QUESTIONS: Vivobarefoot

AFAIK, Vivo trail runners have always been notoriously flimsy. A shame, because they're really comfortable. I picked up a pair of the womens oxfords (Nancy, I think they're called), and the sole is starting to pull away at the toe, after ~5-6 months of moderate use. I was hoping they'd last a little longer, even though they were very inexpensive on sale. I may switch to a pair of Soft Star RunAmok in all black; they're a little less polished looking, but they're also handmade in Oregon and people seem to have only positive things to say about their quality and comfort.

My older vivobarefoot shoes lasted quite a while, especially considering how minimal they were. Unfortunately, they changed their models and the new ones just don't fit as well (toe box more narrow than older models). My latest shoes are SOM (http://www.somfootwear.com/ ); they are similar to the older vivobarefoot, but with wider toe box. I'd recommend both SOM and Altra Lone Peak for people that need a wide toe box. The SOM are more minimalist with no padding and the Altra LP have more padding.