Sockwas - a Minimalist Shoe Mini-Review

Guest post by James

I was inspired to become a barefoot runner after reading Born to Run, and started looking for “barefoot” shoes.  My first pair of minimalist/barefoot shoes were Vibram Sprints.

I liked the FiveFingers Sprints but ...

1. They were uncomfortable due to inside stitching and the toe things not fitting well
2. They became REALLY stinky REALLY fast, even if it wasn’t hot outside
3. They had no treads at all, and I would slip in them all the time, on terrain that I had better grip on while barefoot

So I bought a pair of New Balance Minimus Trails. These shoes solved all of the abovementioned problems I had with the Sprints, but created new ones ...

1. The 4mm heel to toe ratio was a big problem, messing up my barefoot stride big time. Who knew 4 millimeters could be so evil?
2. The extra weight was a problem too. Again, who knew just 7.1 oz could be so heavy on your feet?

And NOW we get to the point of the whole shindig: the Sockwa G2.

These shoe/sock things solved all of my problems with the Vibram Sprints and the Minimus trails. They are the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn, hands down. They feel like your wearing a sock. They have the best grip in the water I have ever seen due to their plastic sole (more on that later). They are zero drop, with the sole being just 1.2 millimeters thick everywhere. Not 12, 1.2! And they are the lightest shoe I have ever seen or worn, my size 11’s weighing only 3.5 ounces.

Perhaps the most interesting feature about these little slippers is the sole, which is not made of rubber but a plastic called TPU. TPU has  better grip on wet surfaces, and is more durable than rubber. I can personally vouch for the durability; I have run 520 miles In them and I still have all the treads, even though the entire shoe stack height is only 1.2 mm thick.

They are $50 bucks at Sockwa.com, which may sound steep, but I’m getting as much use out of them as I would with normal shoes. When buying remember to buy a full to half size larger than your typical shoe size, but the size isn’t a big deal because they fit just like a sock.