Minimalist, barefoot footwear needed (extra bonus if good for stream and mud)

question: To you, does “barefoot” and “minimalist” footwear mean zero/low drop with room for splayed toes or are you looking for zero padding too? Two very different things.

Hi Alina

I am not sure whether you understand the difference between ‘barefoot’ and joggers. It is – well, huge.
Very few would recommend real barefoot for backpacking. On the other hand, light joggers are absolutely mainstream for backpacking, at least here at BPL.

Cheers

Roger, I was about to say the same thing (that not many would recommend barefoot style minimalist) but then I reined it in knowing several who would jump all over me and talk about how they walk on broken rock barefoot 100 miles a day with never a foot problem and now they cured their hair loss with it too.

Thank you!

@ Colin   That is a good question. As much as I would like the zero padding I do not think that I am ready for it yet. Although if someone has good recommendations I can certainly have a look.

At this point I would say I look for zero drop with room for splayed toes.

Regarding your second comment. It is so true. I did read all the posts ranging from “I would never do that!” to what you had said. Many years ago, before I was into backpacking, I saw a guy with a  really heavy backpack walking barefoot on a steep trail. I was so shocked that I remember it till now. He seemed to be quite comfortable too. Now I wish I talked to him instead of thinking that he was just a crazy, hippy type (LOL)

@Roger   The reason that I have mixed in some info on barefoot running is that it is something that I want to do as well. Sorry, maybe I should have not mixed the two. I thought that maybe I could use the same pair of shoes for hiking and running/jogging?

Well, I’ve tried most of them. I just picked up a pair of the new Xero Prios. Only had them for a week or so but I think they would probably meet your requirements. A nice mesh runner with a 6mm sole and a wide toe box.

If you’re training your feet to ultimately be barefoot, a nice thin huarache would be a good choice, too. I think you can pick up the Xero 4mm DIYs for about $25. I do a lot of hiking in mine. They don’t do all that well in wet/muddy conditions, though.

Oops. Just saw that you were looking for padding. Definitley not goin to find that with Xeros.

Alina,
I’ll warn that there’s probably no more controversial topic than shoes so get ready for some fireworks!

Seems the running and hiking worlds are aiming more at “maximalist” style shoes (minimal drop, natural toe splay but lots of padding). As such, none are more popular than Altra. I personally prefer Hoka’s as I like a bit of drop and the rolled profile.

I’d personally not recommend a minimally padded shoe. I trail run in a pretty lightly padded low drop shoes and while it works for a fast 6-8 miles with no weight, that’s not like day after day hiking. Even as a forefoot runner I hike with a rolling gait with my heel hitting first so need more padding to stay comfortable on long hikes.

I have been heading toward minimalistic shoes and I’m currently using Altra Superiors to trail run and hike in all but the rockiest of terrain. I would think that would be the biggest step from your XTs and it would take some time to get used to the zero drop. I wear zero drop 99% of the time I have shoes on and my legs have adjusted nicely. But it took a while.

My first pair of minimalist shoes also had minimal padding–some Merrell model or other. Which made trail hiking in New England painful, as the bottom of my feet felt every little pebble and pointy rock. The solution, as I found the​ shoes super comfy, was buying the Altra Stone Guard. I slid that in, and never looked back :) Easy fix for $15

https://www.altrarunning.com/women/womens-stoneguard

I second Malto on the Altra Superiors.  Zero drop and a wide toe, everything you need in a transition shoe.

I’m also very fond of the New Balance Minimus 10v4, which you can also get in wide.  Less sole the the Altras, I don’t wear them for much beyond 10 miles.

I also like the altra superiors. They seem to have improved on the durability issues in the new model, but I will have to wait to confirm that. I wear them with the rock plate and insole removed. They are pretty minimal, lots of flexibility in every direction and you can feel small rocks well. They have very thin uppers and drain water well, they don’t hold much water.

I used to use shoes that were more minimal than the superiors like the trail gloves and new balance minimus but the toe boxes in those shoes are too narrow for my foot now. The superiors, my only acceptable option for footwear now, have more underfoot protection than those shoes but I find them to be just fine for someone obsessed with flexibility and ground feel. The are the most minimal shoes I can put microspikes on without crushing them crushing my toes.

Hi Alina!

I’ll second the Altra vote, but with qualifications.  I have the first iteration of Altra’s  zero drop Lone Peak (similar to the Superior) and found them to be absolutely not adequate for anything but maintained trails because they have no structure to them.  By that I mean they have no heel counter to keep one’s foot centered within the shoe.  Once, when crossing a steep boulder field, my feet would slide off the footbed, ending up halfway on the sidewall; that was the most exhausting traverse ever!  But for some reason they remain the most popular shoe on the PCT I’m told…probably ’cause those folks never leave the trail.

A better shoe (for me) is the Topo MT trail runner; however, they’re not zero drop, rather 2 or 3 mm depending on the model (they offer three trail runners), have a roomy toe box, a heel counter, and thicker midsole.  And best of all, they’re lighter than Altras( my size 12s weigh 9.9 oz).  Check ’em out at REI;  If you’re a member you can get them for 20% off starting tomorrow.

Happy trails!

For what it’s worth Justin, the Minimus 10v4 in wide width is just as roomy, and in my opinion even roomier in the toe, than the Superior or Lone Peak.  At least it feels that way, primarily because it’s not as stiff.

I have known some truly barefoot (no shoes at all) hikers (not backpackers). They are slow, but very zen. It can be done. There was a human species before shoes.

The OP’s Solomon shoes are not even in the realm of minimalist (aka “barefoot”) footwear. As others have said, zero drop, wide toe box, and very low stack height soles are the necessary characteristics. I would not call Altra shoes minimalist because they lack the last character. Look at something like Vivobarefoot shoes for an example of true minimalist footwear.

As for time to adapt, it does take some adjustment. You will have to dramatically strengthen your ankles, calves, and feet. I’d say it has taken me 5 years to get to where I am fully conditioned for all levels of minimalist hiking and running. What you hear is that it takes a few months or even a year. That is probably true for basic walking and short distance hiking. But to perform athletically, you are looking at something more akin to time it would take to get good at any strength sport that requires muscle groups you have not used much in the past. You are not going to be come an athlete at something new in one year. If you try, you will end up injured.

Check out Topo. I happen to like them more than Altra.

Though I personally stocked up on Pearl Izumi Trail N1’s. Though, they are getting harder to find now that Pearl is out of the running shoe game. I picked up enough pairs to last me the next 3 years or so.

Thank you everyone.

I have been looking into your recommendations and doing some googling. Not finished yet! There is so much information out there. It will take me a while to make up my mind. I have not seen any emerging consistencies yet. It seems to be all over the place for now.

Regarding Vivobarefoot – I see that many people complain that they are not durable. On further research I think that probably many of the minimalist shoes are not going to be very durable on trails anyway as they are meant for street running and not for rugged terrain? Are there any minimalist shoes that are durable?

Regarding Altra – they  look good but they do not dry out easily, do they? Also how is the traction on wet rocks and other terrain?

I guess the Vibrams are the original ones. Many people seem to like them. I see people complaining that they stink though. Any comments on that?

Thank you.

Alina, if you search the BPL forums you will see numerous past posts on Vivo and other brands. These old posts correctly point out that previous models of Vivo trail shoes had durability problems. With the new Primus Trail SG and FG, however, dramatic improvements have been made with respect to durability. The upper is far improved. And I’m still evaluating how big an improvement there is with the sole.

As far as durability, Xero has a 5000 mile warranty on their soles.

” I would not call Altra shoes minimalist because they lack the last character.”

I would call the altra superiors with the rock plate and insole removed minimalist shoes. They have a bigger stack height and they don’t look minimal, but when you get them on your feet they have surprisingly high flexibility and ground feel, just more soft cushion in the midsole. They are different from a vivobarefoot, more protection, but they don’t really inhibit natural foot movement or ground feel for someone used to minimalist shoes. They pass the test for rolling your shoes into a ball.

The lone peaks are definitely not minimal, lots of cushion and a rock plate. They are more of a standard trail runner just with a wide toe box and flat sole.

Lots of great suggestions! I am checking every one of them. Thank you.

I have come across this article: https://backpackinglight.com/jordan_minimalist_footwear_backpacking/ Interesting, although I see that many people do not agree with it.

This article and some of your comments got me thinking that if I want to use minimalist shoes then it has to be a lifestyle. I do not think that it is going to be comfortable/healthy to use barefoot shoes (even transitional ones) when backpacking and “regular” shoes otherwise. Too much switching and confusion for the feet. Unless someone does the switching and it works! Then correct me please if I am wrong.

Probably I should not be rushing into it either. It might be wiser to start easy with barefoot walking in a park etc. Although I will have to wait at least a month for that (I am in Canada). Only then buy barefoot shoes once  I am comfortable walking barefoot. Then I could start using them when backpacking. I worry that  if I was to buy even something not very hard core like the Altras for example, I am not sure if I could walk in them for more than few hours. You can correct me on this too if I am wrong! The suggested StoneGuard looks interesting. It might be good to have as a backup.

I am also not sure about the idea of “transition” shoes. Ken Bob in his book actually advocates going completely barefoot and once you are good with that go with barefoot shoes. Correct me here if I am wrong! (there is a theme emerging here lol)

Just my thoughts. I am still sole searching lol.

How did you ease into barefoot shoes? How long did it take you?

Also, as I have said earlier, I am in Canada so I might be restricted in terms of what shoes are available to me. I do not think that minimalist shoes are here as popular as in the US. I do prefer to try them on before buying therefore I am not keen on ordering them from the  internet. It is too risky for me.

Well, these two sisters backpacked the Appalachian Trail southbound barefooted and one (Lucy) turned around and yo-yoed the trail barefooted. They did compromise and wore shoes in snow. Here’s one of the books they wrote.

Barefoot running is much different and potentially problematic versus simply walking barefoot. For the past 10 years or so I have been backpacking in cross country flats and for around 7 years have been using the Mizuno Wave Universe 4, which have almost zero drop and almost zero cushioning and weigh less than 10 ounces per pair. The Wave Universe 5 are even lighter but I still have a few new pairs of the 4’s to wear out first. More thoughts on minimalist shoes here.

My favorite shoes were a pair of inov-8. I am surprised that nobody has mentioned them yet. My feet are wide and they tend to be in the narrow spectrum for width. They have revamped their offerings, so I am not sure where they fall currently. They have shoes with specific soles for certain trail conditions, including mud.

Alina,

In 1999 I bought Vibram Fivefingers (made in Italy) which are now called Classic. It took me two years to muster some courage to do some hiking in them. Since than that’s the only footwear I use for backpacking, except winter. (And I’m very sorry for that). For me the most challenging terrain is a loose, broken rock 10-20 cm in diameter. I tried other minimalist shoes but I find that Vibram Fivefingers are as close as possible to barefoot walking experience. And it is so liberating! On my avatar I’m wearing them in Pukaskwa National Park. I walked in them in most major parks in Canada (from West Coast Trail to Gros Morne) and abroad. In my opinion you will have to try few types before you find one that make you and your feet happy.