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Craig and Linda talk about their experiences travelling with a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. They’re a type of sole or shoe with a thin, hard rubber sole and wetsuit type material to cover the foot. Craig bought them as flip-flop/jandal replacements a few months ago and talk about what we find them good for…and not so good for.
In brief, we don’t recommend them for a lot of city walking, but they’re great for off-road walking, beaches and the occasional jog. Listen to the show for more…
We also ask your advice for walking the West Highland Way in Scotland.
Have advice? Email us.
There are also the Sprint and Surge styles, which we haven’t tried out.
Vibram Fivefingers Sprint (Men’s)
Vibram Fivefingers Sprint (Women’s)
Vibram Fivefingers Surge (Men’s)
Vibram Fivefingers Surge (Women’s)
There are also the new KSO’s which I’m excited about. When my “classics” die, I’m going to invest in a pair of these. (There’s a review linked in the comments.)
Best Travel Podcast!
Written by: Craig and Linda
Posted on: Friday, August 10th, 2007
Posted in: Equipment, Podcasts, Reviews
Responses: 30 so far
Kiwi Sam asked where to buy them in New Zealand, but I’ve never seen them there. Anyone?
I really don’t understand why they’re not easily available in NZ or Australia since they fit the lifestyles so well. Come on Vibram!
August 11th, 2007 at 6:39 pmThese are also great for running. There are tremendous benefits form running barefoot, yet the soles of your feet are exposed to the harsh surfaces of concrete , gravel, hot asphalt, and things of the sort. These offer a great compromise, and make it much easier to enjoy the benefits of barefoot running without the raw feet.
August 11th, 2007 at 9:05 pmyeah, you’re review is pretty much right on. i haven’t taken mine to any other countries or major travel like you guys, but i’ve definitely figured out when NOT to wear them here. like you said, walking on hard unforgiving surfaces like concrete or asphalt for long periods of time is not enjoyable at all, but taking them through the woods and through fields is really fun and comfortable. i think i’m like you in that, if i wear mine all day, the pressure on my big toe(s) at the nail is too much and it’s sore the next day. having said all that, they really are fun to wear outdoors. that feeling of going barefoot anywhere you want (usually places you’ve never gone barefoot before) is really cool and unique.
good review.
August 13th, 2007 at 3:35 pmYeah, the Five Fingers are great. I work at an outdoor retail store in southern California and got a demo pair. I have put them through the test at the beach, camping, and rock climbing. Recently in Moab, Utah I used them every day swimming in the Colorado River. I have the Sprint’s, with the strap over the top so they stayed on securely and were great for the rocky bottom of the river and swimming in them feels natural. Rock climbing in them isn’t the greatest, the rubber isn’t sticky enough, but they make good shoe for your down climb. My friends have all been buildering (climbing buildings) in them and that seems to work better than on real rocks. They cost about $80 in the States, about half the price Craig paid. So if you’re ever over here and want a pair they may be a bargain for you.
August 14th, 2007 at 6:58 amHey everyone,
Thanks for your feedback! Great. I’ve done a few off-road daywalks in them, but we’re just about to try our hand at the West Highland Way – the first real tramp I’ve done in about 18 months (the Queen Charlotte Sounds was last). I’ll let everyone know how they go!
August 15th, 2007 at 10:15 amI have two pairs of the classics–they are great in city, over bricks and cobblestones–I found as my feet got in shape the roads got smoother–with the light wool socks they even stay nice in the rain, you gotta get your feet in shape to really appreciate what they can do.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:58 pmYeah, I think so Tamra – got to get your feet in shape. After the West Highland Way I found I had muscles on my toes … like, on top of my toes … That is about as strange as it gets!
How are you using light wool socks?
September 4th, 2007 at 1:40 pmhttp://www.zombierunner.com/ see socks and look at the Injinji Outdoor Socks, Quarter–these are great with ground pounder “shoes” too
(btw the folks at zombie are the fastest ship ever–almost as fast as five fingers)
September 4th, 2007 at 3:59 pmToday you were my info radio. As always so nice to hear mellow Kiwi voices now I’m away from home.
December 4th, 2007 at 9:28 amI tried to leave you a review but couldn’t work out how to do it once I hit your site on itunes. I could leave ‘a concern’ though and since I wasn’t I didn’t:)
Happy travels.
KK
Cheers Kyotokat. Nice to hear from you.
I think you need an iTunes account in order to leave a review. An option just appears for us.
I hope Kyoto treats you well! Are you teaching there?
December 4th, 2007 at 2:15 pmI have always wondered what these are like, they look really cool but I always worry they would hurt your toes, especially when treking! Thanks for the post though, really interesting
December 18th, 2007 at 12:46 pmCraig
Thank you for pointing me to this review, it’s very informative.
I wonder about the toe length most of all. I can also see where the lack of half-sizes would be an issue.
And they ARE expensive. In the US, they’re $70 which is the price of a good pair of shoes for me. I’d hate to spend that much and then find they won’t work for me.
Happy travelling!
January 28th, 2008 at 6:20 pmI like the look of the five finger vibram shoes but don’t see the difference between bare foot and them other than building up a lawyer of skin and having some funky shoes to wear as well.
If they don’t have any other protection other than the vibram skin then they do seem to be of limited use and support and are perhaps just a way for Vibram to use their patent before its expiration without splitting profits with any other shoe company.
I hold of getting a pair for the time being, I certainly don’t think they would be suitable for Parkour as I have seen it suggested.
March 31st, 2008 at 5:03 pmI’ve done 20-25k’s of off-road walking in them during one day and end up a bit footsore; but I can only do about 5k’s more in specialist walking shoes anyway. On-road walking is less pleasant (as always!) as you have to deal with all the pressure from the tarmac too.
Building up a thick layer of skin is certainly a good option, but outside of NZ I’m freaked out (and disgusted) by the amount of broken glass and other rubbish in national parks and along walking trails. These seem to be a good medium.
April 13th, 2008 at 3:42 pmI’ve had a pair of these in the “Surge” style for awhile and am NOT a fan. The only time I wear them now is on rocky beaches. First of all, know these are unisex – Vibram ignores the difference in foot anatomy between men and women. Second, they are in uniworld whole sizes – 27, 42, etc. So forget whatever size you wear now. Thirdly, they are poorly designed for real feet.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:42 pmI have relatively small feet for a man (8). But, even for me, the toe pockets are way too small, contorting my digits and digging into my toenails needlessly. Someone suggested wearing them with toe socks. I have no idea how you would get socked feet in them unless you intentionally bought them about 10 sizes too large.
Having said all that, I know a physical therapist who wears almost nothing else (in footware) and swears by them.
As for me, not worth the money until they evolve into something universally useable. Until then, I’ll just wear my trusty old trailrunners.
Hi David,
I agree that unisex isn’t the way to go. Linda can’t find any that fit her. However the toe pockets are all OK with me now after a little initial discomfort. Everyone’s foot is different, so they’ll never be able to mass-produce something for all feet.
I just read a good first-hand account of the Vibram KSO (Keep
May 19th, 2008 at 11:01 amStuffSh*t Out) model. It’s here. He’s raised some good concerns too.We finally have an answer for Kiwi Sam — Rock/Creek ship internationally (from America) at US$59. It almost doubles the cost of the $69-79 shoe … but I haven’t seen better yet. I paid 70 euro for mine, anyway.
We now have an affiliate deal with Rock/Creek, so you can support us by clicking through to buy using the links above.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:34 pmI actually just did some research on various barefoot shoes, which you can find at the link. I took a look at several of them and I think im going with the Vibrams FiveFingers. I would like to try the Vivo Barefoot too, but they are little pricey.
June 12th, 2008 at 7:34 pmFantastic review, very helpful. I’ll definitely have to see if I can find some to try out and see if they’re really for me. I’m not a fan of flip-flops because they come off too easily and aren’t very comfortable if you’re doing a lot of walking. I’m hoping these can be my alternative to those and light hiking shoes.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:27 pmHi Jamie,
That’s exactly what I use them for, although my feet do ache after about 20km/4 hours. It takes some time to get your feet muscles built up, so it might be a good idea to pack your light shoes on initial walks, just in case your feet can’t handle it.
June 26th, 2008 at 2:57 pmWalking 13 km on the paved Manhattan Greenway along Hudson River in New York City got easier over time. I attribute this increasing comfort to three things happening as I wore the FiveFingers:
* The muscles in the feet get stronger.
* The gait changes from heel-strike to midfoot-strike so there’s less slapping-the-concrete.
* Body fat diminished. The soles of your feet do a good job at reminding the appetite centers that there’s a tradeoff between carrying an extra 9000 calories in the form of 1 kg of fat.
June 29th, 2008 at 4:19 pmI have the KSO model now–simply perfection. I started wearing five fingers last summer and now wear shoes only when necessary–I know it sounds fanatical but when I put these on I never thought I’d be wearing and owning several pairs. The sensation of walking on grass, concrete and bricks under just about any conditions is a “connecting” experience. balance is better, no lower back issues running in them and its just old fashioned fun to hop on planters, fence edges where you can stick like a lizard. Word of advice when and if you take the plunge…give yourself time to adjust–no 13 K road trips..my feet were outa shape from the years of expensive super cushioned running shoes–now my feet are strong so miles actually feel good! Life changing!!
June 29th, 2008 at 10:59 pmI’ve been a runner for a number of years and just for something different I bought a pair of Vibram’s fivefingers (KSO model). It was quite a change because I had to rely more on my muscles and less on the cushioning of the running shoe. Had some seriously sore hamstrings and calves the first week or so. With running shoes, I tend to be a heel striker and I have battled sore knees, but the fivefingers pretty much force you to run more on the balls of the feet so your heels aren’t taking that beating. I’ve had far less pain since I’ve been using these. I typically run about 8k on crushed stone along the Erie Canal or on pavement and only have issues when I step on a larger stone or a drainage grate. I did think they were a little pricey at first but when I figured I spend at least $80 on running shoes it didn’t seem so bad. Just got the Flow model so I can run in the winter. I tried to run with the KSOs when the temp was in the upper 20s (F) and my toes went numb.
January 17th, 2009 at 8:37 am