Vivobarefoot Wyn for kids

Having made the barefoot transition myself, there is no way I would allow my growing children to run around and play in heavy, narrow, stiff and clumpy shoes. Vivobarefoot is on to a good thing with their range of kids’ and junior barefoot footwear. My children have been in VBs for several years, and when they reached school age, of course the need arose for them to be shod in barefoot school shoes.

The Wyn is a lovely, black leather, Velcro strapped school shoe for girls. They’re soft, malleable, light, wide fitting at the toe end, and to the untrained eye look like any other girls’ school shoes. True to VB’s form, these are very well made, with good quality construction and finishing.

They’re just what I want my daughter to be wearing for the majority of the time, in that they have very thin yet puncture-resistant soles that allow unconstrained natural movement and feeling. Watching my daughter walk and run in them is like she is properly barefooted, moving with the same unaffected gait as she does when running barefooted in the garden or on the beach. It’s a joy to watch and it gives me reassurance that we are designed to move this way.

They come with a removable insole which serves two purposes; one being thermal insultation that might be needed in the colder months when the 3mm rubber sole isn’t enough to keep the cold out. The other purpose is a useful filling while they’re a bit on the large size; buy a half-size up from the child’s current foot size, and use the insole to pad them out until their feet grow to the shoes’ size, then remove the insole to get another few months’ use out of the shoes.

The leather has a matte finish, which does show scuffs and mud splashes quite readily, but which can easily be wiped clean with a damp cloth.

I love these shoes; my daughter loves these shoes. And I can see her wearing them, pair after pair for many years.

Vivobarefoot Primus for kids

Having made the barefoot transition myself, there is no way I would allow my growing children to run around and play in heavy, narrow, stiff and clumpy shoes. Vivobarefoot is on to a good thing with their range of kids’ barefoot footwear. My children have been in VBs for several years, and when they reached school age, of course the need arose for them to be shod in barefoot school shoes. Cue Vivobarefoot’s Primus shoe for kids. For all intents and purposes, a boys’ black school shoe with Velcro-type straps to fasten them.

They’re soft, malleable, light, wide fitting at the toe end, and to the untrained eye look like any other boys’ school shoes.

They’re just what I want in my children’s shoes, in that they have very thin yet puncture-resistant soles that allow unconstrained natural movement and feeling. Watching my five-year-old boy run in them is like he’s properly barefooted, and when I see him running alongside his traditionally-shod friends, he’s so much lighter and nimbler on his feet. He glides past almost silently, as his peers flap and slap their heavy and inflexible feet into the floor. It’s a joy to watch and it gives me reassurance that we are designed to run this way.

They come with a removable insole which serves two purposes; one being thermal insultation that might be needed in the colder months when the 3mm rubber sole isn’t enough to keep the cold out. The other purpose is a useful filling while they’re a bit on the large size; buy a half-size up from the child’s current foot size, and use the insole to pad them out until their feet grow to the shoes’ size, then remove the insole to get another few months’ use out of the shoes. That is if they haven’t worn out by then.

As can be said of many children of his age, my son is a very active boy. He never walks sedately anywhere. Running, skipping, jumping, climbing, scooting, cycling, crawling and kicking, all of which occupy some portion of the daily trip to and from school, demand durable footwear.

The soles of his shoes have a pretty tough time of it, but so do the fronts, backs, sides and even the uppers. After just a few days’ wear his shoes are inevitably scuffed, scratched, creased and otherwise bearing little resemblance to the fresh new shoes they were at the start of the week.

Perhaps my boy places greater demand on his shoes than the average child does, but even so, I would like to think that a child’s shoe can withstand more than these Primuses did before they began to look scruffy and well worn.

One of the Velcro straps snapped after only three weeks of wearing them. My boy was gutted that his new shoes had broken. I was surprised that they broke so soon; nothing like this has happened with any of our previous pairs of VBs kids’ shoes. I suspect this was just a rogue manufacturing flaw. I have asked VB if they have had other reports of this happening, but I have received no response. Thankfully, a bit of heavy-duty DIY stitching has fixed the strap, and he’s been wearing them for ages now.

Despite their quick loss of new-shoe-shine I do recommend these shoes. My boy loves them, and I love him wearing them. I would just advise that if you’re buying for a child at the active end of the spectrum, you should be prepared for rapid wear and tear.

Tadeevo Derby

It’s not often that a new brand of minimalist shoes comes along. Tadeevo made itself known to me courtesy of targeted marketing on social media.

Tadeevo is a Polish company with a strong minimalist philosophy. Their website says,

We are a small company and we want to stay that way. The idea of producing minimalist shoes stemmed from our interests: paleo diet, natural running, minimalism and evolutionary anthropology.

They offer a range of nice-looking footwear, including casual ‘trainer’ type shoes, smarter ‘office’ type shoes, and winter ankle-boots. Their range provides for men, women and juniors.

We follow a strict definition of minimalist shoes based on scientific research: “Footwear providing minimal interference with the natural movement of the foot due to its high flexibility, low heel-to-toe drop, low weight and stack height, and the absence of motion control and stability devices”.  Thanks to the cooperation of scientists and traditional craftsmen we produced TadeEvo shoes which display all those unique properties.

I was very pleased when Tadeevo kindly offered me a pair of the smart Derby shoes to test and review.

I was very keen to get my feet into a pair of these because it is so difficult to find smart minimalist or barefoot shoes to wear at work, for meetings, or wherever else you might need something smart.

I have previously written about Vivobarefoot’s offerings in this department but I have not found any other brand to offer this, until now. It’s great to have another smart minimalist shoe on the market.

Firstly, I was amazed at the lightweight, slimline shoebox that arrived. These shoes certainly are very light and they clearly pack down well, making them ideal for travel.

They are very comfortable to wear; soft and supple leather uppers and very flexible rubber soles make them feel like slippers. True to their word, they allow your foot to move fully, without any restriction or stiffness.

They are perfectly flat soled; zero-drop and only 5mm thick.

They are wide at the front, giving plenty of toe room, and the laces gather the shoe nicely without rucking or creating creases.

Everything about these shoes is minimalist, and they open up a whole working-day of barefoot mobility. No longer do you need to compromise your feet just because you’re at work.

I’ve worn these with a suit on several occasions, for meetings and events. In these environments in which every man conforms to a very strict code of similarly dark suits and polished black pointy leather shoes, I was a little wary that they might be quite obviously ‘different’. However, my concerns were unfounded and they fit in perfectly well. The only obvious difference is that I don’t clip clop on hard floors like most other people!

These are super shoes. I’m very pleased to have found Tadeevo and that they are adding such a valid choice to the smart, minimalist shoe market.

Inov-8 X-Talon 230

Inov-8 recently celebrated the 10^th birthday of their iconic X-Talon shoe. I remember the distinctive black and yellow of the first model, and ever since then I seem to see the characteristic X-Talon footprint wherever I run.

I know many people for whom these have become the indispensable trail and fell shoe, but despite the many Inov-8 shoes that I have run in, I’ve never had a pair of X-Talons. So, I was very pleased to be offered a pair of the new 2018 X-Talon 230s to test and review.

These come in at the 2-arrow mark on Inov-8’s scale of forefoot drop, equating to 6mm between heel and forefoot, with 7mm / 13mm stack height. And at 230g they are just about at the limit of my minimalist preference.

The exciting new feature of these latest X-Talons is the Sticky Grip; a new rubber compound for the outsole which purports to offer superior traction on wet or dry hard ground.

They feature a ‘second-generation meta-plate’ within the midsole, which provides a protective layer between your flesh and whatever it is you’re landing on. They also feature the ‘Powerflow+’ midsole which they say delivers 10% better shock absorption and 25% better energy return than standard midsoles.

I have to say that this is beginning to sound a bit gimmicky, like that of so many of the mainstream running shoes that steered me towards barefoot and minimalist shoes in the first place. However, I started my journey with Inov-8 and I have faith in them and the research that goes into their products.

They are a very narrow fit, being classified as a 1 on their Shoe Fit Scale; being the closest, most precise fit of their range. For me, this does present a problem. My feet are wide, and they have got used to being able to spread naturally in many of my wide-fitting barefoot shoes. Putting the X-Talons on for the first time felt like a proper squeeze.

I was warned by Inov-8 that they’d feel stiff and tight to start with, so my first few outings in them were dog-walks, just to bed them in and let them loosen up. This they did, and after several hours of walking in terrain they fitted nicely, albeit a very snug fit.

I’ve worn them for runs of up to two hours, but after that length of time I very much look forward to removing them to let my toes unfurl.

Having said that, I do acknowledge the benefits of narrow fitting shoes. Prior to testing these X-Talons I’d spent most of my time recently in the Vivobarefoot Primus Trail SG, which are similarly aggressive trail shoes, but with a truly wide-fitting. I love the freedom afforded by those wide toe boxes, but there is a certain amount of slippage inside the shoe especially when contouring hillsides or on uneven ground. The narrow fit of the X-Talons affords no internal movement and consequently you know exactly where your foot is, and you have confidence that it’s going to stay there.

This confidence is strengthened by the immense gripping power of the X-Talon soles.

I now understand why these have been at the forefront of trail and fell shoes for ten years. They just hold unbelievably tight into soft ground. And these new Sticky Grip soles definitely do provide traction on hard surfaces, be that wet or dry bare rock, tarmac, or concrete. I’ve not felt this confident with one pair of shoes on all of these surfaces since the Icebug Accelleritas.

The uppers are tough and durable. On top is a very abrasion-resistant fabric that does not retain water, and that holds its own through rough, scratchy undergrowth. When they come home soaked, they can be dry by the next day. There’s a pretty tough rand (or bumper) all around the front and sides to further help protect the shoe from abrasion.

The tongue is gusseted, which helps to keep out debris and water. The laces are long enough to tie a double knot, but not too long to be a snag risk. There are discreet integrated hooks on the sides of the uppers to hold Inov-8’s All Terrain Gaiter.

I wore them recently for a 12-mile hilly winter multi-terrain race. Footwear for this annual race is always a difficult decision on account of the varying terrain and unpredictability of the conditions of the trails and off-trails. I will no longer struggle with that decision. These shoes fitted the bill perfectly and helped me achieve my best result yet, with unsurpassed traction throughout.

All told, these are awesome shoes. They are my new favourite off-road race shoe. Due to their narrowness and the associated discomfort after more than two hours, I will limit their use to the wettest/stickiest training runs, but for any future off-road and multi-terrain races, these are my new go-to shoe.

 

 

Vivobarefoot Primus Trail SG

Having spent many happy hours running in the Neo Trail and Trail Freak, I was very excited to see the release of these soft-ground trail shoes from Vivobarefoot.

They feature an aggressive lugged sole which has been improved from the Neo and Freak. Not only is the rubber compound a bit softer and more malleable, but there are fewer lugs with larger gaps in between.

While the Neo and Freak sole is also aggressive with great grip in the mud and trails, the lugs are closely packed and are prone to clogging, and can lose grip when on rocky trails.

The Primus Trail SG sole appears to emulate the more mainstream trail running brands by offering fewer lugs; enough to give great grip in soft and loose terrain, but not so many to create crevices for mud to pack in to. Less is definitely more.

These don’t claim to be waterproof. In fact, the neoprene collar around the ankle and airy mesh scream out to be taken through water. They are lightweight when dry, and remain light yet firmly attached when wet.

Their stretchy collar is comfortable, and the draw-string lacing makes for quick on-and-offing. My only criticism here is that without a traditional tongue if your foot is not a tight fit, when you pull the laces tight the uppers ruck and fold underneath. On this basis I would recommend making sure the fit is right.

The characteristic Vivobarefoot wide toe box is great; I am very conscious these days that my feet need a decent width to spread within the shoe.

The pure barefootedness of these (and every) Vivobarefoot shoe is very noticeable – you will feel each individual lug as you walk/run on solid ground. In their natural habitat on soft ground they suddenly feel like they’re not there.

The lugs bite into the ground and you no longer feel them; the 3mm rubber sole transmits the ground temperature directly to your foot; and you feel every lump and bump underfoot, as if you are au naturel (in the foot department, at least). This comes with the comfort of knowing that there is 3mm of tough rubber to protect your sole from underfoot nasties like sharp edges and thorns.

That said, hammering it downhill has to be done very carefully, or even gingerly, because there is no forgiveness when you land heavily on a lump of rock, and you will feel it for days if you get this wrong.

I have only found two drawbacks with these. The soft-ground compound is not very resistant to tarmac and will wear down quickly if you have to do a lot of road running to get to your nearest soft ground. Secondly, while the barefootendness is the whole point of these, I wear these just for training runs; I daren’t risk wearing them for races where I’ll need downhill aggression.

These are my current favourite shoe. I’ve worn them almost 100% consistently for soft-ground running as well as dog-walking. When I get home wet, they’re dry by the next morning. They’re up there with the best grip in the mud, and their wide fitting makes them ultimately very comfortable.

Vivobarefoot Ultra Kids

In time for the summer season Vivobarefoot has released the latest version of their classic Ultra shoe for kids. This is a fantastic all-purpose barefoot shoe and I’ve been wearing the adult version pretty much constantly since the clocks changed. Vivo have made a few modifications to the previous version but the essence of the Ultra is still as it always has been.

They’re very lightweight and malleable so are perfect for throwing in a weekend bag or suitcase; they’re light, airy and minimalist on top, and equally minimalist underfoot with a mere 3mm sole. As with all Vivo’s shoes, the toebox is nice and wide giving their feet and toes plenty of room to spread. They’re a perfect water shoe for when the water’s warm enough to go in.

The kids were very excited to get their own pairs, and in the warm spring weather over the Easter holidays they had a lot of fun in them, doing what kids do when left-to their own devices exploring the countryside.

Here’s a collection of pics I managed to take when they were still enough for long enough…

Vivobarefoot Trail Freak

 

For summer 2014 Vivobarefoot have released a welcome and exciting addition to their range of off-road shoes. The Trail Freak is a lightweight, slick, aggressive but very barefoot shoe, with some snazzy styling thrown in. These are primarily a running shoe for soft on- and off-trail terrain, but will work just as well for walking and hiking and the VB website points out that they grip remarkably well to bike pedals.

Its sole is the same as the Neo Trail which I reviewed at the end of last year. Big chunky 4.5mm deep chevron shaped lugs, which will bite hard into any soft terrain, cover the whole of the super-thin 2.5mm sole. But don’t worry, this is VB’s patented ‘puncture-resistant’ sole, offering some confidence as you’re hammering it down a rocky section of singletrack.

The thinness of the sole allows it to mould and flex around the contours of your foot as your run takes you twisting and turning over the terrain. Vivobarefoot preaches proprioception and this shoe does not let them down. Even with the 4.5mm lugs underfoot, the sole is thin and supple enough to translate all but the smallest detail through to your foot. Yes, you’ll feel every lump and bump, and on the gnarliest of descents you’ll need to temper your pace. If you’re wearing them in a race there is no doubt you’ll get overtaken on these sections by people in big clunky soft-soled shoes. In shoes as minimalist as the Freaks you can’t throw yourself mindlessly down rough, rocky, rooty terrain like you would in cushioned shoes – you’ll need to provide your own shock absorption and check your foot placement more carefully. But that’s what barefooting is all about, and it doesn’t take long before you find yourself doing all this without even thinking about it.

As I said of the Neo Trails, I wouldn’t recommend you spend much time running on road in these Trail Freaks. The sole’s rubber compound is fairly hard, and the tread gives you little ground contact on a flat smooth surface. This results in poor traction, especially in the wet. Best take it easy on the roads and let your Freaks do their thing on the trails and terrain.

The Neo Trail features a water resistant upper material, but I’ve never really appreciated the benefits of waterproof running shoes due to the nature of my runs (because quite often my runs take me deeper than the ankles, and waterproof uppers don’t drain quickly). This Trail Freak is more to my liking in that their uppers are thin and light enough for any water to drain and for them to dry rapidly. The material is interlaced with 3M reflective thread, giving a snazzy bit of detail to the dark blue mesh, but also providing some night-time visibility.

 

The shoes slip on like a sock in that the tongue isn’t loose but integral to the whole unit, and the quick-lace system works well in securing the shoe snugly. If they do get wet and need tightening, it takes little effort to do so, but the end of the laces will need to be tucked under one of the lace loops to stop it flapping around as you run. As you’ll come to expect from VB, even this snug fitting race-light shoe comes with a nice wide toe box which lets your toes splay naturally. In terms of fit, they come up about right for your normal shoe size, but they will probably feel more roomy than most because of the width at the toes.

They look and feel light, but I was surprised that my size 10s weigh as much as 275g, only 10g lighter than the Neo Trails. I was expecting them to be nearer the 200g mark of some of their peers on the market. Nevertheless, 275g is hardly what you’d call heavy.

I think VB have created a fantastic shoe in the Trail Freak. It’s one of my favourites in terms of style and function, perfectly suiting my kind of runs, and providing that familiar Vivobarefoot raw connection with the ground. I’d like to use it as a racing shoe, but if I’m being picky, I’d prefer it to come in at under 200g. It has the makings of a super-light shoe and looks like it should be lighter than it is, but as I already said, this isn’t exactly a heavy shoe, and I don’t think a bit of footwear weight loss would do much to improve my performance.

Freet Buzz

In 2013 Freet released into the ultra-minimalist footwear market their very successful 4+1 shoe. Freet sent me a pair to test last winter and I loved them as a very comfy multi-use shoe. Their neoprene uppers and snug fit (albeit a bit too snug for their sizing) kept my bare feet warm in the winter months both indoors and out, both wet and dry.

It’s now Spring/Summer 2014 and Freet have produced a new model based on the 4+1 chassis. They call it The Buzz.

In many respects this is the same as the original 4+1, and I recommend that you read my review of them, but there are some nice changes in the Buzz.

Importantly they have rectified the sizing problem and the Buzz in your usual shoe size will fit just fine.

The neoprene of the original 4+1 has been replaced by a thinner, lighter-weight, more flexible mesh material. This comes with the advantage of the whole shoe being lighter (my size 45s weigh 190g as opposed to 200g), it dries a lot more quickly, and the tiny holes of the mesh let your feet get some air to them. During the summer months all of the above is very welcome. Although of course in the winter you would probably appreciate the thermal properties of the denser neoprene.

Which brings me to ponder the potential market for these shoes. I imagine that footwear of this genre will appeal to the more staunch barefooter who would spend the majority of the summer months, if not all year, actually barefooted rather than in barefoot shoes, and who might look for something ultra-minimalist to provide a bit of warmth and protection for the winter months; a niche served by the original 4+1. I guess the Buzz will appeal to those on the next rung down the barefoot ladder, who don’t necessarily insist on being fully barefoot as soon as the sun comes out.

The Buzz is built on the same split-big-toe chassis as the 4+1, allowing your big toe independence of movement and the ability to strengthen the whole of your foot as if truly barefooted. If you take them for an off-road run or walk you will find your big toe gets a decent work-out as it exercises its freedom to do the balancing and gripping that it was designed to do.

I have been told that the midsole of the Buzz is lighter density than that of the original, but to be honest the sole unit is so thin I really can’t tell the difference. You still get that near-barefoot proprioceptive feedback you’d expect from an ultra-minimalist shoe.

The sole’s sticky rubber offers good traction on most surfaces whether you’re running, walking, playing, or in the water, and although the embossed detail of the ‘tread’ texture will wear off quickly on hard surfaces, the 4mm rubber will take many many miles to wear through to your own sole.

This is a really good choice for an all-round summer barefoot shoe. If you bought a pair of the 4+1s, you can consider the Buzz as an upgrade for the summer. If you didn’t, and you’re looking for something a little bit different to kick around in this summer, I would recommend these over the originals. Maybe wait until it starts to get cold then decide if you like them enough to buy a pair of the originals as well to see you through the winter.

Freet Mudgrip

Following the success of their inaugural 4+1 purists’ barefoot shoe in 2013, Freet have produced an exciting new collection for 2014 which includes two conventional shoes. Here is the first of those to have adorned my testing feet; the Mudgrip – an aggressive, robust yet minimalist off trail shoe.

Writing my review it is impossible not to compare these to some of the other shoes that I’ve reviewed. It is clear to see in both their name and design where Freet have taken their inspiration from in creating this shoe. There are elements of the Mudgrip which I’ve seen in a number of shoes from other leading brands.

The name ‘Mudgrip’ echoes the well established Mudclaw from Inov-8, and in many ways so does the overall look of the shoe, but in terms of descriptive naming, this is spot on and there aren’t many other names you’d want to give it.

The tread on the sole is reminiscent of the Acceleritas from Icebug, with its deep lugs arranged in a chevron pattern, its bright green colour, and its sticky rubber compound. Icebug make a feature of their sticky compound which adheres remarkably well to wet rock, better than any other I’ve tested, but the rubber used under these Mudgrips seems to perform just as well as Icebug’s. The large lugs bite into and hold on to soft terrain and the spacing between the lugs is big enough to not get clogged up, but they also hold fast onto wet and dry rock. Freet should make more of this fact.

The sole is 14mm thick under the heel with a 4mm drop to the forefoot. Not as minimalist as one might expect from the makers of the 4+1, but this is certainly towards that end of the spectrum. You don’t get the ‘Princess and the Pea’ underfoot sensation that you do from the likes of Inov-8’s Baregrip and Trailroc 150 or the Vivobarefoot Neo Trail or Trail Freak, but you don’t always want to know about every little lump and bump, especially when you’re hammering it down a steep rocky hillside. In that respect the Mudgrips offer a welcome balance of minimalism and protective cushioning.

The uppers are a new material to me. Water resistant, soft, supple, and light, not unlike my softshell jacket. I like this material’s suppleness and resistance to abrasion and I’d like to see greater expanses of it than is presently visible. It’s just a shame that the merits of a nice lightweight material seem to be a little lost in the 350g of the whole shoe, which isn’t especially light.

Having said that, I’ve never seen much value in buying running shoes with waterproof material. Personally I’d rather have uppers which are non-waterproof and which don’t retain water and therefore don’t gain weight when wet, and which will dry quickly ready for the next day’s run. Waterproof shoes are fine if you’re running in nothing wetter than grass or shallow surface water on the trail, but that’s not me. My runs tend to take me through deeper water and wet foliage, leaving me with wet feet regardless of what material my shoes are made from.

The lacing follows the trend of many of its peers by using a quick-lace system; a drawstring with a quick-release fastener. The difference with these is that it’s an elastic drawstring and the loose end isn’t loose like the others’. It’s fastened down to one of the lace loops further down the shoe, giving the benefit of no flapping and no need to tuck the end in to another part of the shoe.

These shoes do come up large for their size and I would recommend buying a half size smaller than usual. I have my usual size 45 and my feet have room to slide around inside. This can easily be prevented by pulling the laces tight, but the elastic does yield and stretch when you’re running on an incline or when the shoes are wet and heavy.

I chose to wear mine for an orienteering race recently which took us through some varied terrain including marshes. The shoes quickly filled with water and the water resistant fabric retained the water, making the shoes feel very heavy. And because the shoes are a bit big and the laces are elasticated, the muddy marsh didn’t have to work too hard to suck one of my shoes completely off my foot. Not your ideal race situation when you have to crawl around in the mud trying to retrieve your shoe from under the stampede of feet behind you!

So my advice to potential purchasers would be make sure your Mudgrips fit snugly and to wear these shoes where you’re confident that you won’t be running through water deeper than your ankles.

I would personally prefer to see this shoe with non-elasticated laces (although this opinion is largely based on my shoes being a bit too big), and although I love the lightweight water-resistant material of the uppers and would prefer to see more of it visible on the shoe, I would think no less of them if they featured a different lightweight but not water-resistant material.

In all other aspects this is a highly eligible debut off-trail shoe from Freet which has outstanding grip, a minimalist yet adequately cushioned sole, and which will give its peers a serious run for their money in a variety of terrains.

 

Freet 4+1

You’d be forgiven if you’ve not heard of Freet before. Indeed, I only recently became acquainted with them, and I’m very glad that I did.

A small set-up based in the north of England, run by a husband and wife whose passion for natural running is very apparent. They have designed and tested these shoes themselves, and having proved to be very popular, they have exciting plans for a range of new models for 2014.

These 4+1s are a truly minimalist multipurpose shoe for walking, running, watersports or just about anything you want.

Reminiscent of the Five Fingers at first glance, the 4+1s have a separate big toe while the other four share a more conventional toe box: hence the name 4+1. 

I was intrigued about the reasons for this design which I’d seen before only in the Achilles sandals from Vivobarefoot but never thought to ask. So I asked Freet. Here’s their response:

“We believe split toe 4+1 with the hallux separate is the ‘ideal’ for a barefoot shoe. More toe separation adds little biomechanically and too much toe separation of the smaller toes can be an issue… The hallux operates separately, as well as part of the overall foot unit, but the other toes tend to ‘hunt as a pack’. It’s so much easier taking on and off and over time in the 4+1 shoe, less chance of rubbing on the smaller or next small toe. By giving the hallux its own pocket you get better posture and allow the big toe (& everything else in the foot of course) to flex, condition and strengthen properly. Its the foundation block of good foot function.”

The sole is a ‘sticky’ rubber compound moulded to match the contours of your own feet, while the uppers are a soft supple and insulating neoprene with a Velcro-type fastening.

They are astonishingly comfortable. When I received them and first put them on in the house I didn’t want to take them off. I’m not a slippers man, but I’ve found myself wearing these to pad around the house when it’s cold.

The rubber sole is about as thin as you’ll get from any serious barefoot shoe and as such you feel everything through it and get near-perfect proprioceptive feedback.

Running in them is a pleasure. You get that wholesome true barefoot feel that I’ve only really experienced in bare feet and in the Xero Shoes huaraches.

The neoprene uppers insulate your foot well. My first run was on a crisp frosty January morning off-road through a park. It wasn’t long until they were soaked through with near freezing dew but my feet stayed comfortably warm.

Their traction on Tarmac, gravel and rock is very good, but not being specific off road running shoes they lack the tread needed to hold fast in mud. Having said that, the theory about the big toe’s independence is nicely demonstrated when you find yourself slipping and sliding on wet mud without the benefit of big chunky tread biting in. I find myself using my big toes to dig in and get some purchase when climbing or descending muddy slopes. You see our primate cousins using their big toes independently and I guess this is much the same. We’re just not used to it, having had our toes bound together in shoes and socks all our lives.

The sizing is a little tight, which is an issue acknowledged by Freet and which will be fixed in their new range. For these 4+1s the advice is to go one EU size larger than your normal size.

As far as I am aware, these shoes are a unique design. They’re supremely comfortable, versatile, and practical for just about any activity you might want to put them through. They’re light weight and light on your bank account too. They should be a serious consideration for anyone looking for a true barefoot shoe.

All that’s left to say is, watch this space for their new range which includes some  conventional running shoes, as well as some more like these. Definitely a brand to keep your eye on.