Vivobarefoot Trail Freak Men's Trail Running Shoe

Great trail shoe so far. I've only put maybe 20-25 mi on them so far, but across a variety of terrain. Well, the variety present in upstate NY during our worst winter in years. So, roads, ice, snow (both hardpacked and fluffy) and the occasional soggy ground. Although these shoes are not the best for road running, they perform admirably for short stretches. They are very well suited for trail and snow, however, with really grippy lugs. I should note that I'm actually running on the non-waterproof version of these shoes, and they've still done great in snow while being light and providing a lot of ground perception. Given the cold, I've worn these only with socks so far, but I look forward to wearing them without in warmer weather, as the inner lining is quite comfortable. All in all, a very well-made and versatile minimalist trail shoe that I am happy to recommend.

Great shoes. I spent a week camping, hiking, running and kayaking on a river and wore these shoes for all activities. They dried quickly when I was out of water, and worked well on runs that involved crossing water, which I normally hate cause wet shoes suck. They had great traction on different surfaces. For the cherry on top after a pretty brutal week in them I tossed them in the washer when I got home and they looked brand new. They have held up EXTREMELY well. The looks are debatable, but if the look works for you I'm sure the function will. Only potential negative is that because the very aggressive lugs are quite soft ( which is great for grip) they have a weird squishy feeling when yo wear them as normal shoes. It doesn't bother me, but it is noticeable.

I have long been in love with the vibram five finger, but I needed a shoe that would give me more protection, more grip, and still feel barefoot.Thats exactly what this shoe does. I purchased these shoes just before i left for Elk Hunting. Elk Hunting involves a ton of hiking, steep hills, fallen trees, brush, rocks... the list goes on... rough hiking. The shoes performed flawlessly! Excellent traction, super comfortable, and 3 months later they are still holding up very well. I wear them now for casual, work, biking... havent found a situation they have let me down in yet!If you are looking to try barefoot, or love barefoot shoes and need something tough with traction, lightweight, water resistant... this is the shoe for you!

This is my second pair of these shoes, I love them...but make no mistake, they are minimalist shoes. I would run barefoot if I was not in an area with such sharp rocks on all the trails. But I am...so these shoes are perfect. The new lacing system is much faster than the old one (I had a previous model) and the eyelets rubbed my feet a little when I first wore them. That is the reason for the "Somewhat Narrow" selection. I wore them on a four mile trail run last week and they did fine.

I love these minimilist trail running shoes, they work really well for trail running (obviously) I also use them for just lounging around and any time I'm headed outdoors, even just for casual hikes, and romps in the park. They're not designed for indoor use, but it's actually fine to wear them inside from time to time. I've even used them at the gym, and on a treadmill. The fit is really fantastic, and it just feels correct. I like them so much that I bought a pair for my girlfriend.

The shoes fit snugly but the toe box is bigger than expected. It felt a little weirder than I was use to. After the first few miles it wasn't that noticeable, how free my feet felt. I loved them, but next time I'd MAYBE consider ordering a European size smaller.

My favorite shoe. Ive ran rundreds of miles in 2 pairs. Fits like a glove, has killer traction in the dirt, gravel and sand, lightweight and durable. I would like some regular laces but that is my only small complaint.

The sizing on these is limited, which I understand. I had to get a size that was a little

These are the best fellrunning shoes I've used! Let me give this some context. I've been aiming at reducing my rise to a barefoot/minimalist style of shoe for a few years by working my way through trainers with a gradually reducing rise (my last pair were Adidas Adizero XT, which had about 4mm of rise and not much cushioning); I wanted to follow advice about changing running style incrementally to avoid injury. These were the style of shoe I was aiming for. First run out of the box... I'm hooked. The fit is perfect (I have quite wide feet) and they felt fast even though the stats say I'm running at the same pace. They feel really responsive and controllable and I'm confident on a range of terrains and inclines. I've run on gravel, grass and technical rocky ground and they've been super on each. My legs did ache in a slightly different way after the run but as not to suggest straining way. I've also not done any endurance runs yet as I want to build up to the barefoot style slowly but so far I'm really happy with these shoes and wanted to help others who are thinking of buying these online. I'm usually wary of not having running shoes properly fitted so was prepared to return them if they were not suitable but the fit was spot-on (wide in the toe box) and the lugs are more aggressive than they seem in the photo (they're like Inov8 Tallons and very trustworthy). Thus my two biggest worries were squelched. I hope this review has helped. Great shoe but make sure you change your running style gradually.

So far these have been excellent. I'm not a hardcore runner, only get out once or twice a week but these have been my motivation to improve. They're incredibly comfortable and I can certainly feel the way they work to strengthen your achilles.I'd recommend doing a little bit less a little slower than you usually would to get into the swing of them and then build up to your regular pace when you're more used to the feeling.

In short I am extremely pleased with this purchases. Speedy delivery and looks great. Very comfortable and so far very durable; have been running with them for about two weeks now over grass and on the road and they still look like new.Just one word of caution; take it easy when you first go out running in them as they really work your calves muscles unlike normal running shoes where running tends to be a heal-toe strike. These shoes allow you to run more naturally, running on the ball of your foot and not heal striking the ground. I ran 3 miles when i first bought them and it felt great, until the morning where i really felt the work out in my calves ( took 3 days before i could go out again). Lesson learned; i should have listened to the other reviewers who advised to take it easy when i you first start, specially if your not use to this type of running.Overall great product and a recommend buy.

Trail Freaks are snug round the ankle, have a wide toe box, are zero drop, do not have any arch support, have a grippy flexible sole & weigh next to nothing.They seemed a little roomy when I first tried them (after wearing work shoes all day) but that was misleading; there's plenty of space for your toes to splonge.If you liked the (awesome) Merrell palm leaf trail glove, then consider these another couple of grades up.

Great shoes! Very grippy, perfect for trails. Would be perfect if they were machine washable.