barefootshoesreview

Scrambler mid II – Xero Shoes

Hiking boots Scrambler mid II is one of the news from Xero Shoes SS2024. Until the 27th of March we can get them with 20% discount togheter with the other spring news!

SOLE
The 0-drop soles are in the thicker range to be a “barefoot shoe”, but they feel more flexible than the look testifies.

The Michelin soles is 5.5 mm with a 3 mm construction layer and 4 mm TrailFoam™ for extra comfort, the mountain bike tire inspired lugs are 3 mm. The removable insoles are 3,5 mm thick.

The sole don’t feel stiff, rather a bit padded.

5000 mile sole warranty.

Michelin soles wit 3 mm MTB inspired lugs!

SIZING
Often Xeros shoes are more narrow in wmn´s versions. For waterproof hiking boots Ridgeway I took wmn size 39.5 and it was perfect so I did the same with Scrambler Mid II but they have a more narrow fit so if you have wider feet and have the opportunity to choose men´s version it’s probably the better option.

2 hiking both from Xeroshoes, both in women size 39.5.

If you are wide between the balls note that the construction and material don’t allow stretch in that area.

The available sizes are:

Men: EU 39.5-48, US:6.5-15

Woman: EU 36.5 – 42.5, US 5-12

WEIGHT
They feel very light! Around 300 g depending on size. Comparing to conventional hiking boots it’s very light and they do feel light on the feet.

APPERANCE & FUNCTIONS
Scrambler Mid II have the, for Xeros, characteristic strap design, this time in natural colours (2 in men´s size: black or brown-ish. 2 in women size: brown-ish or grey-ish). The colour of the boots I show here is Paloma.

The upper is made of mesh and feel breathable. The boots are not labelled as waterproof and the upside is that they probably will dry faster. By mistake I stepped into water but the feet surprisingly stayed dry so the seems to resist the first wet.

Front eyelets for gaiters (or pants with hook).

Choose if the last hooks shall be used, thanks to them instead of eyelets all the way up it’s esier to put on the boots.

Generous bootstrap to easier put on the boot or attach them to the backpack.

SUMMERY

🔸️The light boots is in the more narrow range with thicker soles. The Michelin soles with MTB inspired 3 mm lugs should satisfy most of us. The impression is well made with with thoughtful details.

🔸️The price is €180.00 and with the 20% discount €144.00.

🔸️Available in 4 colours.

🔸️Removable insoles and nicely padded shafts on the inside.

🔸️Available in sizes 36.5 – 48, the sizes 39.5 – 42.5 is available both in men and women versions. Women versions is more narrow.

Crave – Glasgow

With butter soft suede and all boxes ticked I have to admit that Crave has gone a bit under my radar.

Ones in my hand I’m impressed with the handcraft and feeling. It’s hard to show through pictures but this is one of the softest materials I felt on shoes. Not in the meaning super fexible upper but more the feeling when touching the material.

Model Glasgow wich is perfect during spring when the weather still can be moody. Crave also also lower versions with similar look with model London but also a white low leather shoe Medellin.

I took my usual size 39 which is 11 mm longer than my feet. If you have narrow feet you can probably be pleased also with less extra millimeters. To me they are true to size and medium wide.

SUMMERY:

Model: Glasgow
Price: 190 €
Size: EU 37-45
Sole: 5 mm + 4 mm removable inner sole
Upper material: Suede
Lining: Fabric
Width: Medium
Weight: ~210 g in size 39
Colours: Cognac, black
Use: City Handmade in: Portugal

BeLenka – Royale

White sneakers can be one of the most useful types of shoes that goes with most outfits.

The “sporty elegance” model Royale from Belenka has a more neat shape with that comes a sloped shape so the will probably fit feet there the big toes are the longest.

The width is medium, more at the narrow side than the wide. So they will fit less wide feet better or if you will compromise a bit fot the sake of the good look.

The 4 mm sole is flexible but not of the super soft kind. There is a removable insole that can give some extra room but then the sole become quite hard.

This shoe has nice detailes and com in 4 colours. White + dark peach, black, blue or beige. Dark peach come in 8 sizes (36 – 43) and the rest in 12 (36-47).

The golden eyelets give the shoes a stylish touch.

SUMMERY

🔸️ 4 mm stitched sole (BeLenka EverydayComfort)
🔸️ Thin removable insole

🔸️Leather upper
🔸️ Inside of soft textile (recycled PU + cotton)
🔸️ Sloped shape
🔸️ True to size
🔸️ 0-drop (of course!)
🔸️ Medium wide (more to narrow than wide).

Price: €149

Fleeters

Its always exciting to discover and follow new brands on the “barefoot shoes” market! A new player is Fleeters from France and they are about to put cool sneakers on the market😎!

The materials are “vegan” and the material very modern and innovative. The upper materials remind of soft leather but are made of corn leather and recycled cordurou and recycled suedes.

The outsole is 4mm thick and is made of 70% recycled rubber. There is also a 3 mm very thin and removable innersole, the surface reminds of terrycloth.

The shape reminds of other barefoot shoes that are medium wide with a little slope. The side under the ankle is of a higher kind but for other models/colours it will be a bit lower.

There is an allowance in the smooth material to follow the foot shape without being stretchy so the feeling is comfy and soft.

The colours are very nice with small details as yellow ends on the laces. Talking of the laces there is 8 holes for them, often there are 6 or 7 for sneakers. There is no eyelets for the holes which gives a more plain look.

COLOURS

The colour of this shoe is “Lemon” and they are described as: almond, arabesque, brons and savannah! Other colours options are:

The pre-order campaign is April 29th and 30th with early bird discounts on the first collection for subscribers! The shoes can be ordered at Kickstarter.

1 % of the revenue is donated to environmental protection projects.

The shoes are handmade in Portugal and seems to be true to size. I took size 39 to my 24.5 cm long feet.

Shapen barefoot – Glam

Shapen is a Slovak company created by a woman named Mia because she couldn’t found good looking barefoot shoes to adults and wanted to fill that hole in the market.

Shapen offer elegant and good looking shoes for women but has recently also launched sneakers in bigger sizes to suit also men.

These knee high boots are very good news because it´s made without big stretch areas that is common which makes the look much more sophisticated and elegant! Many other designs have a big surface of stretch that often results in neither perfect fit or colour match to the leather part.

The boots come with detachable ankle straps for varying look! A very smart detail. The lining is a soft faux fur lining.

The 3.5 mm sole (+ 2 mm treat) is flexible and are a bit soft that make them comfy. There is no removable inner sole. The outsole is stitched for longevity, a detail that shouldn´t be underestimated.

The thin, soft sole can easily be rolled.

I find the boots very useful, often when travel I bring many shoes for a 5 days of travel. Glam traveled alone. I took walks but the weather wasn’t to good but the material is forgivning, if they get dirty, just wipe them of with damp cloth. After that they were good to go for office days with blazer. I think this is the shoe that has gain most complimentary also from people that didn’t know “they are barefoot”.

After walks on gravel it was easy to clean the boots.

SIZES, HEIGHT & WIDTH

I sized up one step to 39 (US8/UK6) from the size chart which is a common size for me. My feet are 24.5 cm, size 38 is according to the size chart 25.5 cm and 39 26 cm but if they were any shorter my toes would have pushed into the front.

Im 170 cm tall and the shaft height is 35 cm and thst works perfect for me and also my daughter that is 161 cm but of course it also depend on the leg lenght. The circumference in size 39 is 38 cm. If your calves are wider than that, there are boot expanders, e.g. from Bootband.

The height on my daughter. Even if she is thinner than me the width don’t look too big.

The boots ends under the knees without desturbing the feeling and movement.

On me, that is 9 cm longer there is som more space to the knees and I like this height.

SUMMERY

Sizes: 35-44
Sole: 3.5 mm + 2 mm treat, the not removable innersole is comfy and gives a little softness
Colours: Black or brown
Material: Vegan
Weight: < 400 g (size 39)
Model: Glam
Pice: 159 €

For 5% discount (on all Shapen products) use the code: INFOOTSHAPEDSHOES5

2023.04.17 Now on sale -30% off!

These boots are gifted🙌

ZZfaber – Low price shoe

If you are looking for affordable barefoot shoes a tip is to take a look at the brand ZZfaber.

Overall I found “barefoot shoes”
affordable because they rarely broke and there is less parts that will be worn out but sometimes the actually price is the deciding factor.

ZZfaber offers shoes for adults and kids. They can be bought from their webpage but even cheaper from AliExpress or Amazon.

The elastic laces make it very easy to put on and off the shoes and the inside is a bit glossy which also help but the shoe stay very well at, at least, my feet.

As you can see below the shoe adapt a bit to the foot. The upper is not especially stretchy but follow the fott well for a nice fit.

The soles have the kind of surface that is common for this kind of shoes, a smaller traction. The sole is about 5 mm and is very flexiel as we can see in the “roll test” below.

An removable inner sole comes with the shoe. It’s ca 3 mm heigh and give some softness to the sole.

The blue colour is in the reality closer to the version down in the right corner.

These shoes are light, have 0-drop (as all bf-shoes) and a toebox that won’t squeeze the toes even if this shoe is a little bit more narrow than many other bf-shoes (similar to some Vivobarefoot models). But on the other hand it can be a nice starter if you like to try this kind of shoes or have narrow feet. If you has a very narrow heel it can be a bit big there though. My teenies that for the moment prefer a less wide looked liked the appearance of this shoe very much and liked the feeling.

For best price the shoes can be bought at Amazon, if living in UK and want 25% off us code 8XND7B6B and link

If living in Spain use code VIZE6OY4 and link

These codes are available the 11-13 of March. The codes are not affiliate codes the shoes are gifted though.

Sizes: 36 – 46
Colours: Blue, black, grey, red, white
Material: Vegan mesh
Weight: 250 g in size 39
Sole: ca 5 mm, removable insole
Price: 25 – 45 € depending on where to buy it and if the price is reduced.
Delivery time: 2 – 3 weeks

To summerize a really comfy and compromising shoe!

Transition Vario 3 – Solerunner

Sole Runner is a German company that started to develop their first models in 2011 and Transition Vario was one of the first models and are also available in a mesh version.

Sole Runner (SR) also sell more casual shoes and shoes for kids.

SR label these shoes as a a 365-day boot with water-repellent upper material (leather), the protection band (the suede looking part at the bottom) is made of water proof material. The boot itself is not waterproof but water-repellent.

The boots come with different kind of removable soles and removable warming felt elements. There is a pouch on the shaft, there the element can be placed. One of the inner soles are made of thermal isolation. This makes the TV3 a real all year around shoe.

During the winter I have used the boots with both inner soles and wool socks down to -13°C and as long as moving the cold hasn’t been a problem.

I have used the thermal isolation in one boots and haven’t felt a big different but maybe the help more if really cold.

Removable felt insulation that is put in a pocket behind the heel. Smart!

When adding the insulation the shaft also become more supportive. Some want to have a more supportive shaft when hiking with heavy equipment and then the isolation can be a great extra.

The eyelets let the laces to run free that makes it easy to tie them quickly. Before I tried them I didn’t thought I would appreciate this fast tying system so much but I do. It’s really convinient to be able to easily put the shoes on and of. The laces is quite long and I always make a double tying.

The tongue is gusseted (the tongue is sewn onto the boot up to about the 4 th loop on the tying) to prevent water and dirt to come into the boots. For boots used in terrain I recommend to make sure that the tongue is constructed this way (and they more or less always are).

I assess the sole grip as medium comparing to similar other “barefoot boots”. There is no particular lugs to talk about but on the other side are these soles thin and very flexible and they are very light weighted.

Shaft heights and weight comparing to some other brands.

I give the high shafts a big plus. When snow outside a generous shaft height make big difference even if the pants is placed over the boots.

Som comparison when it comes to width and soles.

The width is in my book medium. According to the size chart size 39 would be one cm longer than my feet and the recommendation is to add 3-5 mm but wise of experience I took size 40 which is 7 mm longer than 39 and it leave space for thicker socks and also extra sole.

For the length size 39 would be enough for me but when it comes to the width I’m glad I sized up. So my suggestion is to size up if you have wider feet or want thicker soles.

I consider my feet as medium high instep (more medium height than medium low) with a medium heel and these boots stay fine on the feet also without extra socks and sole even if they are in the longer spectra.

️The appearance and overall impression are a very well made boot. They are light, soft and flexible and I appreciate the “fast tying system”.

SUMMERY:

Sizes: 36 – 49
Material: Leather
Price: €200
Weight (one boot s.40): 320 g
Sole height: 6 mm + removable insoles
Shaft height (s.40): 19 cm

Xeroshoes- Gracie

Rainy days rubber boots becomes a dry rescuer☔️. There are a few good options on the market and I have earlier told you about the super thin and soft long shafted wellies from Pokeboo.uk

Now we can also enjoy a short shafted rubber boot from Xeroshoes.

Gracie comes in 4 colours so if you feel like lighting up the cloudy days there are lovely pink and sunny yellow options.

Regarding the size I chose between EU 38.5 and 39.5 (if 39 was available that’s had been the right size). If you are between sizes I would recommend to size up, especially if you have wide feet. In size 38.5 the innersole is 24.8 cm from heel to big toe.

💧 The boots are comfy on me and no shafing on the feet but the edges on the shafts are a bit sharp so longer socks are to prefer.

💧I guess I have “medium” volumed heels. The heel curve fit very well so there is no slipping but if having narrow heel an extra sock could be good because I experience them roomy over heel even if it’s not a problem for me.

💧 They seems to be generous over the instep so high instep shouldn’t be a challange.

💧 Flexible rubber on the sides and a handy loop over heel make it easy to take on and off.

💧 There is some traction at the sole. The sole gives a little bit softness both with and without innersole.

💧 The boots are flexible and can be fold in any direction.

💧 Easy to rinse off.

The for Xeroshoes charactaristic “lace decor” is moulded in the rubber.

SUMMRY:

Weight: Ca. 400 g
Price: € 82-81, $70
Sizes: US 5-12, EU 35.5-42, UK 3.5-10.5
Delivery: Free shipping within EU and USA
Width: Medium

Elemental – Earth Runners

Earth Runners is by many a loved sandal brand. Despite it´s simplicity the feeling is great and the sandal well secured on the feet also during trailruns.

Inspired by huaraches sandals Earth Runner started manufacturing out of a Silicon Valley garage 2013 and has growth since.

Elemental Adventure with Performance laces.

There is 3 models to choose from: Elemental, Circadian and Alpha and two types of laces, Lifestyle for more comfort and Performance for more security. With Performance laces the named is followed by “Adventure”.

I took Elemental with Performance laceing. Elemental is the thinnest sole which offers the most ground feel that features non-slip rubber and is the best opption for wet conditions as it dries much quicker.

All laces are covered under a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty for manufacturer defects and laces can easily be replaced

Laces can be replaced, Lifestyle laces are $17 per pair and Performance laces are $22 .

SIZES

I found the size true to my “normal” size.
Printable sizechart with very clear instructions for proper fit is available at the website. If you’re not satisfied with how your sandals fit you can return them within 30 days, as long as they’re unworn, unwashed and unaltered.

There is good A&Q on the webpage for “tips & troubleshooting” regarding the adjustments to get the perfect fit.

It can take some wear to break-in the sandals and become more comfortable. The laces are at start a little stiff and according to Earth Runners it can take about 10-15 hours to break in the thong portion of the laces before they get much more comfortable.

The sandals are expect to last 400-800 miles depending on circumstances.

Appreciated and used sandals, mostly on forest surfaces.

EARTHING / GROUNDING
All sandals comes with the same copper plug and grounded conductive laces system.

Earth Runners worn on bare earth allow the copper lace plug featured on the outsole to make effective connection with the ground, facilitating electron transfer between your body and the earth through the stainless steel lined lace circuit.

RUN IN SANDALS
To be able to run on thin soles it can be a good idea to start small and prepare the feet with exercises and everyday life in that kind of shoes. I would not recommend anyone to live in conventional shoes and then run on flat thin soles. So start small and short, get used to thinner soles during walking, walk barefoot and start with shorter distances on softer surfaces.

SPECIFICATIONS

Model: Elemental adventures
Material Sole: Vibram Gumlite Outsole
Sole height: 6.5mm base + 1.5mm tread
Ca. 130 g (in size 39)
Price: $78
Delivery: Worldwide
Sizes: Size EU:36/US:4M6W/UK:3 – EU:44.5/US:11M13W/UK10
Colours: Plenty
Made in: California

Earthrunners donate 1% of all sales to True Messages, a non-profit focused on honoring the running heritage that remains so important to the Rarámuri culture.

This shoes was bought by me in August 2021.

Nefes – Yemini

Yemini shoes is a traditional heel-less shoe that are hand sewn with natural leather sole. Yemini shoemaking has a history of about 600-700 years and it´s believed to originate from Yemen. Now they are often constructed by craftsmen residing in Turkey.

This version from Nefes is modernized with zebra pattern and grounding function, it’s also made after the shape of my feet so with a perfect fit for me. No brake in period was needed and the shoes stays very fine on my feet without any shafing even without socks. The inside of the heels are made of soft lambskin (as the rest of the inner) fit very well and after 10000 city steps there was still no pressure.

The soles are made of thick leather and not as flexible as many rubber soles but for me it´s ok for this kind of dress up or office shoes, for longer walk in the terrain I do prefer softer and more flexible soles though.

The soles have cooper rivets for earthing/ grounding. To work there should preferable not be asphalt or concrete between the shoe and ground. If interested to know more about grounding, also called earthing, I can recommend the book “Grounding, the most important health discovery ever” by Clinton Ober, Stephen T Sinatra et al. It´s not anything strange or hard, just electrons from the ground and studies have shown that it can be beneficial to be in contact with the earth natural electric charge, one of all the benefits with being barefoot outside.

Grounding / earthing system through the copper rivet.

Before I swithed to functional footshaped shoes I did several tries to find comfy yemini’s without success. The were stiff and tight and gave me blisters. Finally I found the left zebras below, they were good enough but as we can see narrow and after longer walks they start rubbing.

My former favourite zebras had a little heel and squeezed my toes.

The shoes came in a sweet textile bag instead of a carbon box.

Nefes shop can be found at Etsy and they ships wold wide. Be aware not all shoes are footshaped, there is als conventional shaped shoes so pay attention when ordering. For best fit custommade might be an option:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NefesShoes

The code: IBF10 gives 10% discount.

There are plenty of colours to choose from.

Material: Buffalo leather (sole), calfskin (upper), lambskin (lining), waxed cotton thread, copper rivet
Sole height: ca 5 mm
Insole: no
Weight: Ca. 200 g
Price: Ca €170
Delivery: Free shipping to EU and USA
Sizes: EU35-49/US5-4,5-12
Kids shoes: Size 21-34, from ca €75
Colours: Plenty🌈!
Handmade in: Turkey

These shoes were gifted for review but as always all thoughts and words are my very own.