I've been wearing Vibrams to get close to the barefoot feel.
Upsides: They really work.
Downsides: Being asked about them at least three times a day from passerby. For colder weather, toe socks are almost required. And they get damp quite easily; that's tolerable when it's warm and you wear the shoe by itself, but in the case of wet & cold weather, damp socks = frozen feet. Despite this I was still wearing them in last week's storm in the Bay Area because, at least at the time, it seemed better to feel cold than to feel clumsy.
I've considered Vibrams as well, but have been holding off due to the look. You can also try the Nike Free line, which were made with the barefoot running idea in mind. Those have been around for a few years.
The Vibrams give me the willies, too, so I actually used to order custom moccasins from a local boot factory until Feelmax came out with their shoe (I still wear the moccasins in the winter.)
There have been durability issues with them on tarmac as they were originally meant for trail/sand/dirt/grass use, but the newest iterations have remedied this a bit too.
I also haven't taken the Vibram plunge, but I can give you a huge thumbs up for the Free line. I've been doing almost all my running (40+ miles per week) in Free 5.0s since I switched over last fall, and they are reasonably comfortable and attractive as everyday walking shoes as well.
Yeah if you dont walk around barefoot much then the way to ease your feet into Vibrams would be to wear nike frees for a while. It'll help your feet adjust to the feeling.
I've been using them for running twice a week and playing basketball on outdoor courts at least 2-3 times a week for the last 6 months. So far, they havent even begun to show any sign of wear.
If I may ask, what shoe were you using before that and what sort of problems made you switch? How long did it take to get used to the Vibrams?
I have a flat foot (over-pronator) and am using stability shoes along with specially made orthotics. For the past five years I have been experiencing different levels of pain in my left shin. Nothing helped (changing shoes, orthotics).
Now I'm trying barefoot running. Very low mileage for now and lots of strengthening exercises. Will report positive results - if any.
I'd be very interested to hear your results. I too am an over-pronator and while I'm curious about barefoot running, I'm hesitant to take the plunge without some knowledge of how it will affect my feet (+shins and joints).
I bought a pair of KSO's around July of '09 to go hiking. I've enjoyed it, but you have to be more aware of where you step as some rocks do, in fact, hurt. Also, getting things in between your toes can be an issue. I don't really find the former to be much of an issue. Being more observant of my surroundings isn't a bad thing to me. The latter can be an issue, but it's also related the former.
Overall, I'm pleased. I don't have any intention of going back to more traditional shoes.
Another thing I've found is that if you are playing a sport which requires sudden direction changes (e.g. indoor ultimate), the skin can peel off the bottom of your feet.
It's probably different for everyone, but something to look out for if you plan on playing hardcore tennis or basketball in them.
Yeah, the cold feet things is a bummer. I bought some Injinji socks (that Vibram sells), and it fixed the problem. I'm a barefoot runner anyhow, so Vibrams were a natural fit (pun not-intended).
How is walking/standing on concrete in these? I find my feet will start hurting if I even simply stand barefoot on a hard surface for any length of time.
I've spent a lot of time walking around barefoot (no Vibrams either--never felt like spending the money on them) in cities (NYC and SF), and your feet get used to the concrete thing really quickly. Your feet toughen up and it's not a big deal. I agree about barefooting being annoying in cold weather though.
I've had them a few months and have been wearing them more and more; but so far I'll still take sneakers to walk more than a mile on asphalt.
About your feet hurting in general, I used to have the same problem before I started taking omega-3 supplements. I hadn't expected that benefit at all.
The Vibram KSO doesn't do a good job of keeping your feet warm in the cold and wet. I mostly run barefoot on dirt trails, but pull the KSO's out of my pocket when I hit really bad terrain. Cold is the one thing that stops me.
I'm moving to the Bay Area myself in a couple of weeks, and was kind of hoping that that was the solution to the cold weather problem. I am a little worried about finding good quality dirt trails.
Upsides: They really work. Downsides: Being asked about them at least three times a day from passerby. For colder weather, toe socks are almost required. And they get damp quite easily; that's tolerable when it's warm and you wear the shoe by itself, but in the case of wet & cold weather, damp socks = frozen feet. Despite this I was still wearing them in last week's storm in the Bay Area because, at least at the time, it seemed better to feel cold than to feel clumsy.