Every once in awhile I have run into someone wearing what appeared to be gorilla feet:
It is hard to avert your eyes.
I mean, I don’t MEAN to stare…but really they are ridiculous looking. Â They are
Vibram 5 Fingers.
So,
of course, I had to buy a pair.
But give me a break on the gorilla look, I chose a cute little
ballet-like flat:
OK, no self-respecting ballerina would be caught dead in these, but they are a bit more dainty than the black men’s Vibram 5 Fingers KSO version…
Maybe not exactly dainty, but less
monkey-like.
I realize that gorillas aren’t actually monkeys but give me a break here I am running out of descriptive words.
Blog-Stedman was the one who really wanted the Vibram Five Fingers shoes. Â I think he felt like if he talked me into a pair too it would justify his pair. Â We started out by trying to order online, but the Vibram sizing is pretty complicated and not traditional shoe sizes. Â We decided to go to a local sporting goods store that carried them so we could try them on in person.
I am glad we did because both of us ended up with sizes that were different than what we would have ordered using the DIY measuring they suggest online.
Blog-Stedman was sold on the
Vibram Five Fingers KSO in black
(in the first picture above) as soon as he put them on.
I was still mumbling about how silly they looked and I didn’t see the point.
I tried on several pairs. Â My favorite pair was the new
Five Fingers BIKILA in pink/orange because they had a thicker sole on the weight-bearing portion of the foot sole specifically for running.
I don’t run.
They were the most comfortable ones I tried on, but they were out of my size. Â I ended up with the
Five Fingers CLASSIC (pictured above).
I was still mumbling about how silly they looked and I didn’t see the point.
Blog-Stedman has LOVED wearing his. Â He thinks they are much more comfortable than regular shoes. Â He has worn them walking, around the house and for light hiking. Â His main complaint is that you can feel rocks and such through the sole of the shoes.
I am still mumbling about how silly they look and I don’t see the point.
It has been very difficult for me to break them in.  I have been getting blisters or irritated areas each time I wear them on the back of my heel.  They often make my feet feel hot and  a little claustrophobic at times.
It isn’t the toe separation that bothers me. Â One of my favorite pairs of flip-flops has separators between each toe:
I think if I can completely break them in they might be relatively comfortable.
But not
bare feet comfortable.
Or
flip-flop with toe separation comfortable.
I guess I am still mumbling about how silly they look and I don’t see the point.
Except in this situation, the Vibram 5 Fingers had a point:
It made total sense to wear these on a light hike with the boys next to a creek which ended up with the adults down stream acting as a safety net for fallen and drifting boys.
I don’t really know what to think of or say about those, um, shoes?
I can’t even wear a pair of flip flops because of the toe separator so those would be completely out for me. I can’t really see the point either, unless you are crossing a river or something. I have don’t my silly shoe time back in the 70s when Jello shoes were first introduced. I still have scars from the blisters they caused.
–>I’ve never even heard of these before and I have to say, I’m kind of glad. (sorry)
I’ve been DYING to try a pair – and I’m so glad you talked about the toe separation (lol – that sounds so weird!) I think that part would freak me out – and I think it’s weird that no one else has talked about blister, all the reviews I see say that they are instantly in love, and I think they would definitely take some getting used to! Are the boys jealous of them, or scared of them? 🙂
Those are wicked! I have only seen one person wearing these and I couldn’t take my eyes off his feet. It was bizarre, but fascinating. Did you buy them for the sole (pun intended) purpose of hiking? Or just to be freakin’ cool?
I have a pair of the KSOs. They are ugly. Ugly ugly ugly. But actually they are great for a workout or a hike. My feet feel so much better in them & I don’t get the food cramps in my arches the way I used to do. They are great by the river – not so much on the beach, sand gets packed in the toes quickly & I am pretty sure walking funny in them in the hopes of avoiding toe blisters is how I gave myself shin splints this week. I love wearing them when I am working out or hiking but I never put them on without thinking “Now to put on the hideous shoes” and if i wear them to the gym I have to take them off if I go to the grocery store because they are just that ugly
How on earth did you wind up buying these? I mean, they don’t even have their own infomercial!
Mr. Weasel has a pair of the black ones. The Weasels and I never fail to mock him when he does where them.
I’m with you…I think they look silly and don’t see the point *lol*
But, I could never wear them. It causes me physical pain to have my big toe and first toe separated, I’ve never been able to wear flip flops. It’s just the way my feet are (I really need to have surgery to correct it, but I digress). So I’d never get them anyway…even if I didn’t find them silly.
Then again, there’s that whole podophobia thing I have where it would gross me out to see those shoes (the pictures are bad enough)…so you can keep them there…I’ll just curl up under my blanket and throw up a little in my mouth. 😛
I saw these on some of the campers when I dropped Taylor off. I didn’t know what to think of them. Except it did seem like the more “popular” campers had them on, so I guess they were cool – hehehe.
I will wait for this review to go straight to the WSJ, then I will go buy some. 😉
I am so excited for you, about the WSJ quote, that is great!!!!!
Since I hang on your every word, I am glad the WSJ is finally catching on. Won’t be long before they are begging you to write permanently for them. 🙂
Cammie
Oh, *those.* I was afraid there would be a picture of a big ol’ gorilla foot ashtray from the ’60s or something. I’m only sightly less disturbed, however.