Vibram Five Fingers Shoes... and canyons?

[Ryebrye]

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO_m.cfm

Ok. First though: "Ugliest shoes I've ever seen."

After I wiped the vomit off of my keyboard, my second thought was "hmm.... maybe they would be pretty nice for a canyon?"

The wired review made me think about it:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/barefoot/

I wonder if it would help get an edge in avoiding water on some of those crazy stemming problems... but I'm not sold on if it could give enough protection to the foot or if it would be able to successfully keep sand from seeping into it and filling it up.

[cookiecutter]

My buddy took his through Keyhole, he didn't not like them but he also didn't wear them through any other canyons we did.

[ratagonia]

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_KSO_m.cfm

Ok. First though: "Ugliest shoes I've ever seen."

After I wiped the vomit off of my keyboard, my second thought was "hmm.... maybe they would be pretty nice for a canyon?"

The wired review made me think about it:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/barefoot/

I wonder if it would help get an edge in avoiding water on some of those crazy stemming problems... but I'm not sold on if it could give enough protection to the foot or if it would be able to successfully keep sand from seeping into it and filling it up.

I saw THESE shoes on-line, and boy do they look mega-comfortable. I'm thinking of using them in canyons, and wondering what you guys think. I think they'd give me extra-good feel in hard stemming canyons like Sandthrax, and would provide some form of comfort if we have any unplanned bivies... what do you guys think? Anyone worn these in canyons, or something like them?????

http://www.vixitrix.co.uk/bunnyslippers.html




















Tom :moses:

[nat]

I saw THESE shoes on-line, and boy do they look mega-comfortable. I'm thinking of using them in canyons, and wondering what you guys think. I think they'd give me extra-good feel in hard stemming canyons like Sandthrax, and would provide some form of comfort if we have any unplanned bivies... what do you guys think? Anyone worn these in canyons, or something like them?????

http://www.vixitrix.co.uk/bunnyslippers.html




















Tom :moses:

:haha: :haha:

They also look like they would be great for wet canyons! My guess is they could absorb a gallon of water apiece.

Nat

[Bo_Beck]

I wore my "Sprints" through Fat Mans Misery a few months back. They were great to a degree, but they packed full of sand and I had to pull them off and dig the sand out of the toes a couple times. The model shown in the above picture is the KSO and would be better, but would still fill with sand. A better model would be the "Flow". When we got to the East Fork and the water was flowing fairly high and murky, it hurt my feet to slide off a slippery rock and bang the side of my feet on another submerged rock. I have used my Sprints for trail running and they are really good. I also have used them scrambling on East Side slickrock domes. They were AWESOME, but when I got to snow on the ridgeooooops! No traction on snow! I recently met a guy that came into the store and he is an avid 5-finger wearer. I hope to spend more time in my "barefeet".

Check out this link www.redrocksbluesky.com to get an idea.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_Flow_m.cfm

[canyonguru]

Not sure why there is such a big debate on canyoneering shoes. Just buy the shoes that are designed for the job. 5.10's or Exum Rivers that whay there is no question wether they will work or not. If you need an aproach canyon shoe get Exum Rivers if not then get the 5.10s just my two cents.

[MiCanyoneer]

Not sure why there is such a big debate on canyoneering shoes. Just buy the shoes that are designed for the job. 5.10's or Exum Rivers that whay there is no question wether they will work or not. If you need an aproach canyon shoe get Exum Rivers if not then get the 5.10s just my two cents.

Just an FI.
I recieved mountain gear flier in today's mail and it has Exum Ridge on sale for 69.98 and Rivers on sale for 64.98

[uintahiker]

Had on old roommate that got the FiveFingers just after they came out. He said he sure got a lot of wierd looks just wandering around campus. One of his professors even stopped in the middle of his lecture to ask about them.

A few of his thoughts-
They spread your toes out, so it takes a bit to get used to them.

Don't even think about toe socks! I'm sure a few of you were wondering, just answering the question before it's asked!

[Ryebrye]

Not sure why there is such a big debate on canyoneering shoes. Just buy the shoes that are designed for the job. 5.10's or Exum Rivers that whay there is no question wether they will work or not. If you need an aproach canyon shoe get Exum Rivers if not then get the 5.10s just my two cents.

The five fingers KSO list Canyoneering as one of the things they are designed for.

Tom - Those bunny slippers might work if they had grip on the bottom and a webbing strap to keep them attached.

I'll go on record now and say that I will wear a pair through Pine Creek if you can get ones with a strap around the back and some kind of friction on the soles :)

[ratagonia]

Not sure why there is such a big debate on canyoneering shoes. Just buy the shoes that are designed for the job. 5.10's or Exum Rivers that whay there is no question wether they will work or not. If you need an aproach canyon shoe get Exum Rivers if not then get the 5.10s just my two cents.

The five fingers KSO list Canyoneering as one of the things they are designed for.

Tom - Those bunny slippers might work if they had grip on the bottom and a webbing strap to keep them attached.

I'll go on record now and say that I will wear a pair through Pine Creek if you can get ones with a strap around the back and some kind of friction on the soles :)

What size are your feet?

T :moses:

[Rau_Dawg33]

I just got a pair of the KSO's and so far I've taken them trail running a few times, through Fat Man's Misery and to Kanarraville Falls. I must admit, before I bought them I thought that they were hideous. But now I can't even put them on without smiling. I love them. They did not keep out all the sand on Fat Man's but performed much better then any of my friends shoes. Plus they make your feet crazy strong. Expect to be sore for the first couple of weeks.

[shaggy125]

I was convinced that Sasquatch is a canyoneer when we kept seeing giant foot prints through Hard Day Harvey. We finally decided it was a sasquatch impersonator wearing these shoes. :nono:

[fouristhenewone]

I bought a pair of KSO's a few months ago, and have been wearing them quite a bit - mostly hiking, running, and on weekends as a do my normal stuff. they are awesome. definately take a bit of getting used to - you learn quickly to adjust your stride not to heel strike, watch your step a bit closer, etc. also, I've been running in them a bit, and I love the way they make you adjust. but BOY were my calves sore after running in them the first few times. good stuff. I don't know about canyoneering, they can gather sand, even with the kso's, overall, I love them.

[Bo_Beck]

I was convinced that Sasquatch is a canyoneer when we kept seeing giant foot prints through Hard Day Harvey. We finally decided it was a sasquatch impersonator wearing these shoes. :nono:

I wear my KSO Treks to work quite regurlarly. Soon we should be getting our pre-season order in. Included will be the Bikila (designed for running), KSO's, Sprints and Classics. If I had only had these in stock 4 months ago (they've been impossible to get because of demand) I could have sold at least 20 Pr. a day! The "barefoot" shoes are simply amazing! I used to have lower back problems....gone; knee pains.....gone! They solve a lot of posture problems associated with stance and gait....hence things change; don't know exactly why, but not going to question it.

[jman]

So, most pairs I see online average about $80.
Then I saw a ad on google listing them at a tradetang.com for $41-$45/new. Never heard of tradetang.com. Are these knock offs or the real deal, or a phising website you think?

Or does anyone know of a website that offers them a bit cheaper than 80...?

[Rau_Dawg33]

I tried to post the image form Vibram's website but it wouldn't let me cuz im a noob.
But there is a giant yellow warning about fraudulent merchandise on the Five Fingers home page. I don't know about you but that deal sounds a little too good to be true.

As far as finding them cheaper I don't know. But to me the price was worth it seeing as how they are now my go to shoes.
Good Luck, and if you do find a better deal i'd love to hear about it. I wouldn't mind a pair of Bikilas.

[Rau_Dawg33]

From Vibrams Website:

"To All Consumers,

We want to inform you about our efforts to fight the sale of counterfeit merchandise, a serious menace that has recently surfaced after the success of our authentically unique Vibram FiveFingers

[John Peterson]

Wore mine through Orderville this weekend. Didn't intend to do the whole thing in them, just the hike down from the parking lot to the dryfall. But 2 miles turned into 12 and they kept feeling great, even better when I got into water. They worked great for Orderville all the way to the Virgin. From there to the end though, they sucked and I should have changed but I was lazy. I had the odd muscles that are sore but no pain to follow. Not the best traction for stemming and what not, but then again there's not much of that required in Orderville.

Also did the exit climb up to Left Fork trailhead off of Subway with them on, and that felt great the whole way.

[Bo_Beck]

[QUOTE=Rau_Dawg33;409637]From Vibrams Website:

"To All Consumers,

We want to inform you about our efforts to fight the sale of counterfeit merchandise, a serious menace that has recently surfaced after the success of our authentically unique Vibram FiveFingers

[josephP]

They are great for canyoneering. The only problem I had was that the toes start to fill up with silt if the water has alot of solids.

[Petzl_Pretzel]

I felt like for me they don't provide enough protection for the feet in a remote canyon setting. There are other shoes with vibram soles more suited for getting in, through, and getting out. Canyoneering = long walks; these = no cushion against pounding rocks all day. However, they may be awesome on the river...

[John Peterson]

I felt like for me they don't provide enough protection for the feet in a remote canyon setting. There are other shoes with vibram soles more suited for getting in, through, and getting out. Canyoneering = long walks; these = no cushion against pounding rocks all day. However, they may be awesome on the river...

All true. Again, they provide zero support of any kind. It's like walking barefoot without having to worry about sharp things. Mileage in these things will make your calves ripped though. It's different musculature altogether, and you'll notice it over distance. I wouldn't take these into any canyon that you have to do lots of stemming though, or anywhere with submerged rocks (Virgin Narrows, or Subway exit slog for example).

Before I bought them I read a review that said these are like getting a foot massage every time you use them, and for the first ten miles of Orderville that was true. I love these shoes and will always own a pair.

[CanyonCrawler]

When I considered buying a pair, the sales guy told me exactly what you guys are saying. It does take a long time to get used to them. My brother bought me a pair for a spoof gift, but to show him, I used them. In fact I performed a bit of a test this past weekend. I took my Vibram 5 Fingers down Birch Hollow and used my Multi-Day Hikers for Mystery the day after. The 5 Fingers will stick to any wall you ask them to, so they're AMAZING for stemming and if you get the right size, you don't have to worry about particulates in between your toes. You have to take it slower in them because they don't have the support that we're all used to. You trade support for great dexterity. You also lose a little when you're on loose sand that's covering a steep incline- the kind that you don't want to fall off of in a canyon. The next day when I put on my Multi-day hikers, I felt like I could roll over just about anything. I also lost some traction on the sandstone that I got used to having the day before. The biggest problem with the Vibram's is that even though you're "bare feet" aren't used having to walk that way, they definitely aren't used to jumping, sliding, and running down a canyon with the weight of a rope, gear, water, and chow. These shoes are excellent for running or hiking, but I have to reluctantly advise against them in any situation where you have to carry more than your own body weight over long distances.