five toes for failure

[tamajinn]

I was listening to a story on barefoot running on NPR back in May and these weird shoes were mentioned, so of course I had to check them out. Normally I get crap shoes from Kmart or Payless because I don't like to spend a lot, but these shoes, called "Vibram Five Fingers" caught my fancy. They are very thin on the bottom and are the closest you can get to being barefoot while wearing shoes (unless you count flip-flops, I guess). I had to make a trip into Philadelphia to get a pair, but it was worth it-- here's what I've been trodding around in this summer:

url=http://img12.imageshack.us/i/vibramclassics.jpg/][/url]


With a coupon they were sixty dollars, which is pricey, but I've had so much fun with them and they're still in great shape. They are machine washable. I love getting weird looks from people wherever I go. When you walk over stuff, you can feel it. Gravel feels like a foot massage. You can wear shoes and still leave footprints like the Yeti. They are just a fabulous shoe! They do take some practice to put on (I felt like the biggest dork at the shoe store) but get easier with time. And they are a discriminatory shoe-- if your 2nd toe is longer than your big toe, they're not gonna fit. There are some different styles-- the "Sprint" has a strap across the middle to help keep it on your foot better, and the KSO's have a mesh covering that goes up to the ankle for hikers (stands for "Keeps Stuff Out.") If you want to see some of the other kinds, for men and women, you can look at City Sports.com which is where I bought mine. http://images.citysports.com/f/726/28361/4h/www.citysports.com/citysports/search2.asp?mscssid=DRWM7R22VWJS8GWL5LS8BV0TAD1587G2&s_id=0&search_submitted=yes&q_list=&q_count=0&move=none&search_freetext=vibram

If I was rich I'd send Ronnie a pair. I know he's into jogging. My husband doesn't like them though! He always says, "Aw, are you wearing those freaky shoes again?" Oh well, they're my feet. The kids at VBS got a huge kick out of them (not literally!).

[Jono]

Although I kind of like the idea of those my toes would probably not fit well! My second and third toes are a bit crooked due to cramped shoes when I was a kid (I guess I was too carefree to notice when my shoes were getting small). Seems like those function more as a durable foot covering than a shoe per se, and as I regard footgear merely as a necessary evil of life, this stuff would probably be an acceptable compromise.

[Nikmis]

those are the craziest looking shoes ever.

i like boat shoes
i just got a new pair yesterday. robbie gave them to me. he is my new best friend because he gave me boat shoes

[Dr. M]

They are very thin on the bottom and are the closest you can get to being barefoot while wearing shoes (unless you count flip-flops, I guess).

Actually flip-flops are not at all like being barefoot, and are very very bad for your feet, just about the worst you can wear in fact. Your toes instinctively grip to hold them on, which puts extra strain on your feet.

With a coupon they were sixty dollars, which is pricey, but I've had so much fun with them and they're still in great shape.

For cool shoes like that? I'd say sixty dollars is pretty fair! Looking at the picture I was expecting a hundred, two hundred. Sixty dollars is really pretty average for any pair of non-crap shoes, I think. I just went shoe-shopping, and everything was about fifty or sixty bucks.

I'd love to get some, they look awesome! Only I don't own any toe socks, which means I couldn't wear socks with them which really isn't ideal for a sweaty guy like myself.