Vibram Five Finger shoes.

Left to right:

2011 Treksport

2011 Bikila LS

2010 KSO

Whats the purpose of them?

haha.. i have seen people at the gym with them on.. they look ridiculous and will never own a pair.. i'll stick with my flip flops

I don't think I would wear them fishing or anywhere else.LOL Crazy looking!

I can't stand anything between my toes. I'd jump overboard after 30 minutes if I had to wear those.

I love my Fivefingers. I currently have 2 pairs of KSO's. I have an all black pair that I bought over the summer, and a black and orange pair I just got a couple weeks ago. I plan on adding a pair of flows to the collection next. The black ones I got over the summer are just a little too big, which is why I got a second pair of KSO's. Well that, and I like the color of my new ones.

Bassclary, the purpose is to simulate a  more natural, barefoot walking/running motion, while still providing some degree of protection for your feet. By simulating a barefoot footstrike, which is on your forefoot instead of your heel, you will strengthen the small muscles in your foot and ankle.

Those are freaky looking. 

I thought about buying some for wading shoes. Most of the rivers I fish though are EXTREMELY rocky with a few huge boulders thrown into the mix.

I don't think they would hold up very well and I certainly wouldn't want to be walking over rocks all day in those. The bottoms don't look thick enough to be walking on rocks without the pressure getting directly to your feet. Ouch!

I thought about buying some for wading shoes. Most of the rivers I fish though are EXTREMELY rocky with a few huge boulders thrown into the mix.

I don't think they would hold up very well and I certainly wouldn't want to be walking over rocks all day in those. The bottoms don't look thick enough to be walking on rocks without the pressure getting directly to your feet. Ouch!

I think you'd be surprised at how well they hold up. I've had my first pair for about 7 months without any durability problems. I'm normally pretty hard on shoes and I wore them almost every day from July through the middle of November, when it got too cold out to wear them. As far as the soles not being very thick, you're right, they're only a couple millimeters, and you can feel rocks/twigs underfoot. I've done some hiking in mine on some pretty rocky trails, and it does take some getting used to. In my experience, once I was used to walking in them, I could feel the rocks I was stepping on, but they didn't hurt, and I felt much more in tune with my surroundings. I noticed an improvement in my balance on rough terrain as well.

Wait a minute,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Barrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrf,

Ok, there went my lunch.

They are not cheap. $75-$125

I think they look cool, how do they feel, it is like being barefoot ?

They are not cheap. $75-$125

I think they look cool, how do they feel, it is like being barefoot ?

No, its way better than just being barefoot.  After you buy them your wallet will be so much lighter you won't have as much weight to carry when you walk around as before     JK

That just goes to show you that people will buy anything !!!!! Fugly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a pair that I love as well... I actually had the same reservations/comments.... ugly, dont want anything between my toes, wont hold up etc...

Now I wish I could afford another pair... they feel like you are barefooted...

LOL!  Thanks for the positives!

The KSO model and a couple of the lower line models, yes you do feel like you're walking barefoot but w/ a bit of foot protection from thorns, broken glass, etc.  It takes a bit of time to get used to them.

Here's the deal w/ them that I am totally surprised...no more back or knee pains.  Normal running shoes or regular shoes my back and knees are screaming after a whole day of wearing them.  With the Vibram Five Fingers...no back or knee problems.  Thats good enough for me and IMO...I don't think their fugly/ugly.

I give everybody on the forums permission to slap me right in the face if I'm ever caught wearing those things.

Pardon me a moment.  The sight of those things made me throw up in my mouth a bit.

I give everybody on the forums permission to slap me right in the face if I'm ever caught wearing those things.

Pardon me a moment. The sight of those things made me throw up in my mouth a bit.

lol they do look bad

I give everybody on the forums permission to slap me right in the face if I'm ever caught wearing those things.

Pardon me a moment. The sight of those things made me throw up in my mouth a bit.

lol they do look bad

Says the guy in women's sunglasses  :

Question.... look at the design in the pics... what do you do if your 2nd toe is longer than your big toe? Just askin'.

Question.... look at the design in the pics... what do you do if your 2nd toe is longer than your big toe? Just askin'.

That's a good question. The shoes use European sizes, and on their website they have a conversion chart based on the length of your foot in inches. For example, my foot is 11", which translates to a size 43. If your second toe is longer, you would  just measure from your heel to the end of your second toe. On my left foot, my first and second toes are the same,  but on my right the second toe is about 3/8" longer. When I wear my fivefingers, my right big toe just has a little bit of extra room at the tip but this amount of difference doesn't affect anything. If your second toe is too much longer though, you might need to go up a size, or you might not be able to wear them at all. The size chart is a useful guide, but I would recommend getting fitted and trying them on at a store if you have one near you that carries them if you are considering getting a pair and are concerned about how they will fit your feet.

I give everybody on the forums permission to slap me right in the face if I'm ever caught wearing those things.

Pardon me a moment. The sight of those things made me throw up in my mouth a bit.

lol they do look bad

Says the guy in women's sunglasses :

They have determined that high tech running shoes actually cause more injuries. They studied runners from African Nations who grew up running barefoot and still dominate the sport without 'advanced' running shoes. The new style 'footie' shoes are supposed to alleviate most of the problems.

wow........not my cup of tea but I've heard good things about them.

Jason

I wouldn't walk thru a puddle of ***** with those.