Selecting Minimalist Footwear [Part 5 in the Case for Minimalist Footwear]

I've only just discovered this concept and haven't even finished reading your series, so this might not be right, but I wanted to throw in my favorite pair of shoes. I cannot remember the brand right now, but they're wool felt. Wide, roomy, flexible, flat, and breathable. If anything the sole might be too cushioned, but with my current plantar fasciitis (wondering if going barefoot would help that?) they're the only shoes that don't hurt and have actually helped. Bonus, they're good for winter :) The only durability issue is I've worn holes in the tops from my toenails! But that is easily fixed :)

I'm reading your blog at the request of a family member who is interested in your idea. I am an orthopedic surgery resident and have an interest in the foot and ankle field. I am not in complete agreement with your conclusions thus far, and will comment further in the future. I did want to mention at this point however that a company called "Flexible Footwear" makes a great negative heel counter shoe with wonderful flexible sole that allows you to strength your intrinsic foot muscles while protecting you from the elements. I wear them in the hospital and during long operations. You can get some information from their website at www.flexiblefootwear.com. Just a suggestion.

I'm surprised the ubiquitous Converse All Stars aren’t included in your comparison - I wear them for running and training and find they provide reasonable sole protection without adjusting the foot position.

Another shoe option that you could add is Gurkee Sandals. They are a rope sandal that is very light weight and has a completely flat and flexible sole. Check them out at http://gurkees.com/

I have used the Neptune model for a couple of years now and use it to go into stores.

They float and are machine washable.

Great article!

David Henry

Thanks for this list. It's the best, most comprehensive list I've seen. I want to check out the last 2 items on your list. These look like interesting alternatives.

In terms of water shoes and cold, I've had no issues running in my Speedo Aquasocks in below zero temps. I do where them with socks in the Winter, and use them for running, which might be different than other activities.

Great post! I agree on pretty much everything! Just so you know, I am consulting for a new shoe company (ProZero) that will be making shoes next year that will have all the design components you mentioned: Flexible, Breathable, Roomy Uppers, Zero Drop (Flat) Soles, Flexible, non-cushioned soles, and durable to boot!

I've read this comparative review with great interest, Damien, thank you for writing it. If you have the opportunity, you could also try the original Feiyue shoes: they're martial arts shoes, originally, but I've used them for running too. The sole is on the thin side, slightly rounded, and cut in stripes so to be really flexible. They've been designed for "kung-fu" (wushu), as I was saying, so for kicks, jumps, and other motions that require that you keep control of your feet, rather than surrender it to your footwear. They won't win a beauty contest, they won't last you years, but they're easy to slip on and off (while still being secure on your feet), and a pair is really cheap -- $15 on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Claw-Feiyue-Martial-Shoes/dp/B000DN7XU4/ref=...

Hey Damien,

So I remembered reading this post a long time ago and I remembered that you put new soles on a pair of running shoes. I was wondering, where did you find material for the soles? I have a relatively flat pair of black leather shoes that I use when I need to dress up a little. The rubber soles on them are coming off so I figured I'd take the opportunity to just take them off all together and use them to trace some new, completely flat, rubber pieces to glue on. I'm going to go to the local shoe repair guy and see if he has any suggestions, but I thought I'd ask where you got your sole material from too.

Thanks!

Kelly

high I have wide fronts of my feet but i also get heel lift quite bad. This makes shoe selection difficult. Just wondering if anyone has any suggesstions

I'm surprised you didn't put Saucony Bullets on this list. They were track spikes in the mid 80s, and Saucony re-released them without spikes. The sole is extremely thin and flexible (I can even bend my toes forward in them really far!) and I've heard of other minimalist runners running in them.

This shoe (the bullet) may be a good candidate for a zero
drop modification depending on your needs. However, it is an old
school Track/Cross Country racer which means it has a quite narrow,
performance fit and is also why there is no foam in the forefoot, but
the heel still has a whole bunch of crap going on! Nice shoe if you
have narrow, pointy feet and you want to do a zero drop mod without
any cushioning...

As for the people asking about drop from heel to toe and modifications, just take your shoes to a local shoemaker or cobbler...ours does Zero Drop Modifications for $20. Any shoemaker should be able to sand out the midsole and glue the outsole back on too. Just find a shoe that fits well and take it in...

-Golden
www.runners-corner.com

Damien,

Nothing like a clear, well-structured piece of writing! Thank you.

Of course the downside of clear writing is that it makes it an easy target for critics. I am going to give you my feedback. I would never have been able to develop this feedback if you hadn’t done all the heavy lifting of developing this systematic outlook in the first place.

First, some background about me. I have been doing minimalist footwear since September 2009. I have used leather moccasins, Feelmax Kussaa and Kuuva, Sockwa Playa and Amphibian, Zinetic, and paper-shoes. I visited the Terra Plana store, but didn’t buy anything there. I never found any VFFs that fit me. I plan to start looking for Onitsukas soon. To be honest, I have not yet found any satisfactory minimalist footwear. They all have what I deem to be significant downsides.

In this post, I want to make two points. First, I want to modify the criteria that you have enunciated. Secondly, I want to question your elevation of barefoot as the ideal.

Again, I want to stress that the spirit in which I intend this to be read is one of comradeship. I view myself as a footwear minimalist and I view you one as well. I see you as attempting to develop a minimalist footwear worldview and I applaud that attempt. I see some areas where I think your worldview can be strengthened. You are, of course, free to accept or reject my comments as you deem appropriate.

First, let’s discuss the criteria for minimalist footwear. You are dead-on when you stress that the purpose is to protect the body. That is why we wear things on our feet instead of going barefoot (apart from cultural, stylistic reasons).

In this post, I want to focus on your discussion of the sole of the footwear. The criteria you give are flexibility and flatness. I would argue that these criteria are necessary but not sufficient. My overarching criterion is that, given the constraint of protection, I want to maximize the information that my foot receives from the world external to my body. One can have soles that are flexible, flat, and thick. The thickness of the shoe will reduce the amount of information that my foot receives. In general, the thinner the sole, the greater the amount of information transmitted from world to foot.

Another criterion that I look for in the sole of almost any minimalist footwear is waterproofness. If I lived in Southern California or Saudi Arabia, this would not be a concern. Living as I do in a region where rain and snow occur with some regularity, I want shoes that keep my feet as dry as possible. The upper can be breathable, but the outer sole should keep the water out.

Second, I want to step back for a moment and question whether barefoot is the ideal. I am going to put forward an argument that challenges that ideal. I don’t know whether or not this argument is correct. But if it is, it has great bearing on the question of minimalist footwear.

The argument derives from the argument given by Richard Wrangham in his recent book Catching Fire. Wrangham does not discuss footwear, but he does argue that human beings have been using tools and technology long enough that our brains, intestines, and other physiological structures have adapted to our use of these technologies that we have used for thousands of years.

I have not done an in-depth anthropological study of footwear. But I have done a quick, cursory study. It appears to be a practice widespread among many ancestral societies for members to make and wear moccasin-like footwear. For just one example, you can read The Uttermost Part of the Earth: Indians of Tierra del Fuego by E. Lucas Bridges.

If our brains and intestines adapted to the use of fire, it is possible that our feet, when we left Africa, say, adapted to the use of footwear in harsh climates. Just as the skin of the people who left Africa and settled in Europe changed its pigmentation, so it is possible that their feet adapted to the use of moccasins, say, in the snow.

If that is the case, then the ideal that I seek is not to be barefoot as much as possible. The ideal I seek is to wear shoes that are compatible with the physiology that has been handed down to me by my human ancestors.

Note, that I do not advocate a form of contemporary primitivism. That is, I do not say that I have to find out kinds of shoes the Iroquois wore, and wear them. I want to wear shoes that are compatible with my evolutionary heritage, but I have no desire to wear replicas of the shoes worn by my ancestors.

I believe that contemporary materials and production methods can allow us to improve upon the models of footwear created by our ancestors. And, in any case, I don’t live in the same environment (cultural or material) that my ancestors lived in.

So, if I were to pen a minimalist footwear manifesto it would stress the need to wear footwear that fulfills the functions of our human ancestors but allows for the use of materials and methods unknown to them.

I have been reading through your post and wondering what shoe you would recommend. I broke my leg and dislocated my ankle a couple of years ago. I still have a swelling and pain. Walking without a shoe is difficult and when ever I am on my feet for long amounts of time and or on uneven ground such as working in the garden then I can hardly walk for days.
Thanks
ps. the doctor says this is as good as it gets with the type of injury I had.

What shoe would you recommend. I broke my leg a couple of years ago and dislocated my ankle. I still have swelling, and if I am on my feet for long periods of time or on uneven surfaces like gardening I am not able to walk for days