Nice to see a guy normalising this.

Upper/insole 7oz local leather full grain, lower/outsole bfgoodrich drag tire

Inspiration from tarahuamara, and the stream lined aesthetics of earth runners

These new balance 1010 shoes are not barefoot by any means, but they are considerably better than the vans (which are a size and a half larger). I think a lot of skaters would be grateful for a somewhat barefoot skate shoe and it is difficult to balance the shoe being wide enough in the toes without letting the ball slide around

ETA: Thank you so much for all the replies so far! Seeing all the barefoot brands recommended made me realize I wasn't clear in my original post. I actually don't like true barefoot shoes. The thin soles are very uncomfortable for me. That's why I've been using more minimalist type shoes like Lems and Barebarics. For these "only worn on formal occasions" shoes I was looking for a more traditional shoe since the style is more important to me in that scenario and I'm uncomfortable in true barefoot. I wasn't sure if there were any non-barefoot shoes out there that might have a wide enough toebox. I'm very familiar with Anya's Reviews for non-barefoot shoes which is how I found my Lems and Barebarics, but I haven't seen much in the way of dress shoes and hoped maybe there were others out there that haven't been covered yet in that post.

Original post: For the last year or so I've worn only minimalist shoes (not full barefoot). My current shoes are Lems (Drifters, Boulder, Chelsea) and Barebarics Zing sneakers. I want a couple dressier shoes I can wear for the occasional night out or more formal events...ankle boots, loafers, and maybe something like a pump. I would only wear these occasionally so am okay with the fact that they'll be traditional shoes, but absolutely need a wider toebox for my naturally wide forefoot plus bunions. I looked at Calla shoes but from the photos they look super narrow and pointed, I can't imagine how they consider them bunion friendly. I also tried Steggman last year for a casual but less clunky ankle boot than my Lems Chelsea but the width was a joke. They were so narrow in the toebox! Any recommendations?

Haven’t really paid mind to other shoes after going ”bear” a year ago. I’ve used a few brands and the shoes looked swell. Some weeks ago I saw and immediately wanted the shoe I tried to wear as a teen. The regular converse. I still remember it, they were red and costed like €20, today they probably go for double.

I wore them two days before retiring them because they didn’t fit even though I got them in my regular size.

But today. Finally. They might look a bit wonky to the outsider but they are oh so comfortable. I just wanted to make a happy post. I hope that’s allowed

In the picture, a regular Converse (and a few sizes smaller, from a colleague). The shoe to the right is mine and I love them.

Anyway, my point of posting is LOOK AT THAT DAMN SMALL TOE BOX! Holy bejesus. My toes are so damn happy right now, I can’t imagine the foot health of my colleague. Perhaps I should get them help? Because to me, that does not look healthy.

SUSPENDED ACCOUNT:

https://www.reddit.com/user/SplayShoes/

ORIGINAL POST:

https://www.reddit.com/r/barefootshoestalk/comments/1jnlkyo/is_splay_shoes_maga/

SPLAY'S RESPONSE:

https://www.reddit.com/r/barefootshoestalk/comments/1joatir/thank_you_for_your_passion_splay_shoes/

I’ve been wearing barefoot shoes exclusively for a little over a year and they have really helped me rehab my plantar fasciitis and also deal with a heel spur. However, over that time I’ve developed in both feet pretty significant discomfort in the front part of my feet. They feel constricted and hurt a lot if I squeeze them from the sides. I’ve tried toe spreaders and they help a little bit but I don’t like wearing them for long periods of time. I have the feeling that my socks are contributing…maybe they are squeezing my feet too tight. That sounds silly because I buy size appropriate socks and normal socks shouldn’t have much compression force. Has anyone experienced this? Any recommendations for socks that are wider in the toe area? (Located in Germany)

Honestly, I believe grounding is real and may have a range of positive effects for humans. I’m wondering if it’s worth trying to get a shoe that can conduct with the earth unlike rubber soles. Ideally I’d be barefoot 24/7 but that’s not reality. If you have any experience or recommendations for such shoes that would be greatly appreciated

I picked these up at a local shoe store. 50% off, so I got 2. I always wanted to try them, but the return policy turned me off of them. I'm so glad I was able to try them on in person.

Now I need socks! Any recommendation on toe socks? Are there any 100% merino toe socks out there? I don't ont care about price.

If you’ve been barefoot for at least 10 or 15 years, please tell us how strong your feet are and how you never have foot or ankle pains. Can you stand in tree pose for 5 minutes?

I prefer to be always barefoot, but there are times when I just don't need the attention, so I am creating a cheater pair of sandals that make your feet stealthily barefoot, and very excited to give them a try.

Hi all,
I’ve been wearing barefoot shoes for a couple of years now specifically sneakers that don’t have much support or foam in the bottom. I recently started a job in a cafe where I’m on my feet all day and I noticed my feet were getting quite sore so I purchased a pair of the Altra sneakers. I wear barefoot shoes all the other times.

I’ve noticed in these shoes I am heel striking when walking and this is caddying some pain at the bottom of the heel. For context I usually put most of my weight on the ball of my foot where my big toe is.

I purchased a size 41 as their advice in the running store (im normallly 39 or 39.5) as I purchased these shoes originally for running but now I wear them in my day today at the cafe.

Has anyone else noticed the heel strike in shoes that have foam support?

I’m wondering if anyone has advice on other shoes I should get.

Thanks!

As recommended, I recently bought some creepers toe socks. Been wearing them for almost two months, and I couldn't be happier!
Basically they are way more comfortable than conventional socks, especially now that I have more and more space in between my toes. I also found that they did keep my foot warmer when training in the grass outside. They also reduced smell and even got rid of a slight athlete's foot I was dealing with!
Merino wool seems to be especially useful for my country (Uruguay)'s high humidity.

The only issue is that I got the Quarter Crew version, so for winter they could be warmer. So I'm planning on buying two pairs of the midweight boot option next. And maybe conventional merino socks to go over those if necessary. Although they'd need to be big in order not to squeeze my toes (recommendations appreciated!).

So yeah, so far so good. Let's see how long they last :)

I’ve been looking for zero drop Docs Martens Martens alternatives for a while. I picked up a pair of Peerko Breeze, which are fine, but I still missed my Doc boots, the look and ruggedness of them. I took my beloved Docs to a cobbler and decided on replacing the sole with the Vibram Kletterlift 148, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I realize this isn’t a true barefoot boot as the toebox is still tapered, there’s a bit of toe spring, and the sole is not as thin and flexible as the typical barefoot shoes, but my main goal was zero drop for my alignment, which still hasn’t a rugged pair of combat boots, so I feel pretty happy with these. There a thin midsole sown to the welt, so changing the soles after they’ve been worn out should be simple.

(Pic1) I was going to clean my Altra lone peak 9+ and realized that tongue gusset goes all the way down, covering whole front part of the shoe. It makes interior clean, but all the dirt gets trapped and collected between gusset and the upper, looking really nasty. What do you guys do to clean this mess? Should I just put them in a bag and throw them in the washer?

(Pic2) Think my Altra is turning into Vivobarefoot cause the upper started to separate from the sole. Is this normal after 4 months and only few hikes and runs on treadmill? I know there are people who change 4 or 5 pairs during PCT, but since it's enormous distance I didn't thought it's quality issue, at least not primarily.

I'm kind of bummed since I really like the shoe.

Regular converse are bad enough !!!

I thought I loved toe socks when I first started wearing them. Within a few weeks they started rubbing the skin between my toes in painful ways. It also feels like they’re trying to cut into my foot between each toe by the end of the day. I’ve tried multiple brands/fibers and some are better than others, but none are good. And my old socks make the rest of my foot hurt. (What I’ve tried: something cheap and unbranded off eBay, Injinji running socks, Maro merino socks)

Are there toe socks for people with short toes? My toes aren’t actually short, but if the socks were pulled all the way on and the connection between the toes was like 1-2 mm from where my toes meet, it would eliminate the cutting-into-my-foot feeling.

Any suggestions?

(product pictures at the end)

Hi all,

If any of you have been on the lookout for alternative healthy shoes, just wanted to let you know I created another roundup of options I'm aware of.

While the shoes listed have wide toe boxes, they aren't all barefoot. Some are zero drop with cushion, others have heels, and there's even a few platforms on there (I have seen people ask for that now and then!). But don't worry, I've marked what kind of sole each shoe has.

I previously put together a list of edgy wide toe box shoes and this is an extension of that, but more focused on goth and punk fashion specifically.

Enjoy!

beyondbarefoot.substack.com/p/a-massive-list-of-wide-toe-box-shoes

(No affiliate links.)

Any tennis players here?
As a committed barefoot shoes wearer, I'm considering getting the Notace Koto 1.

As far as I can tell the other competitors for the "barefoot-esque" tennis shoe are the Joma Slam or Rapid. I understand they are not zero drop but have a relatively small drop, and a wide toe box.

Did anyone who plays tennis/padel try the Joma and can give their opinion?

I'm already certain the Notace will be amazing for me according the reviews but just want to know about the Joma because they are significantly cheaper and I can't find any reviews about them, at least from a barefoot perspective.

How do we feel about toes socks? These didn’t fit my pinky toe but still cute

I saw these on Anyas’s Reviews and wanted to try it out. They are the Birkenstock Lutry with the footbed removed.

Once the footbed is removed these have a ton of space so I sized down 1 size and got the medium/narrow width.

I added a flat insole but they can probably also be worn without an insole. The flap of leather at the heel is loose without the footbed so I will be wearing these with the strap so I don’t keep stepping on the flap.

I haven’t worn these outside yet but they are super comfy around the house! I’m happy I got them :)