kso vs trek sport

[Drizzt]

so im new so i'll start off by saying HI! now onto business im in limbo right now with no vibrams (i know it sucks) anyway next spring i will be purchasing a new pair and im wondering should i get the kso (which i wore before which were knock offs which sucked but still ok...) or the trek sport. the only thing that worries me is i'll lose that barefooted feeling that i had with my kso which dont have the extra traction. i love feeling the rocks beneath my feet and all that. i will be using them for light running on paved/lightly rugged terain with little hills/valleys also i will be using them for about everything inbetween such as driving (feels AWESOME) and walking around in school. so with that said what would you guys recommend? thanks a lot.

[UpNorth]

Welcome!

The good news here is you  would probably be happy with either.   That said, I think for the uses you are describing and given your enjoyment of ground feel, KSOs would be the better choice over the trek sports.   But if your favorite lightly rugged routes get really muddy in hilly spots, the traction of the trek sports may come in handy and put them on top. 

Good luck with it.   

[Marisha]

I own both and agree with UpNorth, based on what you described the KSO sounds like a better choice. 

[Drizzt]

thanks guys so i take you guys have tried on both kso and Trek sport or are you just taking an educated guess (either way thank you!) i just want a person who has tried on both to tell me the difference in feel of the ground mainly

[Marisha]

I own both

So yeah, I've tried both on and know the difference in fit & feel.  I got the KSO first, went hiking in them, found my feet hurting after stepping on many upon many an acorn and decided I needed the thicker soled treksport model for hiking.  I've been breaking them in last week (taking a break this week since I'm a bit under the weather and don't need any added pains).  In the treksport VFF's I feel almost like wearing regular sneakers, almost.  It sounds like you want to be a lot closer to the ground, hence my recommendation of KSO VFF.

[MCvet]

I own both (actually 4 pair) I prefer treksports for all around use.

[Drizzt]

thank you and yea hahaha didnt see that "i own both" i like to skim read so yea...hope you feel better btw. so im sorry but i have a feeling im being redundant here but you say theres no difference between feeling the ground in sport trek as you do in sneakers? if so doesnt this ruin the whole point of vibrams?!

[Marisha]

What I meant is that the trek sport bottoms feel closer to sneakers than the KSO ones do, not to call them sneakers in any way.

[Drizzt]

ok so you still can feel the ground in the TS better than sneakers

[Marisha]

Yes, but not as good as with the KSO

[Marisha]

I should also add that the difference you feel will depend on the sneakers you're used to wearing.  The thinner the soles you're used to, the less difference you'll feel. 

[Drizzt]

ok thank you so much i think i will go with the trek sport because it looks very nice, i dont think i will lose too much feel of the ground (atleast better than sneakers) also just to try something new but i got time to think its winter here so i wont get em till next spring and hopefully it will be cheaper...thanks a lot guys!

[Drizzt]

ok after thinking about it i got a few more questions if y'all dont mind...first is durability seeing as how i had knock offs i have nothing to compare to so which are more durable. also fit ive heard from some other members that certain styles require different sizes im a 43 in KSO will i need to change that when going to TS? THanks again!

[Marisha]

First off, you will feel much less in the treksport than the KSO.  That being said, I can only speak to the fit since I haven't owned either pair long enough to wear down.  The KSO fit didn't require much break in time at all for me.  With the treksport toes being more reinforced, there is some pressure/discomfort there and I'm still breaking them in (only about a week of wearing them so far). 

[Drizzt]

haha ok thanks a lot! anyone else out there who wants to give thier 2 cents or maybe even a dollar? just want to hear multiple people not just one or 2 (no offense to marisha at all its just hard to go by only one person's idea )