Have you heard of Vibram Fivefingers?
By lumenmom
@lumenmom (1986)
United States
March 28, 2010 2:00am CST
I just discovered a shoe through one of my email messages that is very unique to me. It actually fits more like a glove than a shoe. It is suppose to simulate barefoot walking and be good for your feet. I know I like the feel of going barefoot and it is not always practical to do so, especially on hard pavement and in extreme temperatures. These shoes sound very interesting and I am just curious to know if anyone has heard of them or even tried them.
3 responses
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
28 Mar 10
I have heard of them and seen people wearing them.My wife is a member of several running forums online and she says that they are very popular with runners at the moment. 
Apparently walking and running with all of these so called supports and cushions in shoes over the last 20 or 30 years has weakened people and we are not walking naturally anymore. 
Apparently walking and running with all of these so called supports and cushions in shoes over the last 20 or 30 years has weakened people and we are not walking naturally anymore. 
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
3 Apr 10
They do seem to be increasing in popularity at races. I've seen one guy wearing them at a 5K before. And I also saw several people at the marathon wearing these shoes. I'd like to wear mine to a race but they just don't fit my feet well enough to run in them. I need a version for short toes or something.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
3 Apr 10
My wife was reading books by ultra marathon runners and they seem to be popular with these extreme athletes.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
3 Apr 10
I have a pair of the KSOs. I like them except that they are so incredibly tight (a bigger size is odd because my toes are so short). The toenails on my big toes always hurt if I wear these "shoes" too long. Still, I do enjoy wearing them occasionally and may try a different style eventually to see if they fit differently. I noticed from the size charts that maybe I should try the men's sizing because it's a little different from the women's sizing.
I love being barefoot. It's not exactly the same, but it is close for walking and climbing. For running I find being actually barefoot better because my foot is more free to move rather than feeling like it's in a tight glove.
@owlwings (43915)
• Cambridge, England
28 Mar 10
I had heard of them a while back but had to do some research. Here are a couple of sites I found that you may find useful (I'm not associated with either of these - they are just what I found!):
A good in-depth review: http://www.justinowings.com/b/index.php/me/my-bare-feet-vibram-five-fingers-revi
A guide to choosing the right size (with warnings and advice about abnormal foot shapes): http://birthdayshoes.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fivefingers_sizing
