Finding My Footing

A month ago, I began experimenting with minimalist, zero drop shoes. My constant quest for the holy grail of footwear continues.

I spend a lot of time on my feet, averaging 8 to 10 miles a day. As an obsessed hiker, what you put on your feet matters, and I will never be done searching for the perfect shoe. In January I began experimenting with converting to zero drop hiking shoes. This change lead me to minimalist zero drop shoes. My slow conversion continues. So far, my experience has been mainly positive. I’ve found I have less back and hip pain after a day on my feet, and my feet are not as tired or sore. Being a minimalist, I will never be in danger of being confused with Imelda Marcos. I’ve got my three season trail runners, a pair of lightweight summer mids and my heavy winter boots for hiking. The winter boots are old school, with a raised heel. I won’t be able to convert these. I need that heel to secure alpine gaiters, and the rigid boot to hold crampons, snowshoes and spikes securely. My motorcycle boots are also safe from being sent to goodwill. I only wear them when I ride and switch to a walking shoe at dismount. I don’t like laced shoes on a motorcycle. I’ve seen the loops get caught on the shifter and that could lead to the inability to shift or put your foot down which is kinda a necessity when you only have two wheels.

The Work Shoe

I work in both indoor and outdoor environments, but don’t need rugged steel toe boots or anything of that sort. Just a pair of comfortable, low key shoes that I can wear driving, in an office or slip off for the TSA man when I’m moving through the queue of airport security.

Minimalism with maximal pricing.

Looking online, my mind was set on getting a pair of simple, zero drop shoes. You’d think shoes that fold in half and have as much tread on the bottom as a bicycle tire would be less costly than traditional shoes with thick soles and lots of material, but that’s not necessarily the case. After way too much research, I settled on a choice between Zero, Lem’s and Whitin. I own a pair of Zero’s and like them, but needed a bit of variety to test another brand. If all you’ve ever eaten is fast food hamburgers, how do you know that you’re missing out on a fine steak? Because I had already tried the higher priced Zeros I decided to go with the hamburger equivalent.

I committed to the cheapest shoes to test, a pair of Whitin barefoot shoes. Some sites called them “cross trainers” but I did not intend to do any training in these other than to train my feet to walk in them.

A Few Weeks In

I bought these with my own money, and they cost me less than $50 US. Here’s some feedback if you’re interested.

1. They’re a bit heavier than my Zeros and not as well engineered. What did I expect for half the price? The Zero’s design helps lock the shoe firmly in place and can be as snug or as loose as you like. These are a bit sloppy.
2. The have go to be one of the homeliest shoes I’ve ever worn. The toe box is huge. Thank goodness they are not red, or I’d be doing stand in work for Ronald McDonald.
3. They are super comfortable. The big toe box that makes these look like clown shoes allows my toes to spread out and have plenty of wiggle room. The material of the uppers is some super stretchy fabric. The tongue is sewn down- it never goes askew or bunches up. The sole is thicker than my Zeros, giving me a little more cushion. the laces are not up to snuff as far as a hiking guy is concerned. They’re more like ribbon for wrapping presents. I don’t like them at all. That said, because the material is super stretchy, I just leave them laced most of the time and pull them off and on.
4. The tread is pretty basic. I would not wear these for hiking.

Come Back Soon

I will circle back in a few months with an update. Right now, I’m in minimalist or zero drop shoes all the time. Will I be crippled next month? Stay tuned.