Natural Living 6: Putting your best foot forward

[Revvell]

BUT, I HATE having anything between my toes...can't stand flipflops, so I don't think I could tolerate the Vibrams.

It's a different feeling. Sort of like wearing gloves on your feet.

[Shine]

So I went an ordered a pair last night!! Excited to try them out :)

[kaybee]

ok--

yeah you can wear them outside. they have a tough rubbery sole.

i have the kso's. i really like them as they give a bit of protection from gravel, mud, etc,(though itwould still hurt i f something fell on your foot, but the toe rubber, which i think all themodels have is well designed because it protects thefront of your toe--i.e. no toe stubs :) ) but i actually wanted the winter neoprene ones but they keep being backordered because the demand is so high. ive been frustrated with having to stop wearing them temporarily recently because the weather is so bad that my feet get wet and cold all thetime in them. so id like to have the winter ones in addition. plus you really need 2 pairs if you really like them so you can wash one and wear one. )

i love these shoes and i feel like i have to force my feet unwillingly to go into any other shoes now--EVEN my crocs, lol. its just that they are SO light and not awkward. i love my crocs but i notice now how much effort and maneuvering of my feet it takes to lift them when i have them on going up stairs or something, whereas with the vibrams i can just run up and down the stairs atwork and they are like part of my foot. they are so so light too.

now, re: quality.... ive only had minefor a few months and the backstrap went after like a month, just from the fabric rubbing on the plastic thing it fed through. this shouldnt have happened. maybe i was latching them too tight, but still. but i realized i dont really need the heel strap tightened, they are finewithout it. (SORRY, I BROKE MY SPACE BAR THE OTHER DAY) but i also notice the heel strap on the sprints model is a better quality one. that said, i got these from REI so i intend on returningthem for a replacement. they need to put the same strap onthe kso's. i havent had a problem with the soles wearing thin, but then i dont use them for road running.

i found they took a week or so gettingused to the thin sole before i felt comfortable stepping on rocks etc, and i also ended up with a blister on one heel, but now that its calloused, they are extremely comfy. i can still feel the rocks through them but its not painful..i actually have started to wonder if maybe it is giving us positive accupressure/reflexology or something to be feeling rocks... i wouldnt be surprised.

the shoes that sport posted... yeah they look pretty much alike, but they have a lot of colors that vibram doesnt have...unless they are previous years; stock.. also, they are listed as "outdoor rock climbing shoes" which orsomething, which vibram doesnt appear to make. it also says they are water-resistant which makes no sense as only the sole is,like ANY shoe sole would be, lol, and the rest of them is mesh and spandexy-type stuff. certainly NOT water resistant! honestly though, if they had womens sizes (which they dont) and i trusted the seller (which im hesitant), id probably buy them andtry them as they are so much cheaper, lol.


i LOVE those pink and orange ones sport posted. ... if they started sellingthose in the US i would get apair. very cute. but way to expensive in UKprices.

also anyone in the UK/europe, they are FAR cheaper if bought in the US if you have any american friends coming to visit...but the sizing can be a bit tricky

re: them being synthetic...sure, it would be great if they were all natural organic materials but personally id far rather wear synthetics than participate in the animal exploitation and death that surrounds leather.... they did actually start making a kangaroo leather one but personally i wouldnt touch it with a tenfoot pole because to me, buying and wearing leather feels like wearing suffering and death.

hey katchmoleen--thats interesting about the plantar fasciitis...ive read people claiming that they got RID of P.F. by wearing vibrams..but i really dont know.