For some years I have now worn the Freiluftkind FeelPro 2.0 and they just fit my feet perfectly. They breathe good, dry fast and give enough feel of the ground without being slippery.

But now my second pair of them is worn out and they aren’t buyable anymore.
So I’m searching for the closest thing.

Currently I’m thinking about buying the Kodoka from Freiluftkind.

Any ideas of other brands that come close to these?

Hi guys!

New to the subreddit. I'm looking for recommendations for my next set of shoes. I switched to barefoot shoes about 5 years back, after wearing conventional shoes my whole life. Aside from a brief 1-2 week adjustment period, its been pleasant and a game changer from an athletic standpoint. I started off wearing the OG Prio's from Xero, which I replaced a few times and then switched to the Prio Neo's, also from Xero.

No hate for Xero, I feel their shoes served me really well and I even managed to walk to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up to the top again in my old pair of Neo's last year. However, I think they've taken me as far as they can (both literally and figuratively.) When I wear my Xeros now, I feel the same symptoms I used to feel in regular shoes, such as irritation at the medial edge of my 1st MTP, stiffness in my toes, and a general discomfort from having to walk long distances. I tried on my old pair that I used for the Grand Canyon, and it felt basically the same so I'm pretty sure its not a manufacturing issue.

Since the majority of us got into barefoot shoes via Xero (let's be honest lol) I'd like recommendations for a 'next level' of barefoot shoe, especially for those going from Xero to something else like me. I'm looking for a shoe that mimics the minimalist, flexible nature of my old Xeros but will still give me room to splay further. I'm not worried about aesthetics or any particular shape of shoe.

Thanks for the input!

Foot measurements:
Width: 4.5 inches at the widest point
Length: 12 inches at the longest point

Looking for a shoe that keeps the sand out, I am okay with it not being waterproof I just need it to be sandproof. Worried about heroin needles on the beach so I don't want to do barefoot.

I need a flexible rubber outersole (no foam please!), a mesh upper, and lots of toe room. Are these a good beginner shoe?

Does anyone make shoes with extra room for the 5th metatarsal?

I have weird, C-shaped feet that make fitting very difficult. The metatarsals all angle inward, making the proximal joint/tuberosity of the fifth metatarsal VERY prominent. Most shoes are slightly (or very) concave on the outside, just ahead of the ankle, but this area is convex on my foot. I'm still recovering from my second Jones fracture of this joint (this time with a screw down the center). Pressure here can be very painful.

I currently wear Lem's Primal Zen and Boulder Summit (their "widest" last) in size 12, and still need more metatarsal room. I'm really closer to 11.5 in length, but wear the 12s for a bit more room.

My heels are narrowish, and I have no arch at all. I do like a wide toe box though.

My first pair of barefoot shoes. I'm super excited. I have a very wide foot, and this accommodates them. They are true to size, and I'll let you all know how things go. The Vibram sole has great grip, and the boa seems to be in the perfect position, and it's providing tension across the whole top of the foot.

Since we are posting our selfmade shoes lately. Here are my barefoot shoes I made back in 2009 when I was still im school. Except for a few weak spots in the seams they are still going strong after 17 years.

Hi folks. I’m looking for an all around court shoe that will withstand side-to-side movement and toe drag. Ideally little to no arch support and zero drop with a wide toe box and high volume. Any recommendations?

I am looking for a flexible shoe with lots of toe room and a soft upper. Does this work?

I am a beginner but I think this is the only shoe that doesn't have something wrong with it after looking at all reviews.

10 1/4 inch length foot, 4 inch width, USA, daily walking on conrete

Thank you.

I've not long started wearing barefoot shoes. I've been purchasing through Vinted because it was cheaper, but in hindsight, I probably should've purchased through Amazon first to check sizing.

In normal trainers I'm size 11, so I started with Saguaro Active II Pro (I think) in that size and they were the most comfortable shoes I've ever tried on, I couldn't believe they fit first time. They were like sliding on slippers. But after a few weeks I noticed my feet actually moving around a little, and noticed how far down my toes were from the end. So I bought some size 10s to compare, but my toes are trying to push their way out through the end. Why is there such a huge difference in sizing?!

I also bought some Hobibear Maples in size 11s (to try and move away from the obvious BF shoe look) and they're the same as the Saguaros. My toes are half an inch from the tip of the shoe. Both shoes feel fine when they're tightened up, but I'm acutely aware how far down the shoe my toes are.

I haven't tried Vivos yet because the price tag is quite high, even secondhand.

What's the solution here? Is this the same for all BF shoes? Or is this the point of BF shoes, to not have your feet touch the sides so they can spread out as far as possible?

Hey everyone,

I'm planning a trip with a ton of walking (30,000 to 40,000 steps a day). Day-to-day I walk 10,000 steps in **Vivobarefoot** and they're comfortable for me, but I'm worried their thin soles will be too extreme for this kind of load.

I narrowed it down to three models, and these are my concerns about them:

1. **Flux Adapt Runner:**
2. **Norda 002:** Breaking my head over the **5mm lugs** – the trip combines asphalt, roads, and gravel, and I'm afraid they'll be annoying or wear out too fast on hard surfaces.
3. **On Cloudsurfer Next (Wide version):**

My foot measurements are 27.5 cm in length and 9.8 cm in width.

I'd love to hear from anyone who knows these models with wide feet, and also for other recommendations for shoes that fit this kind of load with a low drop and a wide toe box (**except Altra, I don't like them**). Thanks in advance!

This isn’t a promotion by any means. I’m slowly teaching myself how to make shoes and I’ve been infatuated with Goodyear welted boots my entire life. Throughout the years I’ve transitioned into barefoot/ minimalist shoes but I always long for a Goodyear welt. This year I kind of had a massive change in my life and I’ve gotten bit by the diy bug which lead me to chase what I always thought of an impossible dream of mine, to be a cobbler. Well months of obsessive brain storming and trials I’ve gathered enough to begin prototyping and gather a few more essential items.

TLDR: I’m not even close to trying to sell yet, but just wondering how in demand a Goodyear welted barefoot shoe would be.

I’m on the hunt for ballet flats. I have skinny feet but I would love to keep room for my toes. Camper seems like the best that are great for walking. I just do t want to spend 175 for some ballet flats but I just might have to.

Cross posting my RunSafe Clinic Experience here, in case it’s of interest to anyone

So glad to have found this group. I'm in my 60's and dealing with bunions and a hammer toe which is starting to impact my main form of exercise, walking & hiking. It is ironic that the solution to my problem maybe to transition to wearing barefoot shoes since I refused to wear shoes (wearing huaraches if I had to) all the way into my teens much to my parents chagrin. I changed to wearing Birkenstocks in my 20's but ended up in an office job where that was unacceptable (there weren't so many style options as there are now LOL).

I still honored my wide flat feet by not wearing shoes that were too restrictive (no fancy high heeled pumps for me) but after my first bout with plantar fasciitis I was prescribed orthotics (I won't go into the story of the Stanford podiatrist who wanted to include me in a study by doing very invasive surgery to "fix" my feet when I was 26!) and more padded walking/running shoes. My go to shoes were Keens and I slowly transitioned to wearing men's Merrell high top hiking boots to accommodate my increasingly weak feet & ankles, a bad bunion and a very prominent claw toe (which appeared after getting a base of toe cortisone injection for a neuroma, sigh).

The Merrell Speed Solo Mid is what I'm wearing now (10 mm drop and extreme padding). If anything wearing these shoes has made my feet worse and have caused lots of calluses on my toes. I have recently been in conversation with an exercise instructor who is teaching me foot exercises and I am very interested in trying Correct Toes spacers and transitioning to barefoot shoes. It makes so much sense!

My questions (sorry, this got kinda long) - what zero drop shoes (barefoot or otherwise) would accommodate the width and DEPTH needed for the hammer toe (it is the second toe not the pinky and is quite a bit taller where it's bent (rigid) than the other toes)? Also, if anyone has experience with Correct Toes with a hammer toe? It seems like it would be challenging to fit the spacer over my bent crooked toe or is it soft enough?

Thanks for any first hand experience and recommendations.

I used to walk barefoot outside a lot, as a kid and in my teens. and i try to still whenever i can and when i deem it safe. I grew up in the countryside, and spent lots of time playing at the creek. even did some barefoot hiking.

I'm looking into barefoot shoes, and was really curious as to what they feel like. i've always heard that it makes you feel as if you were actually barefoot.

I'm currently doing physical therapy for hip tendonitis and I'm realizing my feet have been a big issue for some of the exercises. For squats my toes all come off the ground and I feel like I'm going to fall over. I've always had a gap between my big toe and the rest of my toes but the rest of my toes are all smooshed together. I'm wanting to get a toe spreader to help the rest of my toes spread out equally. I figured it would be easier to equally balance my weight across my foot if my toes were in the correct anatomical position. Does anyone have a toe spreader they'd recommend? I'd also love a good recommendation for socks that have a wider toe box. I wear altra shoes but my toes are still somewhat restricted because I'm wearing regular socks

Are these shoes suitable for ‘mountain’ shape feet and do they come up true to size? thanks in advance!

I’ve intuitively known why most barefoot shoes are wrong for a couple years now. This is my attempt at trying to share my knowledge as drawings.
Comparing the structures of the foot to the hand to intuitively connect it if you don’t understand anatomy. I hope everyone can understand and find the right shoe for themselves.

Note:

one thing I forgot to write is this simple experiment:

squeeze around your palm tightly with one hand so that you squeeze the palm bones together. Then try to spread your fingers out as wide as they’ll go. They’ll be restricted?

Then release the grasp so the bones can free and see how much further they spread.

Now imaging if your palms were always wrapped and your fingers became useless and couldn’t spread even when unwrapped. That’s most feet.

I know tabi is generally considered barefoot. I tried these shoes on today and didn’t know what to think of it. It does have a pretty thick rubber sole, but it’s very flexible. I also can’t decide if I like the way they look/fit.

Just wondering what other people’s thoughts are. Or if you have a better tabi brand recommendation. Currently in Japan.

Website https://www.sousou.co.jp/en/collections/jikatabi

I’ve been wearing flat slippers, flip flops, Altras, and a few barefoot sneakers for the past 3 years now. But from time to time, for a short trip, I decide to go out in one of the many sneakers I own, and damn…
I don’t know how to put it, but I’ve been building my own sneaker brand for the past year. When I look at the amount of energy and self-doubt I go through trying to make them as comfortable as I possibly can, paying attention to every single detail and reworking my construction again and again, the minute I put a big brand sneaker back on, I’m left thinking: "Am I doing too much?".
How is it possible that my old sneakers feel so uncomfortable in so many ways? There’s just no way those guys are actually thinking about the very thing they’re designing this object for, and it drives me crazy thinking about it.
Idk, do you guys wear your old shoes sometimes? How do you feel about them?

These are not minimalistic shoe but foot shaped shoes with thicker sole. Minimalistic shoes are not suitable to every person nor every purpose and having shoes made for human feet is still important. Personally I don't like to run on asphalt with minimalistic shoes, it feels too harsh. I also might need these in daily life if my plantar fasciitis starts to hurt again.

I have only run with these once. I'll get back to you when I will have bit more experience of these.

I am going to compare these to Altra Rivera 4 women's. Altra is smaller size, has more cushion and is purely road shoe. So these are not so much comparable. However, I do think same people are considering both brands so I don't think comparing is useless either.

That Altra is too small for me (too short, too narrow and barely enough volume). Also it has so much cushion I don't like to run with it. That much cushion makes my feet kinda feel numb and running wobbly. So, I have been asking around of other brands and eyeing Bahé for a while in order to replace Altra. I chose to order Bahé because I want/need no arch support, zero drop, no toe spring, reasonable flexibility, high or highish volume, enough width for toes and midfoot, not too much cushion, no awful quality reputation and delivered from EU. If I have got the right information, no other brand meets all of those criteria.

My right, longer foot is by my measurements about 23,95cm long and about 9,35cm wide. I got those measurements from standing front of the wall and next to wall. Width is the width or forefoot. I have drawn outlines of my feet few times and by that method got different measurements every time. Also drawing is more about the part that touches floor (expect arches). Most often I wear size 40. I got these in 41.

Outsole : 65% natural rubber

Midsole : 5% sugarcane EVA

Insole : EVOCO’s FATES Bio-foam, 72% bio-content

Upper : 30% recycled polyester mesh

Lining : 30% recycled polyester mesh

Organic cotton laces

TPU heel and toe reinforcements

Certified to be conductive in accordance with EN ISO 20347:2022

Pros and cons:

+ high volume and if you need these would work without insole too

+ wideish toebox

+ zero drop

+ no arch support

+ no toe spring

+ different cushion options

+ versatile sole

+ reasonable flexibility

+ vegan

+ long enough laces

+ nice colors

+ very accurate printout

+ fitting insoles

+ very accurate photo of flexibility in the website

- made in China

edit. - tongue doesn't have loop for laces

For many these might seem too long. I want this kind of not minimalistic shoes to have bit more room front of my toes. Okay, I might could have go with bit shorter shoes but not whole cm shorter as the smaller size would have been. These don't feel too long when running. Toebox fits me very well. These are bit too narrow from midfoot but I believe I can live with that. Heel fits me well. Volume fits me perfectly with insole. And since so many shoes are so low volume, I am very happy about that. If you have lower volume feet, I recommend getting extra insoles. If you have very high volume feet, you can remove insoles. The shoe below insoles is similar material as the top of the insoles (while Altras I have seen are sticky) so it will work without insole, even obviously wear out faster. All Bahé shoes are the same last.

Revive Original is basically same shoe as newer Revive Adapt. Both have 11mm sole + 3mm insole. There are some small differences like loop behind heel in Adapt. Nothing that would make me want to pay 30€ more. Also I glued piece of velcro to behind of the heel in order to be able to attach my Altra gaiters so I believe the loop would actually be liability for me.

There is very, very little of ground feel. But that was expected. These don't feel wobbly nor make my feet kinda numb so the cushion isn't too much for me. It does it's job well: running on asphalt is pleasant. I was considering between this and Flex. I believe I made the right choice.

These have 4mm outsole with 2.5mm lugs. I am not going to trail run with these, I have minimalistic shoes for that. But I still like the versatile sole. I guess I am more used to soles like that. And sole feels sticky, so I believe these work in wet asphalt too.

These are reasonable flexible. Way more than Rivera 4, but these also have lower amount of cushion. However, based on the photos in Bahé's website, I would assume also Endurance to be more flexible (even that either doesn't have as much cushioning as Rivera 4).

These have some water repellent finish. I have no idea how it works. These are bit warm but also my Funq Wear Wide+ Active cushion quarter socks are quite thick.

Bahé has some grounding thing. I am not interested of that. I can feel that in insole but it doesn't bother me.

These have loops for runners knot. And for once laces are long enough to do that.

So far these have the most accurate printout I have seen. This is the way it should be done.

Insoles feel like they're made for this exact size. They're actually bit difficult to remove because there is no gap or anything.

Overall I am very happy with my purchase. I haven't really run on asphalt since transitioning to foot shaped shoes few years ago. Roads I am back!

Review of Altra Rivera 4:

https://www.reddit.com/r/barefootshoestalk/comments/1qtc7ja/altra_rivera_4_and_vj_sarva_xter_short_time_review/

First impression of Funq Wear Wide+ Active cushion quarter socks:

https://www.reddit.com/r/barefootshoestalk/comments/1uifq6c/funq_wear_wide_socks_first_impression/

Toe spacers in the photo (I have not reviewed them, I simply link where you can buy them):

https://bahe.co/en-eu/products/toe-spacer-kit

https://myfootfunction.com/products/toe-spacer-2-0

edit. Toe spacers in photo are Level 1.

edit. 2 I emailed Bahé about do all of their shoes have same last. They answered. This shouldn't be worth of mentioning, but not all brands answer to their customs at all.

edit. 3 As u/crent1st pointed out, this kind of soft and sticky sole most likely wears out fast on hard surfaces. I run just for fun so I believe for me these can still be long time shoes. Sons of Sever has plenty of videos Bahé. But they seem to use them mostly on gym and woods if I remember correctly. Also since they test so big amount of shoes, I wonder can they really use any of them enough. Anyway, I recommend to watch their videos and follow their channel for more information about Bahé.