Barefoot shoes for winter

[Lincisman]

Hello, guys. I am trying to make conscious decision here.

Do you have some experience and maybe can give recommendations on this?

What is most important thing to consider and look at?

 

I walk a lot. Bought barefoot shoes for summer and realized that this is what I need to feel comfortable. But winter is coming. 

 

 

[King Merk]

1. There are plenty of minimalist shoes that are also warm

2. To a certain degree you can train the body through cold exposure. I wear flip flops in 40 degree weather all the time. I fine once it hits freezing then I need some covering for my feet but anything above that is fine.

[Jannes]

Your feet have a lot more movement in barefoot shoes so that keeps them more warm. I went through wither with the same barefoot shoes I had for summer a couple of times. At some point it does get a bit too cold though. But there are minimalist options for winter as well. 

[effortlesslumen]

On 2.11.2022 at 0:23 PM, Lincisman said:

Hello, guys. I am trying to make conscious decision here.

Do you have some experience and maybe can give recommendations on this?

What is most important thing to consider and look at?

 

I walk a lot. Bought barefoot shoes for summer and realized that this is what I need to feel comfortable. But winter is coming. 

 

 

https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/

Their brand offers a lot of diffrent barefoot shoes. Ranging from Sport, Outdoors,.. Some of them should be waterproof and have a thermal insole. It combines the weather durability of normal shoes with barefoot shoes. Havent found anything better yet. You could argue that those are not the most minimal form of barefoot shoe but they offer the best weather protection.  I myself own the Tracker II FG, which have proofen to be water resistent. For very cold days you might need some extra thick socks.

[thepixelmonk]

I wear vibrams almost exclusively. Surprisingly warm I think due to how closely they snug your feet. They have pairs for snow and such, although I haven't personally worn them in those conditions yet. You can also buy toe socks that will fit:. https://vibram.com/

Edited December 20, 2022 by thepixelmonk

[Arthogaan]

Can you give me some useful links to read about benefits of those? Never heard of that before. How did you stumble upon that?

[eos_nyxia]

@Lincisman Look specifically for boots! If you're not specifically looking for "barefoot" shoes/ boots, "zero drop" is another term which might find you what you're looking for.

I own a few like... the Vibram Furoshiki. (Personally, I have mixed feelings about it because the velcro strap which keeps the boot together tends to fly off if you do any serious sort of foot bending. However, they have lining so they are fairly warm for what they are. TBH they feel kind of like you're wearing some kind of weird slipper.)

I also owned these Lems boots which I wore to death over the course of a couple of years. They are not warm. However I don't live in a place that typically has very cold winters, so I can get by with some warm socks. (IMO a thin, high wool content sock works well for these types of boots.)

Someone above mentioned the brand Vivobarefoot. I own a couple of their shoes, including this boot (chukkas/ Gobi?):

(These ones aren't warm at all though.)

If you're used to those Vibram toe shoes, "barefoot"/ zero drop boots aren't really quite the same.  You're not going to develop/ maintain the same sort of strength and dexterity you'd get in your toes and ankles that you would wearing the classic, but it will stop your ankles/ arches from weakening (in my experience) and becoming inflexible. You do get much more of a tactile ground experience than you would with other sorts of footwear, but it's not quite the same either.

Maybe there is something for you here? Some of these brands I haven't heard of before, but then, I've been out of the loop for the past handful of years. They might be newer, IDK.

https://nomanbefore.com/best-barefoot-winter-boots-waterproof/

https://anyasreviews.com/warmest-barefoot-winter-boots-zero-drop/

It looks like the warmest of the barefoot boots for "real winters" are mukluk-type boots. E.g. there is this brand, which is aboriginal owned:

https://www.manitobah.com/collections/mukluks

It looks like they have Vibram soles too.

Expect to shell out anywhere from 250-500 dollars though, probably. As they tend to all be individually handmade the traditional way (as the boot was traditionally made by indigenous people of the Arctic). (Otherwise, you're probably not getting as good of a boot... and it will still probably be just as expensive anyway.)

Edited December 23, 2022 by eos_nyxia

[Michael569]

What's wrong with wearing socks in winter shoes?

You don't put trousers on exposed genitals either. I'd be cautious about bacterial residue, dead skin residue, fungal contamination maybe even mould, but I guess if you disinfect them regularly, its fine. 

Edited December 23, 2022 by Michael569

[eos_nyxia]

17 minutes ago, Michael569 said:

What's wrong with wearing socks in winter shoes?

You don't put trousers on exposed genitals either. I'd be cautious about bacterial residue, dead skin residue, fungal contamination maybe even mould, but I guess if you disinfect them regularly, its fine. 

The STANK from not wearing socks with these shoes is real. If you wear them a lot and sweat in them, even washing them doesn't get that smell out.

...I highly don't recommend it.

[StarStruck]

Buy a set of leather boots. I bought one and they go on for ages. It is worth the investment. Shoes don't last very long. Boots last very long.

[Lincisman]

On 12/19/2022 at 10:46 PM, effortlesslumen said:

I myself own the Tracker II FG, which have proofen to be water resistent. For very cold days you might need some extra thick socks.

Yeah, I ended up buying the same shoes. For me at least water resistance feature don't do shit. They are getting abnormally wet after couple hours of walking in a normal winter conditions (a little bit of snow, sidewalk). I don't know where the water comes from. I think about returning them. 

[Lincisman]

On 12/22/2022 at 2:56 PM, Arthogaan said:

Can you give me some useful links to read about benefits of those? Never heard of that before. How did you stumble upon that?

benefits? All of them

They are comfortable (at least for me), healthier for the foot (they are foot shaped). You can just google it. I experienced benefits first hand so I have not done any further research on why they are good, I just feel it

[Lincisman]

@eos_nyxia Thanks for extensive reply!

 

[Lincisman]

On 12/22/2022 at 2:56 PM, Arthogaan said:

How did you stumble upon that?

One day I noticed that I feel most comfortable when I am barefoot with no socks or shoes. It led me to searching for shoes that would give me that kind of experience. So I found my answer: minimalist/barefoot type shoes. 

[Lincisman]

On 12/23/2022 at 6:17 PM, StarStruck said:

Buy a set of leather boots. I bought one and they go on for ages. It is worth the investment. Shoes don't last very long. Boots last very long.

Good point

[mmKay]

Barefoot shoes + thicc socks / multiple layers. 

I wear these. 

Barefoot shoes have madea huge positive impact in my foot health and posture. 

Edit : don't " What are thoose?! " me

Edited January 18, 2023 by mmKay