New Shoes!

[fenchurch]

Recently, we got a 20% off coupon in the mail for REI... well, rackham has really wanted to try Keen sandals (I love my pair), so we headed down to the Redmond REI last night to see what they had in stock. He ended up getting a great pair of close-toed sandals (I have open-toed Keens) and I picked up a new purse/bag thing (it's the perfect size and can be adapted to be worn around the waist... and with my shoulder problems, that's a must!). But while Rackham was trying on his sandals, I wandered over to look at the Vibram FiveFingers.

I've been seriously considering trying these, ever since I first saw them. I'm an avid barefooter who really only wears shoes when I have to. I tend to think shoes are like gloves... you wear them to protect against hot, cold and sharp or because you're dressing up. I love barefoot hiking (I even made the trek out to Delicate Arch in Utah while barefoot, much to the consternation of the ranger) and even times when I'm wearing shoes while hiking, I've been known to take them off and carry them when I don't feel sure-footed enough with them on.

The salesman chatted with me for a bit and, even though I'd been eyeing the men's shoes on the wall, went over to a rack and pulled off a pair that I suspected were women's. I mentioned that women's shoes were almost always too narrow (honestly, it's been a few decades since I last bought a pair of women's shoes), but he said "Try them on... these are from the Clearance Rack!" So, I did... and whoa! I'm in love! They're not the colors I would have chosen, but at 40% off, I figured they'd be a great way to try them out before investing an arm and a leg. My feet have some peculiarities that make it very difficult to find shoes that work, not the least of which being that they're two VERY different sizes. The nice thing about the Vibrams? They're extremely stretchy and the size I got seems to fit snugly on both feet. Bonus!!

And here they are!!


I just got back from my first walk in them... going down to Edith Moulton Park and then wandering around the trails there, including crossing Juanita Creek on a fallen log and going up and down loose dirt hills. And wow. I have NEVER felt so sure-footed with shoes on! It's like being barefoot with the added bonus of not having to worry about slivers, rocks or nettles! Still not entirely sure how well they'll do for long term walking on cement surfaces, but the bit of road and sidewalk walking I did felt fine.

Crossposted from my Livejournal

Comments

(found your entry with DW search)

[ide_cyan]

Just got a pair of those and am loving the barefoot feel, though I am still unsure over the sizing (& my feet are two different sizes, too). How are yours holding up, a month later? (Do you have an issue with your heels squeaking against the sole at all?)

Re: (found your entry with DW search)

[fenchurch]

Still absolutely loving them! In fact, I just ordered another pair from the REI website (they were having a sale with a coupon and the shoes ended up being about half off, yay!). Haven't had much of a problem with squeaking... I do generally use Gold Bond foot powder before I put them on, though, so that might be making a difference. Plus, I think if you have them fitted just right, there's not a lot of movement between the shoe and foot.

Re: (found your entry with DW search)

[ide_cyan]

Thanks for your reply. I got them on sale too (20% off), but the stores didn't have every size in stock, so just getting to try different sizes was complicated (first they had to relocate one pair, then I had to visit a different location to try another). The size seems right, if I didn't misread things (I'm more used to metric than imperial measurements), but my smaller foot still has a bit more room to squeak than the larger one. I guess I could try talcum powder, although they're black shoes!