Customer Reviews Vivobarefoot Ryder

(Of course they don't have arch support, they're not supposed to.) These are the most comfortable boots I have ever worn. They're like moccasins with a bit of sole on them. I have thin narrow feet but like a bit of wiggle room, and they fit perfectly. Feels true to size. They seem to shed water well. I am so happy to have a suitable boot for Winter that gives me tactile feedback from the ground so I don't slip! One drawback only: If you stand still on icy pavement in these for too long without moving around, the cold will obviously get up through the thin soles and give you cold feet - they aren't thick soles, so that's a physical consequence. They do fine if I am merely walking around a college campus in icy weather, as the movement keeps my legs and feet warm.

Top of boot is very tight. Ordered a 42. Need to return for a 41. Maybe a 40. Very comfortable sole, though.

These boots are fabulous. Plenty of toe room and the zero drop heel is wonderful. Truly as close to barefoot as possible and still wearing boots. Room for wearing thick socks for wintertime weather. I plan to try some other Vivobarefoot styles in the future.

They are soft and comfortable. I need a size 43 in other Vivobarefoot shoes, which is too bad because I often can't find them, but the 42 in these fits! I like the look more than I expected to. The brown is kind of muted, which makes it more versatile. I'm hoping it's actually water resistant but haven't tried that yet.

I've tried many Vivobarefoot shoes and found that the widths vary a lot from style to style. The Ryder is one of those styles with a narrower toe box. I'm hoping that Vivobarefoot will come out with some boots with wider toe boxes that are comparable to those of their Ultra or Kali shoes.

I was eager to get these boots, because I love my vivobarefoot Lucy Lites (WHY have they stopped making them?!!), and I thought these would look good with skirts. Unfortunately the calf parts are way too wide and clumsy looking, they feel and look too big. They would be fine for slopping around in, but cost way too much for that.

I really want to love these boots, but they have some serious design flaws. They are very loose around the ankle and uncomfortably tight in the upper calf. (To Vivobarefoot: Barefoot runners have huge calf muscles! Please accommodate!! haha) Also, the zipper is very awkwardly placed. It would be much easier to take the shoes on and off if the zipper went all the way to the top of the boot. Once you take the insoles out, the footbed is not too bad - way better than a heeled boot, for sure, but not as comfy as my minimalist running shoes. Unfortunately, the other design issues make the boots unwearable. I'm very sad they didn't work out and I wish there were other minimalist boots on the market. FYI - I wear a 36 in Vibrams and a 6 in Merrells, but the 36 in Vivobarefoot was a tad too small for me.

I returned these. The top of the boot is very tight and hard to fit over leggings or pants. And yet, everything from the ankle up to the last few inches is really slouchy and baggy and just sloppy looking.

It's hard to see how a shoe company could mess up so much. The narrowest part of your leg is at the ankle, right? And the fabric of this boot is totally closed at....the ankle. I don't get this. Why not just make the zipper go all the way down like so many boots do? Also, the lining is more like a sleeve - it's closed to the outside world. This means you don't lay your leg into the boot shaft as you would with a full zip, instead you slide your leg in. You cannot tuck your pants in, You cannot reach down & tug your pants taut. To the contrary, it is nearly impossible to wear these with pants. As a further insult, the lining (remember it's a sleeve) is attached to the outer boot at weird points. This is a factor because of point 1 - you can't open it at the tightest point- your ankle. I am a skinny chick who has been slacking off on working out. I could only get my foot thru the ankle area wearing a thin silk sockliner, & with much struggling & panting & worrying that the lining would suddenly rip into pieces, because the only leverage I could get to pull the boot on was by awkwardly pinching the lining & pulling up. This also meant the lining tended to bunch under your heel. Once I had it on, I liked the look, & the foot part felt ok, but it was super tight around my wimpy little calves. I kept looking in the mirror & thinking, "maybe I'll get used to the strangling sensation around my calf..." I wanted to love this boot. I'm a longtime wearer of Vibram Fivefingers, which are great shoes, but are too cold to wear in the cold, wet northwest winter, plus you have to have a pretty high comfort level with dork foot fashion. sometimes you just want something with at least a semblance of style. I wish Vivobarefoot would put out a reasonably designed minimalist boot. I would pay money for it; heck, I already did. Boot design is pretty dialed in - either have ties (think hippy minntonkas) or just go with the full zip which lets you fold your pants inside, & goes on & off easily. How could they mess this up so completely? FYI I have the Lydia & the Breatho from this same company & they are great. Come on guys - make us a good boot!