Vivobarefoot

I love these shoes. They do not take much time to break-in as opposed to the Ras. These look great as well so I can wear them around the office. For an even thinner sole, I recommend removing the sole insert that comes in the shoe.

I have some specialized needs for footwear due to a birth defect. But I think I can speak for all when these shoes are true to their minimalist goals. Once you get used to it, you will constantly wonder why you get to wear slippers and everyone else has to wear those awful dress shoes. My feet are the happiest they have been in years in these shoes. But beware they are minimalist or barefoot shoes. Know what you are getting into. But then I think you will love them. I do.

Love these shoes! They are so comfy! Delivery was fast and accurate! I get compliments on the shoes all the time. And did I already mention how comfortable they are?

I purchased these shoes for three reasonons: 1. I wanted to test out the "barefoot-runner" style of support from a reputable company. 2. For Minimalist support shoes, these are pretty sleek. 3. The Lugs could provide grip in motion control. (ok, 4: They're LIGHT) I got my order within days (3 I believe). A visually, simple, recycled shoe-box held what was soon to be the best shoes I've ever warn. Eagerly, I slipped these bad boys on. Man, what a rugged and tight feel. It felt almost like the shoe was lined with cardbord. I decided to give them a chance seeing as this style of shoe is foreign to me. after a few hours roaming downtown, the shoes felt gently broken in. The sensation of the lugs on hard walking surfaces was comforting; no slip. I got used to them quickly. The laces (when used correctly) actually help to hug and support your feet. I've been wearing them for about 2 months now, and they are without a doubt my most favorite shoes yet. I'd get them again, and again!

I've never written a shoe review but I like the Gobi so much I decided to write this one. These shoes are the best! I also own the Ra, the one, and the aqua lite from Vivobarefoot and these are my favorite. The suede is soft, so they feel great even without socks. I never want to take them off. These are the most comfortable and stylish "barefoot" shoes on the market (in my opinion). They are so great that I'm tempted to buy a few more pairs just in case they stop making this style! If only they were cheaper.

Excellent light shoe, but they just didn't work for me. The matte black material on the top and side design of the shoe bends roughly where the laces end and the foot flexes when walking. Even with thin running socks the stiff bend is painful.

These shoes are amazing. My son has been a toe walker for most of his 18 years. These shoes really do help him to walk more naturally and is wide enough for his feet. His feet no longer hurt. It took about a month for him to get used to the barefoot feel, but now he will not wear anything else. He owns three pairs.

I love my Ras. They are a great shoe and very comfortable. At first they feel "plasticky" but they wear in. Plenty of room for your toes as well, though mine may be a size too large but I don't mind. For wearing barefoot shoes in an office environment, these are perfect.

I own two pairs of Vivobarefoot shoes and I love them. These look terrific. Nice styling. They modified the Achilles at the back of the shoe for this style, and I don't like it as much. Doesn't feel as secure on my foot. I returned the first pair, and I just received the replacement pair, but it has the exact same problem: glue stains on the surface of the leather. I can see where a prior customer or the manufacturer scraped at the stains with a fingernail or a tool. This is a pricey shoe. Quality control ought to be better than this. An unsightly blemish on a beautiful leather surface cannot be explained away by "the nature of the material includes irregularities and color changes." This is glue from the manufacturing process. I would exchange these but I am worried that they will simply send me the pair that I returned yesterday.

If you are looking for a shoe that goes along with the bare foot movement, yet doesn't draw attention with unconventional appearance, look no further. I got tired of getting annoying remarks from wearing Vibram FiveFingers and found these to be the perfect solution. No heel to disrupt the natural gate, large wide toe box to let your metatarsals and toes splay out. If all shoes would have properly shaped toe boxes like these, things like bunions and other similar deformities would not exist. As far as sizing these run small, I had to up a size two times, but in the end the right size fit very well. If you understand the benefit of no heels and like nonrestrictive toe box these are for you. Last thing, these shoes look good too!

These shoes are very comfortable to wear everyday. BUT, the knobs on the soles tear off very easily when running trails. They do seem to protect my feet from stone bruises better that other barefoot type shoes I've tried, but for the price the soles should last much longer. I lost several knobs in the first week, and almost all were gone within 6 weeks. Keep in mind they were not wearing down quickly, just tearing off.

SIZE: I recommend using the size-finder ("how will it fit") tool on Vivobarefoot's website. For reference, my dress shoe size is 5.5, and my running shoe size is 6.5. By entering the make and model of my current running shoe (Saucony Ride 5 size 6.5), the tool steered me to my Vivobarefoot Synth Hiker size (37) and showed how the fit would compare to the Saucony. The 37 in these is spot-on with my usual running socks, and slightly too wide with thin liner socks or no socks. STYLE: They're more streamlined and lighter than typical hiking boots, which is what I wanted. They remind me of wrestling shoes, or 1980s hi-tops (in a good way). I intend to wear them casually, as commuting shoes, as well as for hiking. COMFORT: I've never had barefoot-style hiking shoes before, so I think I'll have to adjust to the low profile of these. They feel super comfortable right out of the box, though.

I sometimes have trouble finding cute and comfortable vegan shoes that I can wear to work. These fit the bill perfectly! Simple yet stylish. I bought the taupe and now I'm back on line looking at other colors!

Love these shoes. They are a great unobtrusive way to walk around "barefoot." They look okay, but with the synthetic materials there is no breathability or air flow at all. If your feet have a tendency to sweat, you may experience some odor issues.

I love these simple elegant understated black flats! I am a size 8, so I ordered both 7.5 and 8.5 (why aren't there whole sizes?). The 7.5's were a little tight, but after wearing them for a week they stretched a bit and fit perfectly now. As others have mentioned, these are total barefoot shoes, no padding whatsoever. They're super comfortable for walking around in. Only complaint is no ventilation, but even this has not been bad except for in extremely hot weather. These shoes look great with casual or dressy outfits, and so far have been really durable. I may order more in other colors.

I've had a pair of the Off Road Hi's for about a week and they're awesome. They are my first pair of "barefoot" shoes and I've been super excited about them. As soon as I had them out of the box and laced up I set off to the woods behind my apartment. The first thing I noticed was that there was no "breaking in" to be done. I suppose that makes sense with the lack of any extra padding or molding that needs to conform to your foot. They are quite comfortable and super light-weight. I went with the hi top for a few reasons. The first was simply for style. The hi tops are freaky styley! The next is for protection/support. Nothing quite compares to the feeling of a thorny vine wrapping around an unprotected ankle while your scrounging around some undergrowth. Similarly, nothing quite compares to the feeling you get when your foot starts slipping out of your shoe on a steep incline. Having the shoe laced well above my ankle gives me the confidence that nothing short of a tornado could pull them off my feet. And even then, I'd be surprised. The third reason is additional water resistance. I'm a frequent creek stomper and I like knowing I can submerge my whole foot without getting my sock wet. Pretty straight forward. Performance-wise, they're outstanding. The multi-directional lugs are very grippy and hardly take anything away from your footfeel. I had no problems walking on slippery logs or climbing up and down muddy, rain-soaked hillsides. I will also say, these are the best tree climbing shoes I've ever worn. I've always preferred my TOMS for tree climbing, actually. My school of thought was that what I sacrifice in grip, I make up for tenfold in proprioception and being able to bend and fold my foot around branches and into crevices. The Off Roads give me the absolute best of both worlds with an amazing range of movement combined with the rugged, knobbed sole. The last point I'll touch on is the idea of "barefoot" shoes in general. It's quite an amazing thing to be able to get such an amazingly vibrant mental picture of what's under your foot while also having the confidence that your feet are indeed being protected by shoes. It's a feeling I fell in love with when I got my first pair of TOMS and it has since expanded to it's logical conclusion with VIVOBAREFOOT. Additionally, I admire the people who developed the idea of a shoe designed to work with the foot instead of against it. I've been told my entire life (by commercials and the like) that I need these certain shoes or those specialized insoles to "correct" the shortcomings of my feet and ankles. When I wear the Off Roads, I feel like I'm doing justice to a design that has been developed over millions of years (the human foot). It's satisfying on multiple levels. I think companies like VIVOBAREFOOT are really onto something great and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for these products.

These shoes are great! They are comfortable both with and without the removable insole, and they look nice enough to wear with most professional clothing. They are well constructed and have a clean finish. Wearing barefoot shoes was recommended to me by my podiatrist after I broke my ankle and hurt my back. They have really helped!

Looks good, but I have wore it pretty hard and within the first week part of the sole tore and an errant thread is appearing to unravel a half cm. We will see.

The only reasonably priced 'barefoot' dress shoe I've found. Great ground feel and very comfortable. Appreciate the ample room in the toe box, just wish it was a bit narrow to minimize the 'clown shoe' look.

These shoes are so comfortable and look good too. (I have the gray/salmon ones.) Right after I got them I wore them almost every day during a two-week vacation in Japan where I walked constantly. They needed no breaking in and I love their light weight and barefoot feel. The wide toe box gives my toes plenty of room too. If you're not used to wearing barefoot shoes, it will probably take some time to get used to wearing these or any other Vivobarefoot shoes, but it will be well worth the effort.