R
R. Moreno Jr.
September 28, 2024
Excellent
So I have been wearing Five-Finger shoes for a while.I have about 8 pairs of Injinji toe socks, and I find running in them with normal running shoes comfortable.I transitioned to toe socks about 10 years ago for Spartan and other obstacle races, where running in wet and muddy shoes were a thing - and they definitely helped a lot.Now back to current day, I recently read a few books on barefoot shoes, and I have been intrigued.I usually walk barefoot anyways, and use sandals for almost everything else. Even while at work, as part of a surgery team, I wear Croks all day…which are nothing but plastic sandals.So I am naturally comfortable barefoot and in sandals.I finally took the plunge into these Vibram Five-Finger V-Trail 2.0 shoes.The first thing I did was use their sizing chart, and measured my foot. I was at exactly 9,75” inches. So the first pair I ordered was the shoe for a 9.5” shoe. (See my attached chart).Mistake.It fit, but too snug.Drats!So thanks to me only ordering items via Amazon Prime (with free returns), I returned them and went for the foot size of 10” inches.Perfect fit.So my suggestion to you would be to read the “heel to toe” inch sizes in their sizing charts as meaning, “No larger than” the number they use in inches.I am not intending on using these shoes barefoot. I will only ever use them with toe socks, so imagine adding an extra 1/4” on the length. (1/8” on the front, and 1/8” on the rear). I use Injinji and VWell toe socks, so I was not too worried about some reviewers that said when they used these shoes barefoot they could feel the nubs on the aggressive soles.Anyways, a smidgen snug at first, but after a few hours they fit perfectly.I knew they’d be snug initially. But everyone states there is a small break-in period with these Vibram V Trail 2.0 shoes, and they were correct.Bottom line, they are pretty sweet.When I first tried on Five Finger shoes, I remember driving my truck. I guess you never really think about what part of your foot you use when depressing the gas pedal.It took me a few minutes to decide which part of my foot/toes I was going to use to drive my truck when depressing the gas and brake pedal. Ha ha.I might even purchase a set of the regular Vibram V Trail. The ones with the higher sidewalls covering the ankles.Anyhoo…great shoes.Recommended.
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J
J. Hocieniec
September 29, 2025
I wish I bought them sooner.
I have been wearing barefoot style shoes for years, but this is my first pair of VFFs since about 2012.I should have bought them sooner.These still have great ground feel but with enough protection for the sharp rocks and plant life in Arizona. Great traction even on slick rocks or crumbly granite trails.They fit well if you go by the sizing guide. Measure your foot and get the right size.
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Worth the money? Eh... Not for most.
This review is subject to change, as of writing I've only had these shoes for 2 full days but I feel my initial experience is worth adding for now, and follow up with more in about a month.I want to say this is my first pair of footwear in this fashion, and I grew up walking barefoot through woods, swamp, marsh and asphalt, and still prefer not to wear shoes, so adapting is quicker for me but nonetheless you need to adapt to this style of shoe cautiously and patiently. Your brain will constantly forget it's not wearing sneakers with cushioned heels and you will walk in ways that can hurt you. Simultaneously, if you manage to remain in perfect barefoot posture, you may still injure yourself if you haven't developed the specific muscles required, therefore no going for a walk the first couple of days, just stay around the house and practice. This isn't just about using the shoe right, it's about using your body right so you don't end up causing damage - that's likely why you're looking at this shoe in the first place. So, patience and listen to your body.When I first managed to put them on, they surprisingly fit, because I ordered them in my size just as a jumping off point as every review seems to say to order a size up, some concerningly even saying that they shrink after a wash, as if they didn't read the instructions about cold washing and drip drying under the lip of both shoes.Sadly, the yellow assist tab on the back of the shoes IMMEDIATELY started ripping off, and so getting the shoes on became more of a task due to this poor quality construction. I've had no other issues so far, but it is a serious red flag when even dirt cheap shoes have infinitely stronger assist tabs.My feet are very symmetrical, but for some reason I had the most issues with the left shoe. The V shaped stitching at the toes one reviewer pointed out was the same area that seemed to cause issues for me, although that stitching wasn't the issue but the part at the base of the toes which touches your webbing. It was too far back, which one my index and middle toe webbing caused much discomfort, but no pain. The main thing is that the shoe fit, so I used silicone lubricant and put the shoes back on and that honestly helped so much.You really have to break these things in, so as long as they fit properly, if there's discomfort I recommend lightly lathering your toes in a safe oil and maybe getting a bit sweaty until the shoes begin to conform to your feet.I do rapier fencing and I wore them tonight, and I was initially worried after getting up today and noticing the shoes were even more uncomfortable than yesterday, I gently oiled the problem areas of my toes and went to practice and it wasn't until I was done that I realized I was wearing new shoes, because they had finally conformed to my feet. Again, I can't recommend jumping into this level of intensity so quickly, I know what I'm doing and my previous fencing shoes were Puma F1 racing shoes which have even less bottom protection, so I wasn't worried about hurting my knees or ankles, this was just my opportunity to break them in and I brought a backup pair of shoes in case they caused problems.Overall I'm quite excited to use these more, but there are some red flags I'm keeping a close eye on, and these definitely aren't for everyone. I'm lucky that they're so close in shape to my feet, and if I had much webbing or any deformations I would not be able to wear these, which would be unfortunate as the control they give me is quite nice.I will update if things change.
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