subject: Wearing Vibram Fivefingers [print this page] There's nothing quite like Vibram FivefingersThere's nothing quite like Vibram Fivefingers. They have separate spaces for each of your toes, which draws attention like nothing else. Children have a bad habit of staring when I wear them and they leave some funky footprints in my wake.
I wore my Vibram Fivefingers while hiking in Scotland one year. I walked the West Highland Way, which took me around a week and wore my Vibrams every second day. My feet left rather dramatic marks in the Highland mud and on large rocks that lay strewn across the mountains. In fact, stopping for lunch one day, I was surprised to hear rumours of Big Foot behind us on the trail ... until somebody recognised similar tracks leading to me!
There are different styles and colours of Vibram Five Finger shoes. I opted for the rather staid black ones, though I was tempted by the grey/orange combo. Sometimes it looked as if I'd just stepped in tar, because they mould well to the foot. Getting your toes into each individual toe hold can take a little getting used to, but in general it wasn't too hard.
One thing that I didn't expect is that you really can't use Vibram Fivefingers Classics in water. The water pulls the shoe right off your foot, as the material only covers your toes and heel. The Vibram Fivefingers Surge has a strap to hold it on your foot, while the Vibram Fivefingers KSO completely covers the foot in an elastic kind of way.
Lots of barefoot runners like to use Vibram Five Fingers for running. They like them because it's like running barefoot, except that you don't run the risk of getting your feet cut up on broken glass or other hazards. You can still feel the shape of the ground beneath your feet, so walking on grass feels particularly nice.
