BirthdayShoesThe Vibram Five Fingers Flow Trek, which is not for sale in the United States, is a mash-up of the standard Flow with the Trek sole (as with the Trek Sport and KSO Trek) features a closed top design whereby the fabric on the upper of the shoes is 1.2 mm of neoprene — the sort of material used to make wetsuits. The neoprene and extra thickness of the Trek sole lend the Flow Trek more insulation, which can go a long way towards keeping your feet warm in colder temperatures. By extension, the Flow Trek is best suited for winter-wear (Jump to posts on the Flow Trek below!).
Also, the neoprene’s added thickness gives the Flow Trek a stiffer overall feel compared to other Vibram Five Fingers models, and also makes the Flow Trek feel very snug against your foot, with the fabric gripping closely to your toes.
The Flow Trek is not waterproof (nor is any Vibram Five Fingers model), but it does lock moisture inside the toe shoes — this being a feature of neoprene. This moisture-control makes the Flow Treks warmer, but it also results in them being uncomfortably warm for indoor wear (your feet can get a bit sweaty).
The Five Fingers Flow Trek has no arch support and a minimal amount of cushioning or padding — its sole is thicker than the standard Flow due to the presence of the thicker Trek sole. This reduces the barefoot feel of the Flow Trek, but you still get a great deal of ground feedback.
The Flow Trek is seen most often for winter running.
The standout features of the Flow include:
Marrying the thin neoprene upper of the Flow and the aggressive sole of the Trek, the Flow Trek is the warmest Vibram Five Fingers model available, making it especially popular for winter wear. The flipside is that the Flow can make your feet uncomfortably hot for indoor wear.
Featuring a closed top that has a small opening at the ankle, like the KSO, the Flow Trek “keeps stuff out.”
The Flow Trek uses a two-strap Velcro mechanism to lock the toe shoes onto your foot — one strap over the top of the foot and the other at the heel.
Sizing and fit
If you’ve never sized your foot for Vibram Five Fingers, you need to consult the Vibram Five Fingers sizing chart (image) and measure the length of your feet as presecribed. Vibram sizing does not correspond to standard shoe sizes!
If you’ve sized in Vibrams before, note that Flow Treks size slightly larger than the same size in the Classic or Sprint models. So a 43 Flow Trek will fit larger than a 43 Classic or 43 Sprint. For this reason, Vibram prescribes you size down in the Flow Treks compared to the Classic or Sprint models.
Generally, it is better to size up if you’re in between sizes — you don’t want your toes bending out of lack of room! Also, the Flow Trek’s closed-top design means that if you have particularly high arches or “high feet” the Flow Trek may not fit properly and you might consider the Sprint or the Classic.
Okay, I want some Flow Treks. How much are they? Where can I get them?
Because the Vibram Five Fingers Flow Trek cannot be purchased from U.S. retailers of Five Fingers, if you’re looking to buy them you must search abroad. If you’re already abroad, then congrats! Of non-U.S. retailers, here are two buying options:
£100 – 120 via Pure Footwear — U.K.-based, Ships internationally — Store reviews
£120 via Fitness Footwear — U.K.-based, Accepts Paypal — Store reviews
Looking for something else? Try one of these other Vibram Five Fingers models:
Of course, there are other barefoot shoes worth checking out!
More Vibram Five Fingers Flow posts below —
Guest post by Richard MandelbaumI recently used my Vibram Five Fingers for an overnight backpacking trip and thought I would write up a little review of my experience for those of you who might be considering using your VFFs that way. There have bee…
hi,took a few pics of my flow treks in the snow in the UK, after a run.the flow treks seem pretty good so far, they take some breaking in, but once that’s done they work quite well. you can’t really bend your toes downwards in them like you can in…
Way back in late September one VFF fan got word of the “KSO Trek Tex,” sharing this photo on th
