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09 November 2010
I've become one of those people. What people you ask?→[More:]One of those people who wears those weird, weird shoes.
On the other hand, all the people I know who wear those shoes are insufferably pretentious self-important douchebags. (Though, really, it may be due to the fact that they have all worked at Insufferable Pretentious Douchebags, Inc. -- Self-Importance Division.)
The thing I don't get is, how much more comfortable are those shoes than any other regular kind of shoe?
I'm not sure yet - the instructions say to wear them for just an hour or so at a time at first. They felt comfortable but odd. They'll take some getting used to.
They are very, very comfortable for what I wear mine to do: run and take walks. They'd be great on a hike as well. And I'm planning to use them for walking on rocky ocean bottoms,too, next time I hit a rugged beach. The more I wear them, the more comfortable they get, too.
I didn't realize how self important this made me. Thanks Madamina!
P.S. Octothorpe, the "size" is based on your foot measurement, end of heel to end of longest toe. They'll fit you, honest. But the measurement needs to be done right. Instructions available at the site.
Can one escape the insufferably pretentious self-important douchebag bit if one is simply barefoot, rather than wearing Fivefingerses to simulate barefootedness?
Well I don't know about the pretentious aspect - they just look really comfy for say walking around the beach or climbing all over playground equipment with a small energetic child.
I've wanted a pair of those for a while now. It's hard to justify though as I don't run right now, and only take short walks. Plus I own far too many shoes. :C
I too wear Vibrams . my pair are all black cuz they didnt have any of the red ones anywhere in the city in my size . they are the most comfy shoes I have ever worn and when these wear out I will replace them with another pair of Vibrams. If I were to change anything, now that the weather is started to get colder, I might want to get the ones with thicker souls and neoprene on top for the winter and use the ones i have now in warmer climes
I only know one other person who has them and he's a really nice guy . I don't think I'm a douchebag, but I'll leave that for you guys to decide :p
I've had a pair of those for about two and a half years now, and they're by far and away the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. They're also popular at work--of about forty engineers, there are (not including me) about a dozen people who wear five fingers of some sort.
My wife also bought a pair about three months ago and wears them everywhere.
they just look like they have very little support, and wouldn't protect the feet.
we run the local Colorado trails on rocks with ours. They serve the same exact purpose as reef shoes, only because they allow your toes to spread out and wrap around things for grip, they actually let your foot architecture work the way it's supposed to. They allow for much greater running agility and endurance in our experience, but that's just our experience. I wasn't able to run for years owing to hip and knee pain, however for whatever reasons (and I won't get into it here) I can run in my Vibrams.
granted, we've both allowed a long time to adapt to ours. I've had mine for nearly a year. As far as support... the human foot evolved to support the body, and since your toes are really supposed to be allowed spread out as you stride anyway, it can be argued that shoes have mostly become designed around solving the exact foot problems they've created.
However, I was also one of those kids who walked barefoot on gravel roads all summer long, so as with all things, ymmv.
I went barefoot through most summers until I was in my 20s, so I've certainly experienced the natural foot action a lot. But I also was constantly scraping/stubbing my toes while running or climbing around, and just putting up with it. Even going barefoot now is a lot less comfortable for me than it was when I was in my 20s.
I also overpronate - I have since I was a little kid - and I'm a runner, and without running shoes I don't land on my feet properly and that's what causes me injuries. When I run barefoot I can't believe the harshness on my heels. A properly sized running-shoe toebox does let your toes spread and grip, too. Also, there's the climate - rough ice, snow, wet leaves, sleet.
In other words, I just don't think these would work for me even if I thought they looked cool.
My housemate doesn't wear shoes. He is really into barefoot running. According to this book he has, the coming-down-too-hard-on-your-heel thing is because your feet have been trained wrong by running shoes, and it's something that can be unlearned. I wonder what the author would have to say about people, like you, who have plenty of experience with being barefoot and still have that problem.
These look incredibly comfortable to me, though I'd feel unusually self-conscious in them --- but that says more about me than it does about the shoes, or about people who wear 'em.
I love going barefoot, and anything that mimics barefootedness but prevents me from picking up splinters or glass sounds good to me.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
