Yes ... Beware. That foam material is very sensitive to heat. I left my Vivobarefoot Ultras in the car on a hot day this summer. One was on the seat, and the other had fallen down off the seat into the "shade". The shoe that was on the seat in the sun shrank and is now too small. The shrinking was so uniform, that at first I didn't even notice. (My right foot is a hair bigger than my left anyway.) It wasn't until a couple days later, after I'd been wearing them all day, that I started thinking that the right shoe was uncomfortably tight. I did a side by side, and sure enough the right shoe was smaller.
They feel fairly loose and sloppy until I start to run in them and then I don't feel any problems.
I had that same thought. They really are designed for just running forward. With twisting and turning and lateral movement, they can feel a little sloppy.
I second the motion for Speeds being the most versatile. Mine are my go-to casual pair. I don't wear them running (I prefer my See-yas for that) and I don't wear them hiking (because I have Treks and I'd rather keep my Speeds clean and reduce wear-and-tear), but if I had to I'd be totally happy using them for either activity. They really are a great all-around FF.
I think the US style should have been similar to the italian with one side being stars and the other stripes. But those all really do look good.
I agree ... or even just red along the sides with the stars and stripes on the toes would look better. The US shoes look more 'thrown together' then the others, that's for sure.
My wife said that she wished they'd made an Irish flag version. I said, "Just get the Italian flag ones. You can tell people it's the Irish flag. No one will know."
Well . . . There's good hiking everywhere you turn in the Colorado rockies really. If you want to go to a more remote location, I'd recommend starting in Telluride or Ouray. That's beautiful country there. But you can find trails that are just as "mountainous" and pretty in more accessible places along the I-70 corridor like Silverthorne, Frisco, or Vail. The Aspen area has great trails too. You really can't go wrong. I'd just choose a town that you'd like to visit, and then go to a mountaineering shop when you get there and pick up a local hiking trails book. You'll find something good.
I'm not worried in the least bit. His injury resulted from improper handling of equipment. The way I see it is that the only way to be safe is to wear safety toe shoes - VFFs or "regular" shoes will not protect you enough. Since we do not have a rule for wearing safety toes I should be allowed to continue my wear of comfortable shoes.
Today I wore steel toe boots and was extremely clumsy. I am completely not used to the extra thickness of shoe soles nor the extra weight on my leg. I tripped over many things and almost fell off a ladder. To me, this is MUCH more dangerous than being light and nimble in VFFs. My feet were also hurting in a few spots that I know if I continue wearing them will blister. I have never had a blister from VFFs.
I know this seems to be a pretty common theme on this site but it amazes me. Most of us have worn traditional shoes our entire lives but after a short time in VFF's or barefoot we forget how to move in them? I can take off my classics, put on a pair of steel toed timberlands and be on my way with no issue.
*LIKE*
. . . shoes are shoes. FFs are just better shoes. The whole "FFs have ruined regular shoes for me" line of thinking is just bunk. I wore regular shoes for 30 years. Putting them on for work is not a problem.
WHy are people always afraid of what we are going to step on and what it would be like if they stepped on our feet?
They have been trained since birth not to pay attention to where they walk. ...
Exactly! I've come to realize that this has led many people to also believe that objects laying on the ground are simply unavoidable. You WILL step on them. That's silly, or course. The "doesn't it hurt when you step on rocks?" question is like a blind-folded person asking a non-blind-folded person why they don't run into walls.
My new response to this question is: "I don't step on rocks." It comes across a bit douche-bagy at first, but then I explain what I mean.
Vivobarefoot has a good line of minimalist off-road shoes. On the expensive side, but good quality.
What's a "REAL" hike, BTW? I'm an avid hiker from Colorado. Now I hike exclusively in VFF Treks, on trails that are everything from a-casual-walk-on-soft-dirt to damn-near-rockclimbing ... Should I be concerned now that I've never done a "REAL" hike?
It really depends. Pea sized rocks on the road can hurt if you step on them with the white area of the Bikila sole. I'm kind of with BearFooted on recommending the Spyridon LS unless this type of thing doesn't bother you. When I run trails in my KSOs I except some discomfort. However, when I ran trails in my Bikilas, even though they don't have plating protection, I was mentally less tolerant of rocks. I guess it messed with my mental expectations, thus making me less tolerant.
Yikes that really worries me - Im still trying to decide on my 1st pair of VFFs and was moving towards Bilika LS - maybe I should revert back to my original 1st choice of one of the Treks ?? I wanna enjoy being in them not having to constantly scour the area for pea sized pebbles [/quote]
It's funny ... another thing that you find out when you start going minimal/barefoot, is that: It turns out that your brain is really good at spotting tiny obstacles on the ground and avoiding them without much thought. Think about it this way: If your running route was scattered with the occasional golf ball-sized rock, you would, in most cases, easily see them and avoid them. It's the same thing with the pea-sized rocks. You see them and avoid them. It sounds tedious, constantly looking for rocks on the ground, but your brain actually just kinda ... does it. Almost as if it was designed that way.
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