Footwear for training page

[Shane.]

My training will consist of a mixture of Krav maga, compound/body weight training, jogging and possibly some indoor parkour stuff. I have been looking for some trainers as I don't like being barefoot even on the indoor stuff but understand the benefits. I know Vibram fivefingers seem to be the best on the market but at £75 for the cheapest pair I found I cannot afford to spend that much on them, on the vibram website they list another brand called Merrel who do a trail glove for around £30 and are listed as barefoot footwear but wondered if anyone had any experience or other suggestions?

Thanks
Shane

[Dirlot]

I have both the VVF and the Merrels. Both are great barefoot shoes...the Merrels fit more like a regular shoe does and the VVF are more like a second skin.

[Wanderlust]

For half the price you almost can't go wrong with the Merrells; that being said I have them and only wear my VFFs now. Also the Merrell seem to run a little narrow vs the wider VFFs.

[Damiana]

I have the Merrell. They're very lightweight and wearing them only inside the gym, they have excellent longevity.

[Chris_H]

Check vibram's website out, I know they were selling some of last year's models/colors at pretty nice discounts. I picked up a pair of treksports for like $50 or $60 and the KSOs were less. I love training in the KSOs.

[sbhikes]

I wear Vibram KSOs at the gym. I have seen improvements in balance wearing these. I actually found mine at a thrift shop.

For everything else (running, hiking, wearing around), I've been wearing something like these that I made myself:

Sedona [SED] - $80.00 : NATIVEARTH

I like that style much better than the Luna sandals. But Luna or Xero is another option for minimalist running sandals.

[Dirlot]

If you are not as handy as sbhikes there are these Huaraches Barefoot Running Sandals of the Tarahumara Indians | InvisibleShoe.com with a good vibram sole.

[Shane.]

Just an update currently in the states went and had a look in a vibram/merrel shop. Didn't get on with the vibrams so ended up getting some Merrel trail gloves, first impressions were how light they were and how I felt parts of my feet stretching that I don't usually which I assume is a good sign

[WeldingHank]

I take Krav Maga and wear VFF KSO's. They work great for it. I don't know if REI ships to the UK, but the REI outlet has them cheap right now.

[Dirlot]

REI ships but VVF are on the restricted list, I can't even get them shipped to Canada....sigh.