New in for review is a pair of Vibram FiveFingers KSO shoes, though 'shoes' is maybe a bit of a misnomer here.
The idea behind FiveFingers is to give you the physiological benefits of going barefoot – and they're increasingly well documented – but with a thin layer of grippy, Vibram rubber protection both to increase traction and protect the soles of your feet from abrasion.
They really are quite minimal too. Each of our size 43s weights just 169 grammes and underfoot there's a layer of rubber and a thin, permanently attached footbed. Up top you get a stretch fabric upper with big mesh insert and a single strap which tensions round the heel area and fastens very securely, with Velcro, across the midfoot.
And they have separate toe pockets. At first that feels weird and makes the shoes fiddly to put on, but you soon get used to it and once the upper strap is adjusted and fastened, the FiveFingers feel incredibly natural and comfortable underfoot.
It's kind of weird looking down and seeing what looks like Hobbit paws where your shoes should be, but hey, this is all about function. And basically they do what they're supposed to do – you get the natural feel of walking about in bare feet, but without the usual tentative pixie steps you find yourself doing on rougher surfaces like roads and pebbles or or hot pavements.
The rubber feels very grippy too, no doubt helped by the natural smearing tendencies of your foot and we reckon these would be amazing on grippy slab climbs.
We've done some gentle grass running too and as we've been told, you need to fundamentally alter your running style to compensate. Because the human foot has little cushioning on the heel, you run more on your forefoot with shorter, pitter-patter strides, which reduces foot strike impact appreciably.
In time it will also strengthen the connective tissues in your feet and, if researchers are to be believed, also significantly reduces injury compared to more conventional running shoes.
How you use them is really up to you – regular, shortish 'barefoot' runs for training might be one approach, or you could be more braver and use them for more regular running and walking. Whatever you do, you need to adapt gradually, so build up the mileage rather than just leaping straight in and expecting your cosseted feet to cope.
What else? Because they're so light and fast drying they'd be excellent for river crossings on treks, or as evening camp footwear, or on the beach, for wild swimming and, well, just use your imagination.
For reference, Vibram says the shoes can be used for light trekking, climbing and bouldering, canyoneering, running, martial arts and fitness, yoga, sailing, paddling, surfing and flats fishing.
And when they get grubby, just throw them in the washing machine on a cool cycle and hang them up to dry. They do also have an anti-microbial treatment to reduce pongs.
They're slightly odd, but we like them so far - if you want a more conventional look, Vibram has been working with Merrell on a similar but more conventional looking barefoot shoe range for 2011. Retail for the KSOs is around the £100 mark. More information at www.vibramfivefingers.com.
