I recently received a request from a forum member for my evaluation of some shoes I bought last year. I thought my response, modified somewhat, might be of some use to other members. This is not a full review so I'm posting it here.
I bought a pair of Vivobarefoot 'The One,' last summer. First wore them around town and for a few easy runs. The molding where the sole attaches to the upper delaminated in a few spots the first week. Continued to wear them because they were the most comfortable shoes I have worn in years, except for my handmade moccasins. Big roomy toe box, good all around fit.
Then I wore them in desert, mountains, and seashore while camping rough and shooting photography for a book on survival. Spent about six weeks in rough conditions. Almost all of my foot travel was off trails. Quite a lot of walking with a light pack (about 12 pounds) and a fair amount of slow running. The delamination didn't get any worse. These shoes allowed me to move as silently and well balanced as my moccasins and approach various animals closely. Unlike my moccasins, they do not slip on wet rock. These were exceptional in grip and ground feel while providing good traction on rock and protecting my feet from burning on hot sand, gravel and rock in the desert.
I wore them as everyday shoes during this time, so comfortable I just didn't want to take them off and they were presentable enough after washing to wear around town. I wore them when I left for Europe and in the Stara Plana Mountains of Bulgaria during the autumn while continuing photography for the survival book.
When winter came I put them away in favor of a pair of Vivibarefoot Trail Runners. The trail shoes do not fit as well as the One, toe box is smaller. But they served me well enough through December and January in Bulgaria – including in snow and mud -and through February in Turkey. I changed back into the One in March and have been wearing them every day since. I walk a lot and run the hills around here – Southern Turkey – some dirt some paved. I wear them on hikes with a light pack when I go into the hills to explore ancient cities. I also wear the One when I teach Tai Chi and Kung Fu.
Neither pair show much wear on the soles and I weigh 190. I would like the One to have a little more padding for rocky conditions. Many of the hills here are covered with broken shale and other rock, some of them sharp. The lugs on the trail shoes are too deep, mud sticks to them and I don't like them on rock. I think my next pair with be Vivobarefoot but maybe a different model.
All in all, both pair of these shoes have been the most comfortable and versatile off the shelf shoes I've had in years. That said, I only wear flat shoes (zero drop in current usage) with no support (moccasins, Kung Fu shoes, etc) and have done so for decades. If you're accustomed to shoes with heels and support you would most likely need some time to become conditioned to this kind of shoe.
