Well, its been quite some time since I've posted anything here at Tailing Loops, longer still since I posted a review, so here goes.
While this isn't a review of a piece of fly fishing equipment, a book, or some other directly-related item, I feel its worth talking about.
The Vibram FiveFingers line of shoes are a radical departure from typical shoe design. Made for a wide range of activities from walking to yoga, running, trekking, and even boating, these shoes are designed to allow your foot to do what it was designed to do: support your body.
The FiveFingers line consists of four specific models of shoe: Classic, Sprint, KSO, and Flow. The Classic is the baseline model, while the Spring incorporates a strap across the open top, the KSO provides a closed-top that fits against the underside of the ankle made of light synthetic fabric, and the Flow replaces the light material with neoprene, for water and cold-weather activity. For my purposes, I picked up a pair of the KSOs (short for keep-stuff-out), and that's the specific shoe I'm dealing with in this review.
Taking a minimalist approach, Vibram's goal with this shoe is to provide all the sensations and benefits of walking barefoot, with the protection of their TC-1 rubber to eliminate the dangers posed by sun-baked asphalt, bees, and bits of glass and metal that normally make going barefoot a bad idea, especially in urban areas. Vibram approached the design of this shoe based on the idea of letting feet do what they were meant to do.
The design of the human foot is superb for walking, running, and jumping. While many animals are capable of impressive sprints, the human body, specifically the feet, are made for long-distance running, and some tribal people in Africa actually participate in persistence hunting, where they will literally chase antelopes and other animals to exhaustion. Wearing rigid, inflexible shoes prevents your feet from flexing and adapting properly to conditions. Many common foot problems today are caused or aggravated by shoes that impede the function of the foot, or provide too much rigidity and support, allowing the joints and muscles to weaken. In fact, it is believed that many high-end running shoes do more harm than good! To the contrary, the FiveFingers provide basic protection and cushioning for the foot without interfering with the natural motions of the foot and toes while walking. It is also believed that walking barefoot may improve posture, strengthen feet, ankles, and calves, and reduce back pain. With these shoes, your feet will be able to function properly again.
Description
The first things you notice when looking at any of the FiveFingers shoes are the toes. These minimalist shoes feature individual pockets for every toe on your foot, literally fitting like a glove. This design keeps your toes spaced out, which allows them to settle individually onto the ground with each step, improving balance and footing. It also means that these shoes wont keep all your toes crowded together, basically acting as an extension of your foot, rather than the individual elements they really are. While the feeling of the fabric between the toes is unusual, and at first, maybe even uncomfortable for some, once you get past that, the freedom your toes have while wearing these shoes is great. When out on a trail, the increased footing and stability is subtle but definitely noticeable, as your toes each settle independently of the rest.
The second most striking feature of the shoe is the sole. The soles are thin, and flex to conform to the ground you're walking on and carry the feeling through to your foot. As you walk, you can easily tell the difference between the difference surfaces you're walking on, from grass, to weeds, to dirt, gravel, pavement, brick, etc. The rubber also does a good job of protecting your foot from pointy objects, and while a large (baseball-sized) pointy rock under your arch will still be uncomfortable, you can run across gravel, even big, rough gravel, without worry.
First Impressions
As advertised, the KSO, with its full upper, does indeed keep stuff out. I took my puppy, Taka for a walk in my KSOs and we covered gravel, concrete pavement, grass (freshly cut), and sand. When we got home and I took my shoes off, there wasn't even one blade of grass or grain of sand inside. The mesh upper is elastic enough to remain form-fitting around the base of the ankle, throughout its range of motion, and the strap keeps the shoe from working loose as you walk, even up and down steep grades.
The tread on the sole is not very aggressive, as you can see from the picture, incorporating some low-relief scalloping in the high-wear areas, and siping (tiny zig-zag patterns that spread open as you step to form treads) everywhere except the arch and toes. This fairly tame tread design, combines with the Vibram rubber to give surprisingly good traction, even on wet grass. I was also surprised by how much "grip" I was able to get on wet or loose surfaces just from my toes being able to make individual contact with the ground.
The shoe is unmistakable unique in appearance, and although nobody has said anything, I've already gotten a few curious looks in stores and on sidewalks. They're the type of shoes one might call "dorky", and I'd imagine its one of those things that you either love it or hate it. Its definitely not for everyone, but if you don't mind standing out a little and getting some quizzical stares, the FiveFingers is a great shoe for exercise as well as everyday wear. I wear my KSOs without socks, though I may get a pair of the Injinji toe socks to wear with them once the weather cools off, as the thin mesh upper is very breatheable, and will allow feet to get quite cold.
Fit
Out of the box, these shoes can be a challenge to don properly. Try as I might the first day I had them, I couldn't convince the toes beside my big toes to go in the right pockets of the shoes. It's best to start with the big toe and work your way out, though, at first, it will take you a bit longer to put on these shoes than your normal sneakers. Once they're on though, these KSOs do a good job of staying secure to your foot, combining the form fitting fabric of the top of the shoe with an adjustable velcro strap that wraps around the heel, then over the top of the foot. I've read some reviews and blogs that made it seem impossible to do, but within 2-3 days, the FiveFingers are not at all difficult to put on. Yes, they do take a few seconds more attention than most shoes, but it really isn't a big ordeal. Like Vibram suggests, just start with the big toe and fit each toe in one at a time, and usually, you'll get the shoe on within a few moments. If not, just wiggle your toes and guide them into the proper places with your hands. When you get them in place, it's all worth it.
Once I got the shoes on my feet, they fit great and stayed secure on my foot, almost like a second skin. The entire FiveFingers line is light, and my KSO model weighs in at 5.7 oz per shoe. This lightness really helps enhance the experience of "barefooting". My toes at first didn't seems to want to wort themselves into the proper pockets of the shoes, but once they're in, they really stay put quite well, and the mesh upper stretches across the top of my foot without any feeling of being pulled tight.
One of my biggest issues when buying shoes is that while I'm not flat-footed, my arches are fairly low and wide. This pretty much rules out any true running shoe for the most part. With their high, cushioned arches for increased support, just walking in most of them is a painful experience for me. Normally, I just end up getting a vaguely defined "Casual" shoe, or I spend quite a long time trying on various athletic shoes until I find one with an arch to suit me. Though I don't skateboard, I've found that "skate shoes", like Vans are typically a good choice for me as well. Still, finding anything between a walking shoe and a boot has been challenging. These shoes presented no arch challenge at all, and in fact, feel great on my feet, conforming to the shape of my arch with every step.
One of the first things I noticed when taking my first few steps in the FiveFingers was that, without the thick sole of a conventional shoe, my stride was a little bit off. Each time I wear them, it gets more natural, but I did notice that just wearing these shoes has changed both my posture and stride, hopefully for the better.
The Verdict
Overall, in the short time I've had my Vibram FiveFingers KSO shoes, I've been very pleased with them. The separate toe pockets and thin sole feel unlike any shoe I've ever worn before, and the difference feels great. They offer an improved level of balance and allow the toes to move independently, improving posture, stride, and, in the long term, making your foot stronger.
Though I have yet to do so, I plan to wear my FiveFingers while fishing a few times, to see how they do in a flowing stream, on silty and sandy bottoms and slippery, moss-covered rocks. The Vibram website indicates that the KSOs are recommended for flats fishing, so I'd imagine that they'd hold up fairly well in a trout stream too!
For anyone who does any amount of hiking, you know what a difference lighter footwear can make in terms of fatigue and hiking enjoyment. These shoes are quite light and even short walks are a noticeable pleasant activity. The 'barefoot' feel of these shoes makes a walk in a pair of FiveFingers unlike a walk in any other shoe. Just feeling the textures, temperatures, and subtle details of the ground beneath you makes any walk a very interesting experience, and you'll be strengthening your foot and ankle muscles in the process! Long story short: if you like walking in the woods, walking barefoot, or walking in general, try on a pair of FiveFingers.
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