I’ve tried the “barefoot” shoes and wasn’t a fan due to the barely there sole while spending my days on unnatural and unforgiving surfaces. Vivo Barefoot may be fine while walking on dirt or grass, but on concrete, it’s not fun.

I do really like the wide toe box of these types of shoes. The article touches on this a little, but I’m very happy some brands have recognized this issue and moved to a more balanced middle ground.

I’ve been wearing Lems for a few years now, and recently tried some Altras as well. Having a wide toe box makes them feel like slippers, it’s great. My whole life my feet felt squished, even in wide shoes… which they don’t make the right part of the shoe wide. Even with the Lems, they have 3 widths for the lasts, and I find the widest to be the most comfortable. The next step down starts to feel restrictive.

The side effect of this is that now all my older shoes are uncomfortable and my options when looking for new shoes has been drastically reduced.

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