Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Minimal Shoes. The Perfect Fit. Big foot!

The search continues.  I wear a size 12/13 US or 46/47 UK.  Depends on the manufacturer too, which can vary.  Brands tend to be fairly consistent in the barefoot/minmal shoe area, since the cuts are vastly different.

Merrell Trail: Wide ... Still not big enough for me.  Thanks for the effort and I can't wait until I can fit into one of your shoes again.  I really liked this brand before I went minimal, but no I cannot settle for a cramped toebox.

New Balance ... this was one of my all time number one shoe company.  I bought a lot of NB shoes over the years.  When you introduced your minimal line of Minimus shoes, I had to try.  I started with Minimus 10, but the toebox was too cramped for my taste and no wide version was available.  Then almost as an answer to my thoughts, Minimus 00 came out.  And a wide version exists!  I am still evaluating these shoes in my home.  The fit is very nice at 13 wide, but the sole still has a very shoe feel.  What I mean is that I am raised off the ground and definitely feel like I am walking on rubber.

Vivobarefoot still is my main shoe in both dress (Dharma) and casual (Neo).  Great fit and toebox.  Practically zero underneath feel but still very protective from regular rocks and average parking lot walking.  In the mail are some Ultra Pure for some great summer time wearing.