Categories
Barefoot Shoes

BeNat Shoes First Look

[gallery] [gallery]

Availability

BeNat shoes can be purchased off the BeNat website for €89. They size in European sizing (my FiveFingers size is a 43; my BeNat size is the same).

When it comes to minimalist/”barefoot” shoes, it’s not unusual to have some unconventional designs. For example, while moccasins like Soft Star Shoes and huaraches have been around for millenia, they don’t really look normal next to a pair of Air Jordans (yes, this is strange); and of course, toe shoes have a long way to go before anyone thinks of them as commonplace. So it takes a special kind of shoe to cause me to do a double-take — and that’s exactly what I did when I first saw BeNat Shoes. A unique shoe made of a lace and a riveted sole that wraps the foot from the ground up, BeNat Shoes are evocative of a Roman boot; or perhaps a mutant huarache sandal sprung to life and making a meal of a hapless, unsuspecting foot! I digress. I was put in touch with the man (Michael) behind BeNat Shoes — BeNat is based in Germany — and was provided with a pair of BeNats to test out. What follows are my initial impressions of these hyper-minimalist, incredibly unique shoes!

Meet the BeNat shoe.

The BeNat sole is leather bonded to a synthetic material; the sole has numerous rivets through which  laces run to wrap the shoe upward.
The BeNat sole is leather bonded to a synthetic material; the sole has numerous rivets through which laces run to wrap the shoe upward.
Having taken in the various overlapping flaps of the BeNat, one can’t help but wonder what they’d look like laid flat. I’ve not had the heart to delace them (perhaps for fear of getting them laced again correctly), but I imagine the result would look a bit like a stretched out starfish with a lot more arms to it. Each “arm” would end with a hole through which a single lace can pull all the arms together, effectively creating a sole that can wrap around the foot. It’s a fascinating footwear design and I can only imagine the iterations it took to get the template dialed in. As far as the sole material is concerned, the BeNat is composed of two layers of material. On the outside of the sole you have a thin layer of synthetic material (rubber?) bonded to the insole, which is an incredibly soft, supple leather. When shaped into the form of a shoe as with the laced BeNat, the result lacks a lot of structure. This is most apparent when you look at the empty shoes as in the full-sized photo above — the sole just curves right up to the upper. This lack of structure means that BeNat shoes aren’t much of a shoe at all (that’s a compliment). Here are a bunch of photos of the shoes sans feet.

Function

One of the benefits of the BeNat’s multi-armed “toe box” is that it can expand or compress to fit various foot widths. The way this works is that the that runs the perimeter of the toe box can be increased or decreased in length, effectively making the toe box larger or smaller, respectively. For whatever reason, the BeNats came to me with an overly narrow toe box, but custom fitting it was as simple as loosening the knot a bit, pulling more lace into the forefoot area, and resetting the arms to the new lace level. You can see the results in the photos below, going from tight to right and then to me flexing my toes (as viewed from left to right):
The front of the BeNat shoe can expand by untying a double knot, letting through more lace, and then retying the double-knot.  You can see how this expands the forefoot from left to right in this progression.
The front of the BeNat shoe can expand by untying a double knot, letting through more lace, and then retying the double-knot. You can see how this expands the forefoot from left to right in this progression.
Another benefit of this design is that by wrapping the toes so closely, when you wiggle your toes, you get better sole adherence — the sole tends to lift with whatever toe or toes you are flexing (Good for a traditional toe box’ed shoe).

Ground feel.

The BeNat sole is incredibly thin. My calipers peg the total thickness (which is the “stack height” as well as the thickness of the upper) at a whoppingly minimal 3mm! Needless to say, these shoes are “zero drop,” too. The 3mm of sole is also super flexible (again, see how the “shoes” roll into themselves as in the photo above). You get a huge amount of ground feel while wearing the BeNat shoes. Surfaces are readily experienced through the 3mm sole. That means if you’re wearing them you have to pay close attention to where you step (this is not a bad thing). If I had to compare the ground feel on BeNats to other ultra-minimalist shoes, I’d put it somewhere slightly less than Soft Star Roos but better than a pair of Classic FiveFingers (or the Sprints, which have the same sole thickness as Classics — 3.5mm of Vibram rubber plus whatever insole thickness is there—call it 4mm).

Dynamic shoes

BeNats move dynamically with your foot. As mentioned above if you dorsiflex your toes, the BeNats move with your toes (every so often my big toe did mange to escape the toe box, which is a consequence of the limits to the forefoot/toe box design). They have no structure and no arch support. How could they? When the sole makes up what little upper there is, well, you’re a bit limited on things like structure!

BeNat style.

The immediate reaction these shoes evoke is that they are gladiator shoes.  Hard to argue with that aesthetic!
The immediate reaction these shoes evoke is that they are gladiator shoes. Hard to argue with that aesthetic!
BeNat shoes require a very unique style to pull off. Any time you have a lot of laces wrapping a bare foot, the first image that springs to the mind is that of a Roman circa A.D. 30. The BeNat shoes have that look dead to rights, but they also have a very natural aesthetic to them, thanks to all the “arms” that effectively are hugging your foot (They also remind me ancient footwear — see here and particularly here, for examples) Meanwhile, BeNats are so distinctive in their look and so unique in their design that wearing them without attracting attention will be next to impossible. Embrace the look and just roll with it. I’ve yet to attempt this, but I’ve an idea about replacing the single-lace of my BeNats with various disparate laces (maybe using individual lengths of hemp rope) that would accomplish the same overall goal as a single lace but eliminate the criss-crossing (e.g. one rope for the forefoot knot; individual lengths of hemp for each rivet over the top of the foot). Below are a few photos of me donning the BeNats — could you see yourself pulling these shoes off?

Overall first impressions

I love the idea behind the BeNat shoes; it’s a cool concept and design and I applaud Michael for taking his idea and making it a reality. Meanwhile, as minimalist/barefoot shoes go, it’s hard to beat the BeNat for ground feel and general adherence to the foot’s dynamic nature. I’d venture to say that the overall combination is a balanced compromise between being fully barefoot while still having something on your feet: BeNats put you in the “just right” zone for both. The only drawbacks to the BeNat shoes is that the aesthetic is going to be a turn off for many — too eye-catching, too retro (Roman times! 8,000 B.C. times!); two, I’m not sure these would be up to the task of road running or any distance running as I’d expect both to wear down the sole prematurely, nor would I want to wear them for a trip to the gym. Three, the laces can be a bit of a chore to dial in initially; but subsequently they just tie like a typical laced shoe. Where might the BeNats find their niche? I could see them going on a summer hike (nothing too demanding) or being worn for general nature exploration; they’re strong enough to handle whatever you’re likely to throw at them as they’re a well built piece of footwear; it’s just how much you want to push that envelope, pay attention to your steps, and enjoy the resultant foot massage!

Availability

BeNat shoes can be purchased off the BeNat website for €89. They size in European sizing (my FiveFingers size is a 43; my BeNat size is the same).

By Justin

Justin Owings is a deadlifting dad of three, working from Atlanta. When he's not chasing his three kids around, you'll find him trying to understand systems, risk, and human behavior.

15 replies on “BeNat Shoes First Look”

I have my pair for a few months now, and was very enthusiastic as well about the design, these feel so right. I fiddled quit a bit with the laces, and it`s possible to just get it right, the big toe not slipping out anymore, the toebox really sets to the forefoot after a while, Justin`s pictures look like he has not yet arrived at that stage, yet, honestly. Justin you forgot to mention that Michael has gone to great efforts to make this an all-ecological shoe, even down to the laces. Temperatures have not been good enough to try them out. Michael told me the sole wears down very slowly, against even his own expectations! The looks are the only hindrance, but of course we are at the dawn of a revolution, I`m glad these already exist, and might adopt them after all cause of their comfort. They look much better with black socks, that is they are less noticeable…

@Dirk,

Good to know about them “setting” — indeed, this is just a first look and not a full, long-term review.

I’d imagine they’d last quite a long time thanks to them being so thin and flexibly soled — this will result in lighter steps and less foot dragging.

Not sure I love them…interesting though…and I think that they would look different on every foot. It might be the color…would like to see a lighter brown, maybe.

I’d like to see these put through some more vigorous paces in order to determine what they can actually stand up to, and maybe the design could be tweaked a tad to address the issue of the escaping toe.
I’m intrigued by the design but shy about showing toe cleavage.

As a Minnesotan, I’m unreasonably drawn to all things Nordic. So when I saw this post, I had to check it out!
I’ve been planning on making a pair of these for some time (having found an online tutorial about 9 months ago), but have been putting it off. Now knowing how they look and feel from minimalist folks, I’ll definitely make a pair now! The cost they’re offering seems about right for the amount of work involved.
I have a friend getting married outside this summer. I was hesitant to plan to wear my FiveFingers to her wedding, but a pair of leather Benat-style shoes, maybe with ribbon rather than leather lacing? Sounds LOVELY.

“wow those look feminine…”

As a female, I’d tend to say that statement is probably generally true for the typical westernized male, but worn by a confident guy with a physique like Russel Crowe’s when he was in Gladiator, these would be über-masculine.

So, like fashion in general, it really depends on the person inside the garb.

I am not crazy about the aesthetics of these. Maybe in the right color. I first saw them a few months back. There is a thread post on them in the forums. I think I will stick with my VFF Classics for summer wear. I agree that the lacing system could be modified slightly to make it cleaner looking and easier to fit. I do not see myself buying these. It really is not the look, but rather the exchange rate, shipping, and the fact that I am content with VFF Classics. Imagine the tan lines these would leave behind with their lacing system.

While I do love the notion of Romano-Celtic footwear, these do appear pretty constrictive for the toes. Shame.

According to the website, the “synthetic material” on the exterior is actually natural rubber.

Cool but not a unique concept by any means..

Ancient Celts have been making leather shoes this way since before the wheel was invented.

You can make them yourself very easily. Cutting the leather is simple, but I’d recommend a hole punch tool. This girl’s site has been floating around for years and gives step by step instructions for making your own “Viking Shoes”, which turn out to be Celtic after a bit of research.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Viking-shoes/

I made some flats for my girlfriend out of purple dyed leather after a few practice runs with scrap material. She loves them! I’m going to find some thicker leather and make some for myself soon, grommets can be found at your local leather shop as well.

The addition of the durable/grippy outer layer is a nice thought, but you can simply buy a can of spray on bedliner or some similar thing at Home Depot. I think the price is a bit steep, especially since these could easily be CNC cut in masse for super cheap.

Bottom line, if you like the concept save the money and make them yourself. You’ll feel great knowing how to make your own “minimalist” shoes and you can customize them to your liking.

I’m sorry, but that’s about the most ridiculous “shoe” I’ve ever seen and I thought VFFs held that title. I think we have a new champion! Just seems a bit unfinished to me? But hey, I totally get it, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

@Rob,

Ha it may look a bit odd, but it’s old school shoe tech (that Viking Shoes link is basically the same thing but DIY). I appreciate it’s design sorta like huaraches (though huaraches don’t look quite so wild).

Am I gonna rock these to work or pair them with khakis? Not likely.

about the price–i think this is about right. i am both a DIYer and a buyer–so I say if you are going to make them–then go ahead and sell them at a sound profit–for the rest of us on budgets we get to weigh the difference for ourselves–buy or “spend” the time making them. thus is our world. thank god we get to have the best of both worlds–a modern marketplace, the ability to DIY through the vast knowledge share of the interweb AND the option to wear oldschool celt shoes–woopwoop! 2013 baby

my question is–how are they for running?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *