Minimalist footwear

[Steve2]

I'd like to hear of others' experiences with minimalist footwear. For now, I'm talking only about in relatively snow-free conditions, such as in summer or early fall.

Instinctively I've wanted to switch to minimalist shoes for some time. One of my worst experiences was when I wore my five-pound Vasque hiking boots up a 14er. I'm considering something like the Vibram FiveFinger. Especially on the upper approaches, I'd feel much more comfortable with my foot in close contact with the surface.

[justiner]

I think the Born to Run/minimalist trend is depassé, but there's still a lot of 5 Fingers/Luna sandals/etc fanatics out there, that'll tell ya it's good times.

I can't see it being a bad idea if that's your preference - except perhaps just experiment before going out, and heed the warning about getting used to anything 0 drop, before going off and doing a lot of volume. I can see that when on a rocky trail, that having an acute amount of sensitivity under the feet from an extremely minimal sole could be somewhat irritating/painful after a few miles.

5lb hiking boots is sort of one extreme, but 5 fingers is sort of the other - perhaps there's a happy medium?

[seano]

First off, FiveFingers are silly and pointless. Separating your toes provides no benefit over a thin sole with a roomy toe box.

I'm a fan of minimalist footwear, and wear some form of minimalist shoes for running on roads and smooth trails. However, I use normal trail runners in the mountains, as they provide better traction and foot protection. In the mountains, protection and traction seem more important to me than weight and ground feel.

[RichH]

I've done my last 20 14ers in trail running shoes (Hoka Speedgoat 2) and an Ultra Vest. I have one pair of Scarpa 3lb hiking boots for winter climbs and crampon use, and everything else is lightweight.

I like the Hokas because they are light, I can run much of the trail and they have enough cushioning that my feet feel great - even after a 25 mile day. Not sure how much cushioning the Vibram Five Fingers would provide after walking on rocks all day.

[jerseybrian]

I'd like to hear of others' experiences with minimalist footwear. For now, I'm talking only about in relatively snow-free conditions, such as in summer or early fall.

Instinctively I've wanted to switch to minimalist shoes for some time. One of my worst experiences was when I wore my five-pound Vasque hiking boots up a 14er. I'm considering something like the Vibram FiveFinger. Especially on the upper approaches, I'd feel much more comfortable with my foot in close contact with the surface.

Five pound shoes sound like a rough experience on a 14er. I haven't gone to the extreme of minimalist but I have reduced the weight of my shoes recently. I decided to try La Sportiva because I had heard from many ultra-athletes that the Mutants were a good all around shoe for the type of outings I was getting into. I tried the Mutants and they didn't fit my foot well so I tried a few more and found the Akyra to fit well. The Boulder shop has some great employees that will help find the right fitting shoes if they have it. I tested out the shoes by trail running the High Lonesome Loop in IPW and didn't even have sore feet. There's cushion but not so much that you can't feel the ground. I also did the Long's duathlon and the Mt. Audubon duathlon in them. The 4 pass loop in a day was a big test because of the elevation gain and mileage. I could walk with no pain after all of those outings. I'm suggesting because they work for me but the only way to tell is to try them on and see if they are the right fit for your foot. Also, the rubber on La Sportivas has been the best so far for scrambling that I've experienced.

[zackrobinson2]

I agree with the others that you should check out some trail runners. Five pound boots are crazy. For reference, I have a pair of double mountaineering boots designed for peaks like Denali that weigh less than that. You are basically driving a dump truck right now and saying it isn't very sporty, so you want a Ferrari for your daily driver. Maybe there's something in between.

Sportiva's trail runners are top notch if they fit your feet. As another poster mentioned, sizing varies between models. I have a pair of Inov-8 Roclite 290 trail runners that are excellent for scrambling, and they are on the lightweight end of the trail runner spectrum.

Five fingers are for the Dwight Schrutes of the world. They pair nicely in a dating profile along with Dungeons and Dragons and tucked in short sleeved dress shirts. Friends don't let friends five finger.

[Cruiser]

I love my xero sandals. Wear them all summer in the pool, river, and around town. That said, I haven't been doing any real hiking in them. For that I prefer a real trail runner with some sort of a rock plate cuz my tender little feet get beaten up when I descent quickly on a rocky trail otherwise. Currently using la sportiva mutants for days when I really want big aggressive lugs and Brooks cascadias for more cruiser type trips.

[Steve2]

I was also considering La Sportiva mutants, but they don't come in wide sizes. I need an EEE (triple wide). Or an EE that will stretch out.

I realize FiveFingers may be a bit too minimalist. You need some protection from rocks that roll over your feet and so forth. Also, I don't know if microspikes would attach well to FiveFingers (for scree).

BTW I only wore the heavy hiking boots on a 14er once (never again!). On other climbs I've worn Leadville 100s, which are fine for running in town but have little grip.

[jerseybrian]

I was also considering La Sportiva mutants, but they don't come in wide sizes. I need an EEE (triple wide). Or an EE that will stretch out.

I realize FiveFingers may be a bit too minimalist. You need some protection from rocks that roll over your feet and so forth. Also, I don't know if microspikes would attach well to FiveFingers (for scree).

BTW I only wore the heavy hiking boots on a 14er once (never again!). On other climbs I've worn Leadville 100s, which are fine for running in town but have little grip.

That's what I found with the Mutants as well. Try some of the others and see if they fit your foot. I'm glad I tried the others because the Akyra's are the best shoes all around I've owned. Like I said it's all about the way they fit your foot though. Talk to Jeremy at the Boulder store. He helped find me the right shoe for my activities. Great customer service there! Good luck!

[seano]

I need an EEE (triple wide). Or an EE that will stretch out.

Try Altra. Part of their marketing gimmick is extra-wide toe boxes, so their shoes can fit extra-wide feet.

[JaredJohnson]

I'd like to hear of others' experiences with minimalist footwear.

I've worked up to the point where I much prefer to do long approaches in moderately good weather using minimalist sandals. I've even hiked Longs in Luna sandals, although past the keyhole it was really just an experiment and not something I'd repeat: https://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55202

I definitely had to work up to it, over a period of years in my case although maybe someone could take less time if they were intentional about it.

I started with vibrams because that was a trend I was curious about. I began by walking around in them doing random junk, I wasn't really into running anyway. Then I started playing racquetball in them, the first time I overdid it and hurt my shins but then it felt good.

Then I got into running up to 10k in the vibrams. Before minimalist shoes I absolutely hated running and it always hurt. For me personally, I think minimalist shoes helped me fix the way I ran so that I began to love it hate it. e.g. I probably moved to more of a "forefoot strike", and the muscles needed to support that type of running were strengthened. I had also started doing free squats so the core strength may have helped.

Then I experimented with huarache sandals. Much more comfortable than vibrams because they're open. I tried xero's many times because they're so much cheaper, however I have always gone back to Luna sandals -- they're much more expensive, but very very comfortable and they last. I started running on asphalt with Venados (iirc their thinnest sole). Eventually I started walking and running barefoot on asphalt.

Only after getting to the point where I could handle asphalt barefoot did I venture to using leadville pacers (slightly thicker than venados) on the trail. I did the 7 miles from monarch lake to crater lake in monos, then back. I stubbed my toes a couple times and there was some blood but honestly, it only hurt for a second and was fantastically comfortable the rest of the time:



On that same trip I totally messed up my big toenails from wearing approach shoes on the way down; the toenails eventually fell off from wearing the wrong type of conventional boots. A few weeks later I did a much longer approach going over pawnee pass to crater lake, and also wore them up most of the approach to lone eagle peak and on the way down:



It was great because I carried only the lunas and some climbing shoes; about the same total weight as a single pair of boots or approach shoes, but a much better experience doing the approach in lunas and the climbing in rock shoes.

I've now got a pair of Luna Oso Flaco's, they are much thicker but still comfy. I think I'll enjoy them more on the trail, but I haven't had the chance to hike with them. They're slightly heavier than thinner sandals, but still light enough to throw in the pack to use as camp shoes and decide on the trail if I want to try hiking with them.

Hope this helps. Don't let the blood scare you off, if it's your thing, wearing sandals on long approaches is an absolute joy. But it's not for everybody, and you've got to work up to it. Good luck!

[Ad Astra]

I've been using the Altra Lone Peak 4s and love them. They are comfy right out of the box. Like others have mentioned, zero drop takes a little getting used to and I've had to adjust the way my feet strike the ground. I used the La Sportiva Mutants last summer and loved them, they were just a little too narrow, especially when my feet started to swell after long days hiking and running. They are some tough shoes, no doubt.