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Vibram 5 finger replacements for rocky terrain?
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Jul 14, 2015 at 6:31 pm #1330743
I really love the Vibram 5 fingers. They work great for me and in 2 years I have had zero blisters and love how stuff does not really get in my shoe, no gaiters needed. The problem now is rocks on the trail. I am hiking In NorCal now and its very rocky in the Trinity Alps or Whiskeytown area. The pair I have now are the offroad running version with the thickest sole and I just got a bad rock bruise last week and am now back to my trail runners. Problem on my trip last week is 1. My toes hurt and got a blister 2. Constantly having to stop and dump the crap out of my shoes 3. Dry so slow.
Ultimatly I am leaning to pick up another pair of shoes and probably get some gaiters. Short of that, anyone have any suggestions? Something a little roomy in the toes, not prone to debris entering and thin soles with good rock protection. Does such a shoe exist? Or anyone with V5F have any ideas to help in really rocky terrain?
Thanks
JeffJul 14, 2015 at 8:51 pm #2214763I like the Merrell All Out Blaze Aero shoes. They're a step up in cushion from the Trail Gloves, quick dry due to their positioning as a water shoe, and very flexible. I don't get much debris in them when I synch them up tight but gaiters always help there. I'd rather empty my shoes than faff with gaiters.
They don't have a rock plate and you still feel the rocks but protection vs. feel is always a compromise. Depends on how much protection you're looking for.
Jul 14, 2015 at 9:07 pm #2214767It's hard to gauge what level of protection you want, but give the Merrel trail gloves 3's a look at.
The all out blaze shoes have an arch in them… very bad.
Jul 14, 2015 at 10:07 pm #2214780I use the Spyridon for day hikes but I prefer using traditional shoes (Altra Lone Peaks) when carrying a pack. I'm a bit clumsy and have smashed my toes too many times, plus the Lone Peaks are better around camp (I would piss myself if I had to get those five fingers on in the middle of the night).
Dirty Girl makes a gaiter attachment for five fingers. I've never used them, nor felt the need to since the fit is snug over my ankle.
Jul 14, 2015 at 10:24 pm #2214781My trail runners are just some discount New balances I had around, nothing special. They certainly dont have a rock plate and seemed to handle the terrain pretty well, besides a blister and a ton of debry in my shoes. Its just hard to go back to such a padded shoe and a big drop. I guess something low drop with a rockplate is what I am looking for.
So far the Inov8s intrigue me with their wider toebox. I will have to take a look at the merrels as well.
Jul 15, 2015 at 10:05 am #2214844I'll throw my hat in the ring for inov-8 f-lite 195. Awesome grip, quite flexible, and lightweight. I don't think they're on inov-8's wide last though, but the upper is quite soft, so it probably wouldn't bother your toes.
I saw recently that New Balance is re-introducing the MT101. It's got a rock plate, but the uppers are quite minimal. I really liked them back in the day. I'm not much of a fan of the MT110 replacement model. I think you'll find shoes with a rock plate to be too stiff though, coming from VFF.
The New Balance MT10 minimus line was very comfortable too, but I think the inov8 f-lite is a similar style and much superior shoe.
Jul 15, 2015 at 11:22 am #2214862The vibram sole on the trail glove is very similar to that on the 5-fingers. If you look at the sole you can see treads for the toes. The shoe has a large/wide toe box that lets your little piggies move around and flex like they’re supposed to when you walk or run. The shoe also has a rock plate that i haven’t had any issues with and a stretchy scree collar that prevents trail debris from entering the shoe. I like the trail glove so much that it’s become my everyday (when I’m not at work) shoe and has replaced my adidas pool slides for pretty much everything but going to the beach.
Jul 15, 2015 at 2:57 pm #2214923You might look at Topo Athletic shoes if you like Vibram. The ex CEO of Vibram started this company a while back. The philosophy is similar (but maybe more 'traditional'?) to Vibram.
I've had Vibrams since 2009 and just recently got a pair of Topos and have been very impressed. This is a link for a model that has some sort of plate rock protection:
Jul 15, 2015 at 4:29 pm #2214970You can look at the Vivo Trail Freaks as well. No rock plate but great toe box and fit. I just did 100 miles in them last week, much of it on rocky tallus. You do need to toughen your feet with these. But less than with 5 fingers.
Jul 15, 2015 at 4:38 pm #2214975Michael, how does the traction look on them after 100 miles? I think I have like 120 in them, the traction doesn't look as worn as the old neo trails did. But I still have lugs completely ripped off.
Jul 15, 2015 at 5:08 pm #2214991Oh, I have seen zero improvement in the durability of the lugs. I think it is the exact same rubber and mold, as far as I can tell. Already a number of lugs are partially ripped off. I think until you have at least 40% or so degradation of lugs, though, you really don't notice it much because there are so many. But there is no good excuse for why they are so fragile. I've pointed out to their customer service folks that brands like Altra and Inov-8 do not have this problem with their soles. Although, I must admit that the proprioception on the Vivos is superior than even the Inov-8 Trailroc 150s, of which I have about 4 pairs, but none of which have ever suffered a torn lug.
But again, I will continue to hike in the Vivos, because nothing else feels so good on my feet. I will admit that after 103 miles and 20K' vertical that my feet were tired and somewhat beat up. Nothing serious, as I have done trips like this in my Breathos multiple times before. But, I can noticeably tell I am strengthening my feet. My calves and ankles and feet look entirely different today than they did a few years ago.
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