<p>I have the kangaroo leather vibrams. They aren’t hot( however- since Seattle’s summer has been 76 minutes long this year, they may seem hot elsewhere) and once I got used to getting them on, very comfortable. ( I did try about 8 different styles in the store)</p>
<p>The separation of the toes makes me feel more grounded and puts less stress on my knee than with other shoes. The sole is also very grippy so actually more comfortable than going barefoot.</p>
<p>I do my aerobics tapes in my home barefoot. I find I have better traction and less injuries. I don’t twist my ankles, don’t trip over my feet and I think my movements are better. I ignore the advice to put on my shoes. I also have less ankle swelling since I have taken my shoes off. I haven’t taken the plunge to walking outside barefoot yet since all I have outside to walk on is concrete, but I admire those who use the finger shoes. It seems much more natural than those spongey shoes.</p>
<p>I had/have bunions on both feet- seem to be genetic ( very high arches). I had extensive bunionectomy on one foot- cut & spliced back in three different places, but hesitant about doing it on the other foot. The fivefingers help by keeping toes separated.</p>
<p>Can’t wait for the fall boots!
[2011</a> Fall Vibram FiveFingers Boots, Laces, Leather and More!](<a href=“http://birthdayshoes.com/2011-fall-vibram-fivefingers-boots-laces-leather-and-more]2011”>2011 Fall Vibram FiveFingers Boots, Laces, Leather and More! - Birthday Shoes - Toe Shoes, Barefoot or Minimalist Shoes, and Vibram FiveFingers Reviews, News, Forums)</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, do the vibrams provide any arch support or are they /really/ just like walking barefoot?</p>
<p>Emerald - The Vibram boots are hysterical! Great Halloween pranks…</p>
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<p>a VERY big “if”. Many injuries. </p>
<p>I think the Vibrams (pronounced VEEbram, by the way) are hard to get on. One of my toes is very uncooperative. I’ve joked that it takes me longer to get them on than it does to do my workout!</p>
<p>If you don’t want the toe separation, check out Saucony Hattori.
[Saucony</a> Hattori Review](<a href=“http://birthdayshoes.com/saucony-hattori-review]Saucony”>Saucony Hattori Review - BirthdayShoes)</p>
<p>the whole point of the fivefingers is to provide a barefoot experience in a more protective way. because of this, they provide no arch support. if they did, it would defeat the purpose of the shoe. to me, i really do feel barefoot whenever i wear my pair. </p>
<p>and yes, some models of the fivefingers are very hard to get on. when i first got mine, i took about 10 minutes to get them on. now, i usually only take a minute or less to get them on. </p>
<p>in regards to injuries, they are quite common in beginners who do not take it slow when they first use fivefingers. you must break them in very, very slowly otherwise you could end up with fractures or various other pains. this is a very common mistake for those who are overzealous with their new fivefingers and take them out on a run right away!</p>
<p>Very interesting perspectives. </p>
<p>I’m not a runner…yet. I’m not sure I’ll ever be one but I used to love to run and I would run if I could do it with some of that joy again and not injure myself once a week. I don’t know if nearly barefoot running would allow me to do that, I’m not in good enough shape yet to test out the theory. </p>
<p>So, for now I’ll keep walking barefoot on my treadmill and see how it goes.</p>
<p>kate, just be careful as you increase the speed - treadmil belts work well as sanding paper. :)</p>
<p>Thank you for the warning, BB!</p>
<p>I have said this before, but Chris McDougall is one of the most charming storytellers! He is unbelievably engaging, witty, very tall & attractive. </p>
<p>I am not going barefoot - I attribute my recent stress fracture (yes, this thread is all about ME) to doing speedwork in racing flats. </p>
<p>I never wear shoes indoors. I think there are lots of benefits to going shoeless. I am just not going to go barefoot outdoors.</p>
<p>I never wear shoes if I don’t have to. I will walk barefoot when I can. I will not, however, run barefoot. Too much scraping my feet.</p>
<p>I would never run barefoot because in order to do so I would have to take up running…</p>
<p>Nrdsb4, Love it!</p>
<p>I think part of the reason this barefoot thing is so appealing to me right now is because our entire house is tile over cement. Ouch! Next house will only have tiled kitchen/baths.</p>
<p>I can’t even walk barefoot in my house! Carpet is okay, but walking on tile really hurts the bottoms of my feet.</p>
<p>The whole house having tile as flooring is just a killer. We were sandals all the time indoors. I don’t like it.</p>
<p>One of my friends just ran 500K (310 miles) across Tennessee in Vibrams. He was unsupported, which means no crew or handlers. He relied totally on convenience stores and what he could carry. I can’t even imagine. He finished 1st for unsupported runners and was the first to ever wear Vibrams the whole way. Took over 7 days.</p>
<p>[Vibram</a> FiveFingers Speed Shoes - Women’s - Free Shipping at REI.com](<a href=“http://www.rei.com/product/820689/vibram-fivefingers-speed-shoes-womens]Vibram”>http://www.rei.com/product/820689/vibram-fivefingers-speed-shoes-womens)</p>
<p>Just in time to go to that Smurfs movie! :)</p>
<p>I think Queen Elizabeth has a pair of the blue Vibrams she wears when she walks her dogs outside Buckingham Palace.</p>
<p>Too, the folks in Tennessee might panic seeing a 500 mile Vibram footprint trail through the state thinking Big Foot is on the loose in the state.</p>