started running barefoot (it feels so great, by the way!). Wearing any kind of running shoe at this point makes my hips talk. Obviously, I can't go without something on my feet in the winter in the midwest... Any suggestions for barefooting it in the winter?

Get some moccasins. You can buy them premade from a company like Minnetonka, or you can go on a website like Etsy.com and find a person who can craft you a personal pair.

[Grok]

Last winter I experimented with walking barefoot in cold temperatures. Anything below 15°F and I start getting chilblains.

Chilblains - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[jenn26point2]

I don't plan to have my feet exposed in the winter, hence my question of what to wear...

[Grok]

I think Vibram has some winter wear. A quick google search gave me this...

[jenn26point2]

Thanks for that. I heard Vibrams has a leather shoe too that a guy at work wore last winter. My goal is to stay warm and dry so I can run this winter. Aiming to run a half (in VFFs) next May, which will require training over the winter months.

[Lynna]

Merrell has recently come out with this:

Barefoot Life Frost Glove Waterproof - Women's - Barefoot Shoes - J56380 | Merrell

And this:

Barefoot Run Tempo Glove - Women's - Barefoot Shoes - J56222 | Merrell

[Mamame]

I bought Phoenix Boots from Soft Star Shoes (on-line company). They are all leather, lined with sheep skin and have a really wide toe box and flexible vibram soles with a zero drop heel. They kept my feet nice and toasty. I usually wore them barefoot (I hate wearing socks now that I am used to barefooting - they are too restrictive). They are pricey, but worth every penny and I expect them to last for years.

[PrimalMama]

The VFF Flow isn't waterproof... at ALL, and it's not terribly warm... I wore mine for the Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge (you're required to wear shoes), which was a fantastic usage (would also be great for creek walking, etc.
However, around NYC in the winter of 2009/10, my feet were cold when I wore the flows.
I also have the Treks (leather) and my boyfriend has the Treks, Trek LS and the... uh, I forget what they're called, but they're basically VFF BOOTS... all decent for cold/snow, but not super-warm or terribly water/snowproof.

I've been drooling over softstar shoes for awhile...

my current winterwear are uggs - I find them comfy and super-warm, not 100% minimalist - you can snow-proof them fairly well and/or they sell snow boots too.

[Crabbcakes]

I'm not a runner at all, but here is my thing - I wear sandals year-round, mostly, with the addition of socks in the winter. When I first got stateside I had wide-strapped Birkenstocks. I put on a very thin pair of cotton socks and topped that with a pair of wool socks and I was good for any temp. I even wore them in the snow, and just put the socks over the floor vent when I got back inside.

Now I am wearing Keens because Birkies were not designed for the terrain I now live in (rural home, gravel drive - eats Birkies. Birkies are city shoes. If you keep them for this purpose they will last forever.) but I keep the same MO. I sometimes change to shoes if the weather is fantastically rainy because I commute with the kids and I don't want wet feet all day while we are out, or to use up 5 pair of socks in a day trying the sandal thing anyway.

I'll keep peeking here for the better ideas you all have - I'm in the process of ditching as many shoes as possible.