Anyone hiking in Soft Star RunAmocs?

Those are interesting. Thank you for sharing a shoe I hadn't known about. My biggest concern would be a lack of grip in the mud or snow.

Edit: Looking at their page makes me think that they'd make their shoes with just about any insole, so grip shouldn't be a problem. Now I just have to wonder how it fits.

Eugene,

I edited my post to clarify the model. It is the Dash that I'm interested in. At any rate, they are offered with your choice of Vibram soles: 2mm Street or 5mm Trail. The Trail sole looks to have some traction…maybe enough for my needs. Not sure about mud or snow though. They can also be ordered in many different colors or color combos for a small fee.

I like a lot about that company. Just not sure they make a shoe that'd work for me. You'd be out the shipping charges but I believe they could be sent back if the fit wasn't right.

r

I'm on my fourth pair of Runomocs. I had two pair of the originals, with the 5mm sole and now on my second Dash with the 2mm sole. I have yet to go backpacking with them, as I tried that with the Merrill Barefoot, on a rocky trail and my feet didn't feel too well, afterward.

I do like the fit and true flat walking surface of the Softstars better than the slight toe rise of the Merrills though. It seems to me that the 2mm sole lasts longer than the 5mm one, at least on pavement and the leather part is still going strong, after many miles, so I don't think that is so much of a concern.

I've been trying to toughen my feet up for a backpacking trip, in them, for the past year or so, wearing them most everyday, but I don't know if it's yet enough to counter the years of wearing padded and heeled shoes. I think people that go barefoot outdoors a lot, stand a better chance of using these shoes for backpacking. If it's just hiking without weight, then I think they are great, but keep in mind that they are not designed for walking with a heel strike, rather a mid foot strike. It's easy to bruise your heel, with no padding there, so it takes some time to learn how to walk again, as if you were barefoot. :)

I just ordered my pair of MOC3 and I'm very excited I plan on trail running with them, with a light pack should be fine! I use to use VVF classics for backpacking but grass always got stuck between the toes and was annoying. Also they got very cold in winter. Got these so I can wear heavier socks. Will post a review once I get them!

Hey Clay,

Thanks for the info. The Merrells looked super to me but after trying a pair on, was dissapointed. Too snug and not flat enough for my tastes.

Fortunately, from other activities over the yrs, my feet have gotten fairly strong. For fun, on a 3-day trip last Sept, I decided to hike the last 4 miles sans shoes. Faired suprisingly well…even though half that distance was nothing more than broken granite. Had I known that about the trail, I wouldn't have taken my shoes off…but I didn't want to give up. Point being, I'm guessing something like the Dash's will work for me while backpacking. Maybe I'm fool'n myself too. I at least would like to give them a shot if I thought they were going to hold up to trail abuse. What you say sounds promising.

Timm,

I look forward to hearing your thoughts as well.

Thanks,
rusty

Just thought I'd give this thread a bump, in case other Soft Star owners didn't see it the first time.

Still pondering but now I'm open to any of the Soft Star shoes, not just the Dash. Would love to hear from additional people who have used any Soft Star on the trail.

Thanks.

The SoftStar RunAmocs Primal are the only shoes I’ve found on the internet that achieve all my requisites:

* Natural material (in this case leather) in both exterior and interior

* Low height (free ankle, no boots)

* Zero Drop

* Thin, Minimal Sole

* Wide Toebox

* Good Sole for trekking (they could probably make it better, as the sole really doesn’t look very grippy for mountaineering)

I have also been looking at Joe Nimble shoes, which look great but have, first, a very cumbersome sizing procedure, in which, after weeks of chatting with them, I still can’t find what size I should buy (of course I measured my feet and of course that I do know my shoe size in all international standards), and, second, all leather exterior models seem to have a synthetic lining or a high ankle.

Lems look great also, but the sole isn’t grippy.

So I think I’ll go for the RunAmocs Primal. I just hope they’d have a more offtrailish sole.

I recently bought a pair of Feelmax Kuuva 4. They arrived with a failure, seems like the guy who was glueing them was in a hurry. I have mailed feelmax many times, but no answer at all. The Kuuvas are the most smelly shoes I have ever used. I never had my feet smelling so bad until I used my Kuuvas. Sweaty and smelly.