Vibram 5 Fingers Preview

Let me start this by saying...yes...they are funny looking and I still chuckle when I look down, but if you can get past the look of them they are really comfortable.

I just picked these up last week so this is just a preview of the shoes, after I put them through their paces more I will write a more detailed review of them and my experiences going from someone who thought they were stupid...to someone who wears them every day.

Lets start this off by telling you a little about me. I am a 38 year old male who is tall (6' 4") and a bit fat (250lbs last time I looked). In the past my feet have hurt so I went to the Podiatrist and bought some insanely expensive hard orthotics, I have been using those for years but lately my feet have been hurting again....so I started looking into why they may be doing this and started getting interested in the barefoot movement. After doing some research I decided to dive in and give it a try, all the research I read seemed to point to it being a very good thing and that the shoes that we normally use do not let our bodies work how they were made to work...ok, well I really should let more qualified people tell you about this...here are two articles I found interesting:

http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/
http://neuroanthropology.net/2009/07/26/lose-your-shoes-is-barefoot-better/

I have been looking at these for the past few months...and to tell the truth the look of them is what kept me away for so long, but the thing that makes them look so funny is also the same thing that sold me on them in the end. The separated toes...this is what sets the Five Fingers apart from the rest, there are lots of other barefoot shoes on the market...no others let your toes be independent like the Vibrams do.

Most people that I have seen tend to buy these to run in...well I am not much of a runner...why run when you can ride a bike I say...lol. I am just buying these for everyday wear...and well summer is coming up and these will be replacing my faithfull Keen sandals for my do everything shoe...water...trail..city...they will go everywhere with me.

The only place that carries these in Victoria was MEC, so I went down to try them on. I was interested the KSO model, but they did not have any in my size. Well, lets see if they have any of them in my size so I can at least try them on...the only pair they had were the TrekSport, not really the ones I wanted...but ok, lets try them on.

They are not super easy to put on...especially if you have a little toe like mine...it curves in to the toe next to it (Does that toe have a name...other than the piggy that had none?)...the rest of the toes found their toe holes fine..but the pinky toe likes to be a little problematic. Took me a while to get them on my feet the first time...but once I did...I did not want to take them off. I wore them around the store a bit while my girlfriend tried to pretend she didn't know me...and let me tell you...these shoes felt good...so good in fact I just put my Keen sandals in the Vibram box and walked up to the till, wearing them out of the store.

Now I have been wearing them a few days and have done a few long walks in them and this is what I have noticed so far. The first thing is that even though there is a bit of a sole on these to protect your feet...you really can feel the surface of the terrain you are walking on...I am REALLY enjoying this. The 2nd thing is muscles that you didn't work much before in your regular shoes...well you can feel them, especially after a long walk, from what I hear your muscles will get used to this and it will feel more normal after time.

Watch Your Step

I have taken a bit of a ribbing at work, but mostly a lot of questions...why did I buy them...what makes them better and all that, and yesterday while shopping a little girl almost walked into a pole because she was amazed by my shoes, if you are someone who has to conform or does not want to stick out at all...well...these are not for you. The good news is there are a lot of other barefoot shoes on the market now that look more like normal shoes...but as I said...it's the separated toes that sold me on these but in the end it's all personal preference.

So far I am really happy with these shoes and can't wait till my feet get used to them, I will wear them a ton this summer and write a full review in a few months.

Vibram Website:
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/index.htm