Brave and Barefoot – what’s the hype with barefoot / minimalist shoes?

Have you noticed all the buff guys and gals getting around in those funny looking shoe-type-things with five toes made from what looks like wetsuit material?

Me too, and I really thought this was another flash-in-the-pan fad, until I delved a bit deeper on a recent mission to find a perfect multi-purpose shoe.

A little background on me here to set the scene: I’m a pretty practical gal and I most like objects, including clothing, that have a purpose. Such as a jacket with great pockets that actually fits stuff, or a cool well made saddle bag that fits my essentials and stays on my back while cycling. Or my sticky pair of cossies (that’s a swimsuit for non-Aussies) that is made with enough fabric in all the right bits and well positioned straps to actually stay on in the surf. That’s why I love fabrics such as merino wool or silk that ‘breathe’ with the body but have natural thermal properties as part of their unique fibers and can be worn in any season.

I wanted a sleek black sneaker to do practically anything from walking, dancing, hiking to going out for a drink. I was inspired by Sarah Wilson‘s post on how she travels with just carry-on luggage see more from this sassy lady here.

So, I bought my first pair of ‘barefoot’ shoes!

I went to a specialty shoe store that stocks different types of ‘barefoot’ or ‘minimalist’ shoe (which is a more accurate name), across different brands so that I could see which brand and type fit my foot best. I have a relatively large foot but its not particularly wide, and I have a long second toe (which is meant to mean I’m smart, I have no idea where I heard that, but I like to remember anything that helps me love my feet more!!).

I love these shoes so much that from the moment I bought them I didn’t want to wear anything else. I paired them with casuals, shorts, jeans and skirts and even dresses! I’ve never been one for sneakers with skirts – but these shoes are way spunky
!… Well I think so, do you?

Anyway, my obsession stretched from wearing them to work, play, spontaneous yoga, walking, running for the train, riding my bike, you name it!

So, I thought this deserved a second pair and I wanted to try a slip-on variety to see if they would be more comfortable than a typical ‘ballet flat‘. I also needed a shoe that stays on my foot when riding a bike where is where most typical ballet flats fail. In fact I find most ‘ballet flat’ style slip-on shoes extremely uncomfortable and what’s worse is they can easily fall off when cycling which can be dangerous. I’m not a Lycra-clad cyclist with special clip in shoes. I’ve found it’s less intimidating for newbie cyclists to see someone cycling through Sydney city traffic in normal clothes, and I love to encourage everyone to ride. On yer bike!

The shoe with work slacks (brand new)

Lets go travelling!
I put this second pair (the Zest Glove) to the test recently when I took them with me as my main travel shoe on a journey to three continents. I wore them about 80% of the time during six weeks while studying permaculture in Hawaii (wore while gardening, across volcanic rock and submerged in water), yoga and retreat in Bali, and traveling in Peru (hard life!?)…

stylin’ my slip-on shoe here in Ubub

Giddy up bunch o’ banana in Hawai’i

Grinning, awaiting sun break in Machu Pichu, Peru

I even wore these to Machu Pichu sacred site in Peru. I was stopped a couple times high up there in the Andes and asked if my feet were ok – yes ! They were very happy. Plus I could kick my shoes off easily and feel the smooth well worn stones of this sacred place.

The verdict?
Awesome travel companions! in general they provided enough support while giving my foot room to breathe. They look discrete enough to be worn anywhere but also cute enough to wear out to a bar!

Pros

• Simple casual design but sleek enough to be worn with anything and thus perfect for traveling when one may go from flying, beaching, walking a volcano and then having a cool beverage in the arvo or watching a local act at the local night club.
• Able to be kicked off easily to feel the earth at any opportune moment (note that its super important to connect bare skin to the the earth or natural flooring connected to the earth during your day, see this journal article for more on this).
• No inner sole to worry about or get stinky, they are a compete light- weight unit.
• Don’t smell – this style never smelt pongy (the sneaker variety of Merrell above that i also have do smell a bit and I find I have to air them out or wash them every couple weeks. lucky they dry fast). Washing tips- stick a bucket under outlet house from laundry, fill up, stick shoes in and soak 10mins, scrub lightly and drain, allow to dry upside down to drain.
• Sole is hardly worn. theres some wear visible on the sole of the shoe where most impact is made in this type of shoe (rather than the heel in conventional shoes). The sole on most barefoot shoes is made by Vibram.
• Can be easily wiped down if any dust built up
• Dry quickly if saturated
• Weigh less than a paperback (~200grams) and take up little space so can be stuffed into a hand bag if needed (I’d use a little cloth bag if putting in your handbag).

Cons

• Look a little lack luster by the end, perhaps the matte finish creates that effect (see pic below)
• Worn a little inside near the small toe which isn’t a problem but I guess shows a slightly weak area in the shoe
• Inner sole looks a little dull and perhaps a colored sole such as a red/dark green inner sole could spunk the look up a little (note this is only evident when not wearing the shoes of course).

After wearing these for about 6months, approx 50% time in total, 80% during travel including garden, walking on hot lava etc…

Are the barefoot/minimalist type shoes good for you – What’s the hype about?
The theory as I understand it is that the natural mechanism of the foot is to stride with the ball or mid sole of the foot impacting the floor before the heel of the foot does. According to barefoot proponents, the modern design of a typical running/jogging shoe with a built-up heel has made us walk differently, against the natural gait of the human leg mechanism. I haven’t investigated the science enough myself, but I remember reading about barefoot runners in Africa, and how they are some of the most efficient runners in the world. There is heated debate around this, including at least one case of someone attempting to sue one of the large manufacturers of barefoot/minimalist shoes. There is more information on the mechanisms, debates and viewpoints of these type of shoes (or no shoes) available here, here and here. In addition, I want to also be clear that I have worked on strengthen my feet (unbeknown to me) through dance and yoga for close to two decades and don’t have any obvious foot issues. If you do have any issues with your feet it may make wearing minimalist shoes much more challenging and may require professional advice and time to strengthen the foot. Also some with any abnormality or injury may also be unable to wear a shoe without much structure.

How to…

Sellers of ‘minimalist/barefoot’ type shoes recommend wearing in of your new shoe. They take this quite seriously and so i was a little cautious at first and think it would be wise to take this into consideration. In the end I didn’t require any adjustment period. Perhaps this is because I am a yogini and used to wearing no shoes during practice, or sometimes run barefoot on the beach and I often wear ‘ballet flats’ that typically have flat soles or only a small rise in the heel. If you are used to wearing a thick soled shoe, have had any history of wearing orthotics or know your arches have lost strength and habitually roll in or out, I would recommend taking some time to wear your ‘barefoot’ pair in. I would also advocate to get to know your feet better – yoga is great practice for this. How often do you give your feet a massage, really feel how you stand on the earth or stretch your feet back, forth, side to side?

Care – I soaked mine for about 10-20mins, give them a light scrub with a nail brush or old dish brush (that i dont use on dishes anymore) and allow to dry unpside down.

I haven’t had any problem switching between wearing all types of shoes- barefoot, joggers (I’ve got Adidas joggers), boots with small heels, rubber thong/slippers etc, but this may vary from person to person.

Barefoot Wrap up

Wearing my ‘barefoot’ shoes has been mind opening and importantly, debunked an assumption I had about the need to wear bulky shoes when doing any sort of physical activity to ‘protect’ my feet. Of course in certain environmental conditions such as freezing snow, certain occupations like mining and fire fighting, one would need a thicker pair of shoes to insulate against the cold/heat/ environment while outside, ‘barefoot’ shoes would be my preferred shoe companion for indoors or more moderate environment.

Note: I bought two pairs of Merrell at full price and was provided a third to trial. My comments are completely honest and I hope they help inform you if you are looking to try a ‘minimalist/barefoot’ shoe!

Have you been barefoot lately? I’d love to hear about your barefoot and minimalist experiences and recommendations. Love em or hate em? Waste of money and prefer to just don’t wear shoes? Or, no way, there’s spiky stuff and Australian insects that bite – I’m wearing shoes!?