Yesterday I was browsing the Vibram FiveFingers site shopping for my next pair.Okay, I was actually on the River Sports site picking out my next pair if I were picked to win the giveaway. Sue me.
As the FiveFingers lineup has increased, it’s become harder and harder for me to pick a style I’d like to try. So many new colors and options, with or without laces, new materials. The list just keeps growing and growing.
Then it occured to me. Each pair I looked at, I found something I wish were different. Something added, a little something taken away.
Maybe a little less toe-cap.
Or maybe no velcro straps. That’s always been my number one issue with the Sprints. I know, once you get them fit properly you don’t really need to mess with them anymore. Like I said. Picky.
But maybe I want something a little more classy. My Classics are my workhorses, and my KSO’s are for running (and when it’s cold, and when I want a little color, and… you get the picture). Maybe something in a nice, soft leather.
Kinda like this:
But not like this:
I know, eventually I will find my perfect pair. Vibram is constantly innovating while incorporating new features and designs into their FiveFingers lineup. It could only be a matter of time before that perfect pair hits the shelves, right? Or should I not hold my breath?
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The one thing I want, a pair that is waterproof! I wear my vff’s to work every day, except when its raining. You step in a quarter inch of water, have soaked feet for the day. Same with the winter, walk through 1 inch of snow (and some gets between your toes), soaked feet for the day.
Good call. Luckily for me, when it’s raining I can kick ’em off under my desk to let them dry.
Not a great way to start the day, though.
I finally decided on my FIRST pair, haven’t even thought about a second. Bikila womens in the silver/verde color. I am so stoked, should be getting here by early next week!
Good luck! I hope you like them.
Wow hey look, a real reply from a real person! I guess that’s why your site is so current and fresh…
Nobody here but us [five-toed] chickens.
Oh my gosh, this is so painfully true. But I dont want to shell out for Flows just for rain. It’s hard to even plan for that.
Exactly. I just can’t justify shelling out the cash for a pair just to not get my feet wet, I wouldn’t have any other use for them besides rainy days.
I’m saving up for my first pair. Can’t really decide between the treksports or the kso’s though…can they both handle water?
Did you enter our contest to win a free pair?
I’m not sure how well the Treksports handle water. I assume pretty well since they’re still machine washable. KSO’s won’t have any problems.
We were playing with our five fingers in a river last weekend, and the KSOs were perfect for gripping underwater. I think the treads won’t help as much on smooth, wet rocks and boards, and the smoother classic base allows closer toe grip for better balance. At least, that’s what hubby said… I was in my Komodos (love my komodos!).
i’m a little late to the party… i’m here though! anyone tried the bikilas yet? i have a pair of classics, and now i’m torn between the kso and the bikila, possibly flow, but i think it’s a little too insulated. thoughts? ideas? recipes?
I prefer a little less shoe, so I’d go with the KSO’s, but go try a pair on and see what you like.
Unless you’re going to be spending a lot of time in cold water, I wouldn’t worry too much about the Flows.
That’s why I own 13 pair & wear NOTHING but vibrams…. Each pair does serve a purpose & attributes for almost every situation.
One piece of advice Fivefingers ppl…
Make a mold for INDIVIDUAL customers, then you’ll have the world at your fingertips (or toe tips actually)! Think about it– I’m sure you’re working on it already. The you could design exactly the kind of VFFs needed at the request of the customer. No straps, different tread, suede, leather, mesh, KSO sprints, treks…. The possibilities are endless!
Greg Sproles
To answer how the KSO treks handle water…
Brilliantly!! I hike up to the Elusive Matilija Falls in Ojai for the last month, 2 times a week. The Trek sports are the best. The Komodo (awesome, btw) had a little LESS grip going over wet rocks, falls etc… Just a little less. I suggest a thin pair of socks, just for the added protection against small rocks, & blisters due to the H2O
Cheers
I’d pay extra for that.
For the perfect pair, I would be very happy if VFF stopped dealing in Men’s and Women’s sizes and instead sold them in Narrow, Medium, and Wide. There’s nothing masculine nor feminine about VFFs (except for color design, but if they were to slap a Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon on pink, I know men who would buy them), and people’s feet range in many widths as well as lengths. I’m currently wearing a pair of KSOs that are one size too big because Men’s sizes don’t go below 38 and my feet are too wide for women’s, no matter which length I purchase. I know several women who purchase in Men’s sizes comfortably, and several more who don’t have the option of trying VFFs because their feet are simply too wide for Women’s, but much too short for Men’s.
I don’t suppose it would be at all feasible for VFF to consider this for the future as the franchise expands? I hope it is. These are great shoes! I want everyone to have the option to try them, no matter how wide or narrow their feet are.
On the KSOs (actually, KSO Trek, I forgot the “Trek” part in my last post), I was floored by how well they handle water. It’s been raining all week, and they’ve stood the test. My first pair was a pair of Sprints (W37, now stretched, frayed, and demolished), so I got used to my feet being wet. After I started wearing socks with them, I decided wet feet were no longer an option. Injinjis don’t take up much space in your shoe at all, and you don’t need to worry about washing them nearly as often! I haven’t tried running through puddles with my KSO Treks yet puddles yet, but I’m thrilled with how impermeable they are.
I have those in that exact color! I love them and always gets lots of questions! They seem to be a bit eye catching :)
Did just get a less flashy second pair in the KSO black/black to wear when I need something more mundane.
I like it if the sprint and kso models had longer straps for people with big feet.
I have no choice but to wear classics, not that I mind, but it would be nice to have some variety.
Precisely why I wish these shoes came in Narrow, Medium, and Wide sizes instead of simply Men’s and Women’s.
Just to update, running through puddles will, obviously, drench your feet. I’ve done this a couple times since writing this statement. There’s a huge difference in permeability between Sprints and KSO Treks, though.
I want some winter ones. I recently moved and have to wear boots in the winter. I wear my KSOs in the rain and just take a ball up pair but at -20C or -5 and wet with slush they just don’t cut it.
Does anyone wear their Bikilas in the water? Would I ruin mine if I wore them in the water?
They should be fine. I’d just be sure to dry them properly so the foam in the collar doesn’t get funky.