Hi Hampton 👋

Some topic ideas: -What are your thoughts on drinking raw eggs? -Thoughts on any and all possible applications of CONTRAST baths. Not just ice baths, not just hottubs or jacuzzi's, but alternating between the two every five minutes or so for 20 or 30 minutes. -Thoughts on any and all possible uses of foam/PVC rolling, massage guns, and inversion tables.

CAN I GET UH, "HOHHHHH YEAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"?

The Host has found its new Waffle House.

HAMMY!!!! Have you ever been sooo veeeryyy caffeinated that you start to HEAR COLORS and SEE SOUNDS?

Foot gloves - Fusshandschuhe

Fußkondome. Nailed it.

Handschuhe FussHandschuhe

I dont understand the joke but I honesly want to so bad, my understanding of german is non existant

​@@imurgodsgod The word for "gloves" in German is literally translated into "Hand shoes"

Have a beautiful shoe😔💯

You have very handsome toes. That big toe is SO STRAIGHT! I notice nice toes because I aparently have deviation of my big toe joint (slight bunion in the works) and until the diagnosis I had always thought I had nice feet. Now I strive every day to prevent any further deviation. PERHAPS you could do a video on TOE/FOOT EXERCISES to prevent/correct situations?

​@@eatwhatukiii2532 me too! Exactly

kai profile picture in the wild lol i like ninjago it suprises me to see profile pictures from stuff i like sometimes i had to point it out

also, i think most of the reason some people have foot problem with those types of shoe is;, 1, not enough muscle built up there in the foot, 2, walking hella toe out, 3 walking from heel to toe during workouts or long walks

I feel like he's trying to copy his style too much

​@@SMJSelenaI wouldn't say that. The humor for instance is quite different. While with David the humor most of time stems from his silly non-stop motion and is thus pretty high energy, Hampton often goes out of his way to to manufacture and place little jokes in his videos which are sometimes even easily missed. So it's more low-key. What they both have in common is the positivity of course and giving you the impression that being capable of movements like them would be a ton of fun.

Yeah, I'm not saying they're the same, but I always felt like the stay flexy guy had a unique way of talking and yet somehow this guy has very similar intonation, tone and pronunciation whilst also talking about the same things. Could be a coincidence but I immediately thought that he seems like a watered down version of the flexy guy.

@@SMJSelena I mean, the vibe is similar. But I wouldn't say they have the same way of talking. While David is always completely clear to me, I sometimes have a hard time understanding Hampton. He tends to speak a little too quitely and a little too fast at the same time, sometimes asking a little too much of my non-native ear. His way of expressing himself strikes me as more introvert, while David is more outgoing, more like, "Hey! Look at that cool new thing I can do! And you can learn it, too!" You really hear the exclamation marks when he's talking. I mean, I can see where you're coming from. They give off a similar kind of energy. No wonder so many people are calling for a collab. But I wouldn't go so far as to call either one a copy cat or whatever. I think they simply cater to the same kind of audience: people who would like to get fit or into reasonable shape, but can't stand the mindset of the usual UKposts body building content, where everything is about self-improvement and purpose and struggle and what not. With those two the focus is more on self-fulfillment, fun and the simple joy of movement and a healthy physique. It's wholesome and thus---at least for me---a lot more motivating.

@@SMJSelenabro they are both taking ideas from each other and I don’t care and nobody should care okay 👍

Hm

Do socks count

@@larussham6059 oh yes, I love socks ❤

​@@Danka42 Ah yay, my least favorite fetish.

too bad they are awful for most people

​@zee-fr5kw they're not though? obviously an adjustment if someone is used to firmer shoes or those chunky ones but theres a ton of places were people do not wear stuff like this, so no, being barefoot is not "bad" for most people, if they don't try to run a marathon without ever having ran barefoot, unless they have a specific condition

​@@UnBesoDeCristalit doesnt make much of a difference when i only use shoes if i go out of my yard/house or it is winter and my feet would fall of outside

@@toastslicer4885 wrong but hey you do you

@@zee-fr5kw how ? because they really arent

Good point haha!

Your mom is a great conversation starter.

I'm so clumsy, I'd feel like I'd break a toe wearing those.

What kind of conversation

@@StraitjacketFitness “Social media made you all way too comfortable with disrespecting people and not getting punched in the face for it.” - Mike Tyson

🤓

Can you not go barefoot we’re you live?

I have a pair of the Prios and they are light as a feather and extremely comfortable, never wearing shoes like converse or adida dragons ever again , the wide toe box is worth it . The price is a little insane for the quality , I’d say they should be like $70

nice which one did you get ?

@@marvin2678 I also had awful pain in my feet and toes from normal shoes and I got the Mika winter boots and the Zelen sneakers for the gym. They had a sale a few weeks ago so the prices weren't as bad as usual, I think it was 45€ for the sneakers and 100€ for the boots (+shipping was 24€ for me). I would definitely recommend both of them if you can find them on sale.

Same!

@@monsterchoon how is the durability?

Don’t ever trust a doctor on something they don’t specialize in

That depends on how far the spreads out on your toes. If it bend to a 50⁰, then it's fucked up😂

My doctor didn't complain and my toes still work in my 50s . I was taught to use only shoes wide enough to wiggle my toes inside, but thick enough to protect me from sharp objects . This has evolved from wooden clonkers with leather tops to Polish made Jacoform that have a nice presentable exterior look and a price to match the suit and tie.

Are you serious

When your doctor has a squished foot fetish 😬

After 3 years of insoles and taping made my plantar worse to the point that I couldn't bear any weight at all on one foot, I started going barefoot. Within weeks, I had my first "normal" day in years and I am continuing to improve. In a way it makes me mad... I've always been a "better living through technology!" kind of person and scoffed at crunchy things like barefoot shoes but it was the technology that was hurting me! Betrayal!! Rather than inflammation, I had tissue breakdown and my foot is very very unstable now. I'll still need to have surgery, but at least I'm in a lot less pain while I try to find the specialist surgeon to do it.

Recently I had an injury while playing soccer. I went to a foot doctor and she said : your shoes and your soccer shoes are absolutely GARBAGE! Buy Hoka Shoes! She said is her best option for my case. I didn’t buy them but maybe you can try specially for running

@@bangueimid soccer shoes are SO narrow! I'm surprised pro's don't have bigger problems

@@constancestrawn1303 well as a soccer player myself ; they are designed for speed and to improve your overall ball handling. All the ones I had comfort was not even a feature. That’s why they can be detrimental if used without proper adjustments

I haven’t found a wide toe box shoe that’s wide enough for my toes 😢

Altra is great!

What brand?

I wouldn't say mine were comfy, but they do make you run faster and stronger with less stress on your joints

Same here, mine are so snug and sometimes feels like im wearing indoor slippers. I can never go back to regular shoes again.

This will mostly be in early stages of wearing barefoot shoes. I wear barefoot shoes for sports and regular wear and I havent had any type of pain anymore. Can step on any type of rock, acorn or whatever. It just takes 6 months to a year to fully adjust.

you started running to early, your foot needs to adaprt to the new feeling

​@@marvin2678exactly this, people think you can just go barefoot, forgetting your feet are weakened due to "regular" shoes.

@@Pidgeys In the natural world you would die younger lmao

​@@felipeospina3284yeah to stuff like diseases, not stepping on rocks

My feet have been in the natural state my whole life

@@b4c0n33 at least they aren’t in an unnatural state

@@b4c0n33 same😂

(Indiana)

Cowkillers: Nice feet ya got there... 😈

Wild. Probably the same guy did a podcast "debate" with Chase Mountains recently and seemed pretty reasonable, though certainly biased toward his product. Big picture, seems hard to doubt the logic that if we suddenly start wearing an inch plus of foam under our feet that evolved without shoes, weird unexpected stuff is bound to happen. Nothing "traditional" about the shoes most people are wearing.

I've found barefoot shoes great for walking on hard ground for short periods, but they work best on grass and surfaces that have some give to them. Humans aren't really built for walking on rigidly hard surfaces like tarmac. One time I went for a run in barefoot shoes on tarmac, and it was absolute torture on my calves. Not recommended.

I also died to traditional shoes.

​@@tomdip2094gotta build up to it

Yeah just see if you like how it feels. If you have actual issues with either your feet, ankles, knees, hips or back, obviously consult a doctor. But it could very well be from wearing bad shoes, that these things hurt.

Which brands do you recommend for extra wide flat feet?

@MachelTheDestroyer I haven't yet found a pair great for my wide flat feet, is it ok to ask what brand worked well for you?

@@donnawestbrook8992 I got some Freet running shoes, great price and durability

😂fr

This is why I came to the comments 😂💞

@@taylorjade6918SAME 😂

I was about to say, my feet are so much more comfortable in my Vans. After you wear them for a few months every day they get so flexible they are basically barefoot shoes anyway.

​@@TheClonetruperTrue but vans aren't full barefoot they are rather narrow at the sole.

@@Tate525 I’ve never had any issues or felt them to be narrow. Maybe a half size up would benefit.

I'm pretty sure Vibram ships online

I have 2 pair of Vivo's. They are worn out and I'm reluctant to buy more because they take almost a month to arrive after ordering.

​@@ZZubZZeroyet the longer you leave it the longer they will take to get to you😂

They do

Some do, but not to the point that you would be able to pick something up off the floor with your toes in my experience. The ones with separate toes will usually be a bit better for that, especially the ones that have separate toe pads from the foot pads. Those ones will be less protective from sharp objects though, and may experience faster wear, as more of the sole is made of fabric

I love picking stuff up with my toes

The xero shoes dont really do that but they are worlds better than other shoes.

​@@zellafaeWhat a champ.

Every time IFunny is mention in the wild it’s like a flash bang

Shhhhhhhh dawg LOWER YO MF VOICE 🤬

Please don't name it in public like this.

We are watching.

@@hungryy226 I'd like you off the internet for good. Kind regards :c)

which brand did you buy?

​@@knabe9837 yea need an update

i bought some like 3-4 weeks ago. they came with a small insert but i took it out immediately because i couldn't feel the ground and thought thered be no point if i kept them in. i dont wear shoes at home anyway so the first day wasnt bad. the next couple days i had soreness in my calfs and the palm part of my feet( the pad right before your toes). not horrible but i definitely felt the difference. the soreness went away after like a week n a half, two weeks. i didnt do much moving around so i wasn't straining anything too bad. i started trail walking/jogging after those 2 weeks, soreness in similar places came back and in new places, like my previously pretty non existent arch(i think its starting to form again) and ankles. i apparently have weak ankles and hope that continued trail running will strengthen them. found that gravel trails or even slightly pebbled ones were a hard no, hurt like hell just carefully walking on it. i didnt have the inserts in, that probably would have alleviated the uncomfortableness. the dirt paths were perfect though(still have to watch oht for random things and tree roots). i even went out after a rain. i never minded mud before but it was nice to feel it on my feet without getting dirty. you can feel the softness. and the parts of the ground that were solid but spongey feel SO good on your feet. the shoes definitely arent waterproof, but my feet got less wet than i thought theyd be. im ordering other shoes with big toe boxes like NoBull so i hope tht goes well.

@@knabe9837 Merrel vapor glove 6. been 2 months and im never using any other shoes in spring/summer/autumn. Winter here requires big warm shoes but so far these are incredible for me. Standing for a long period will give me some pain in the heels but walking is no problem. Im an indoorsy type so i cant say how it is for hiking but when i went on a 2 hour walk there wasnt any significant pain, just slight soreness.

A solution to basically the same problem that worked for me: cut the ends of the toes off. But after running like that for awhile and getting lots of blisters between my toes I just switched to straight barefoot. Really wasn’t that difficult but be warned: grass in large fields is full of a sort of sticklike field grass that is like the worst thing to run on. Even old rough black top is preferable

So far I havent had any problem with xero shoes in basically any terrain. Ive hiked a lot and gone to very rocky beaches.

How many years have you been barefoot

Are the glove ones still tight? Have you found anything that feels good?

So like you walk around walmart with no shoes? Or just with barefoot shoes

​@ryangribs I'm australian so people care less about people being barefoot but I've grown up out bush most my life so I'm barefoot pretty much any time I'm not on a date, at work or at the pub. Shopping barefoot can be a little gross if the floors aren't cleaned regularly but most of the time it's fine.

I’m just over 40 and I tend to get heel and pain in the ball of my feet when on them for a long period of time. I feel like I’m losing padding there. Do you think the trail glove would help with something like that? I’m down for not wearing traditional shoes if it helps

@@Clearlyclynn If you are going to try any barefoot shoes, please be careful with the amount of load and stress. If you start feeling any pain while using them take a break and lower the intensity. If you shift your weight over to your midfoot while standing upright you can mitigate some of that heel pain

​@@Daniel-jn6zjive found that compare to normal shoes, I have to be more intentional how I walk in mininalist shoes. In particular I'm used to slamming my heel down first bc Im so used to shoes w elevated & cushioned heels, so I have to consciously spread out & push with my toes whenever I walk so I don't go around walking on my heels everywhere.

Yep. Having these modern Nikes and alike, is like putting a cast on your foot, no wonder it antropies.

@@TessHKM Yes, everyone should take it easy first months, its like going to a gym, your feet will stress muscles you did not know you had. But later, you can gradually handle more, also your learn to walk better automatically. Also improves postures etc...

Hahaha

You mean alot of people choose sneakers. The majority thinks wider shoes are rediculous and rather have foot, knee, leg problems in their older days.

@@Noktarash1990 No, not sneakers, but a leader, classical boots with wider front (so the shoe is in the shape of a normal foot). I never followed the trends so when the pointed front shoes became popular, I avoided them like fire, because there were hideous and looked horribly uncomfortable. Sneakers are also nice for walks or more sporty activities. Anyway, till today, when I look for boots, they must look natural, otherwise I don't buy them.

They have snow boots too!! I have a pair

I know and they are so cute! It just doesn't get quite cold enough for them here. Too cold for sandals means I switch out to socks with Converse. It doesn't get below the teens here often so anything thicker will be too hot after a few hours.

I can't help but imagine Augie as having shoulder length scraggly hair, a beard, sunglasses and a straw hat, cargo shorts and animal feces on his feet

@@shinobi-no-buenoYou don’t gotta do him like that 😭

Update?

@@Tasu7146uncle has shit on his beard

@@dylansheridan2892 hey, I didn't tell the guy who raises chickens and ducks not to wear shoes 🤷

I live in flip flops, sandals and flats, any thought ok how this would compare? My feet are really wide now because I don’t wear traditional shoes so I’m looking for something I can run comfortably in.

I love my Xeros as well and I also wear them to the gym! But honestly, I don't think they would make ANY difference in terms of dropping a weight on your foot! My old sneakers have just as much material over the toe as they do. Only thing that's gonna help you with a weight on your foot are steel-toed boots!

@@Clearlyclynn Order a pair and see! They have a good return policy. As for running, just gotta make sure you run fore or mid foot and don't heel strike. If you aren't use to this, ease into it as your calf will hate you otherwise.

WHATTTT I was looking for a comment saying something about plantar fasciitis. thank u !

I think some of the knee issues we have is because we take too long steps. My knee issues eased too when I learned to walk in smaller steps. Also having zero drop shoes is wonderful, now if I use normal shoes it feels like I am walking on heels. Can't be healthy for they legs.

@@artofstormdancing3319 I agree

Guess you adapt faster if you are already used to walking barefoot? I never wear shoes in or around the house. I'm also used to running barefoot on my treadmill. So I guess I could go all in?

@@LadyAyleene I also never wore shoes in the house. However, I spent a large portion of the day (school, work, etc.) ON my feet (walking, standing, etc.), whilst at home, there was/is less opportunity to be on my feet. Thus, I still had to adapt. Also, surfaces at home may be less hard/harsh on the feet- outside, there's concrete, etc. So, you have to get used to treading even more lightly; home surfaces and treadmills don't compare. If you grew up walking barefoot on concrete, you'd already have sufficient adaptation- that'd be a different scenario. In your case, I'd still recommend caution but of course, it's up to you. Just don't forget to listen to your body and allow extra rest and recovery as needed.

@@MH-jc3uj great, thanks for the answer. I work in HO mainly, so free feet most of the time. Also I can easily run on concrete or gravel, I did this ever since I was a child. Also have no issues taking my shoes off when hiking, be it on gravel, grass or in the forest. I think my feet are used to quite a variety of undergrounds, except sand. We don't have that here. So I'll try around the house first and not for a full day, and see how it goes. I just know I'm way too impatient to adapt over the course of several weeks and hoped I could take a shortcut.

I'm very thin and don't have much padding on my feet, walking barefoot is usually painful. Especially on hard surfaces I cannot imagine willingly buying non padded shoes

​@@barbaral.7221 maybe you use the wrong technique and bump your heels on the ground. I have been wearing my fivefingers for over 10 years and i walk mostly with the front part of my feet, my heels barely touching the ground. Maybe this helps you out by walking barefoot. Kind regards.

My five fingers help my feet which have slight hammer toe from back when I used to wear normal shoes. My family has wide muscular feet. Even me who isn't a large guy I have very strong feet that are wide. It helped me keep the toes feeling comfortable and my arch feeling good because the foot wasn't cramped. I use thin ones. I can sprint in them pretty well and jog mid foot on them very well on the right surfaces. (They're not meant for concrete I've gotten knee pain doing concrete and it's gone when I switched) . But on good surfaces it's awesome. Especially dirt or trails or hills. And I've lifted in them too. My feet are able to balance way better on a flat area and they're super light as you walk around. I wear zero drop boots now too outside of these so if you're going minimalist you need lots of practice. If you're not running in them, walk a lot in them. Walking in my boots helped me a ton and even made my shin muscles and ankles super strong without any extra exercise. It took a lot of practice and strengthening to be able to sprint in the vibrams very fast (forefoot strike with hard, fast repeats or intervals), but it's possible with the right training. Do it right and vibrams can make your legs and feet wicked strong.

My feet have a lot of issues, they are really wide, tall (not the arch, my foot), my pinky toes are sideways and one is half a size bigger. Walking barefoot is the best even if I can only do it at home, not having shoes that hurt like hell would be great

​@@barbaral.7221same here, and I absolutely love my five fingers. You really should give minimalist shoes a go

I’ve had very flat feet for as long as I can remember because I’m always wearing cushioned shoes. Perhaps I needed them. I’ve not even been wearing barefoot shoes for very long, and been doing some very basic foot strengthening movements. I can now spread my toes, ankles and feet feel good, and get more stable force transfer when I’m doing various leg movements like step-ups, backward sled walks, split squats, and even just walking. (I’m not a runner except on those days I’m being chased by a pesky t-rex) 🦖 I’m just experimenting for myself, mostly. This is how people used to discover what worked and what didn’t.

@@CursedWheelieBin it sounds like you're on a great path - experimentation is often the only way to grow. Keep at it!

i havent used any other shoes now in 2 months than my barefoot shoes or no shoes at all. I live in a cold country, so i need to get some winter models later ;)

Meanwhile, im pretry sure our feet are softer than theirs 😂 barefoot is the way to be 😂

​@@shessupersaltywalking barefoot is asking for fungi infection and parasites.

@@Kuro-UWU on my own land? Thanks for the information lol I won't be using it 🤭

@@shessupersalty i doubt the hookworm living in your grass cares if it's your property

@@Kuro-UWUfunny because shoes create the perfect conditions for athletes foot fungus. Dark damp + friction = fungal infection

He is from here too. 👍

​@@Claytheguywait what??

@@ClaytheguyI love Arkansas 🤤🥰

I feel you 😅 3 years ago I wanted to try barefoot shoes and see how they work for me. Well, I replaced all my shoes 😂 except for the rain boots.

​@@LisaFrisstDich And how did it work out for you?

@@youlig1 Great! I only wear barefoot shoes.

​@@LisaFrisstDichwhat brand did you buy?

"use it or lose it" :)

@@johto sorry for not using my feet in my mom's womb 😔

but you only have shoes on for like half the day so why is this

Not a problem if you do so from early childhood. Your feet will retain their agility throughout .

​@@srensen3081 very good point

Hampton is from Hackett, right outside my hometown, Fort Smith

@@greysonkremers oh wow I had no idea. That's awesome!

new Arkie subscriber here. thanks for the info! love supporting Locals!!

so true!

Yes, someone else! I could never run any distance until I started wearing vibrams. Now I feel like my body can go forever. Wish I had them as a kid for sports

I slowly got used to shoes with an arch because I have weak ankles and can't be wearing flat shoes for too long without heel pain and ankle pain. I even have sandles and flip flops with arches in them and I cannot wear flat shoes unless it's for a short amount of time. My feet aren't as flat as they used to be since I've had arches in my shoes for years but for some reason one foot is now more arched than the other so I have it get specially made arches.

CAN I GET UH, "HOHHHHH YEAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"?

HOHHHHH YEAHHHH

How do feel about enbyrahs?

​@@DaimyoD0 ☺️👍💛💜

@@DivineLightPaladin 🧔🏻🤜🤛🏳️‍🌈

If these increase in popularity, I wonder if more companies will try to create lower cost ones and the average cost decreases? I'm used to shoes being cheaper, but I also know there's a whole culture around sneakers, with some being hundreds of dollars, so I didn't touch too much on the price.

Amzon has cheaper alternatives. I like my Whitin shoes. Look fashionable enough, has a wide toe box & flat sole. Not sponsored, just sharing.

​@@utubepunkI have some of them as well, so far they're good and seem exactly the quality you get for about $40. The toe box is wide enough to not squeeze my toes but they could be slightly wider around the pinky toe if I want to actively spread my toes.

My Vivos have lasted 5 years in ridiculous conditions with everyday use and not a single seam has ripped.

The barefoot shoe market's main consumer base is bourne out of the same source that often puts their money towards ethically made, often vegan, non-slave-labor & sustainable markets which produce quality products using high quality materials, often manufactured in the USA, and not mass produced for extremely low cost using cheap materials & questionable factories & manufacturing methods that may or may not produce harmful waste by large corporations that can afford to produce more and cut costs. My last pair of Soft Star Primal RunAmoc shoes were made in the USA by a company that pays its workers a living wage & lasted 3x as long as the pair of Nikes I owned which cost me exactly the same price and had comparatively the same amount of materials where it counted, of which, the Soft Star brand's leather upper and nonslip Vibram bottom was decidedly the better and higher quality materials. All barefoot shoes and brands are not created equal, of course, and some brands such Merrell & others who jumped onto the barefoot market as a trend definitely do price according to their comparable branding. But, all things considered, the value for cost of most barefoot shoes is comparable to the mid level market, whom their target demographic is not aiming at. Most people stick to certain price ranges based on their economic status or value for what they consider in their look and fit to be worth. In the normal shoe market: (not sport type or category specific, like barefoot): For many, $20 budget of shoes that might be found at value and department stores is no more than they are willing to or might be able to spend. On average, a $40-70 price range is a comfortable and acceptable pricepoint, with the average being about $60 and the quality good enough to last about or over a year. A price range of about $80-$120 is considered to be an intermediate price range for footwear, especially running shoes, where the quality increases significantly and in dress shoes where the material and fit is more than basic, with genuine signs of high quality. Anything above $120 becomes significantly higher quality. Where many are blinded at this point is not realizing that, despite being much higher quality, using better materials & meeting more specific needs, intrinsically their $200 shoe may break down as fast as their $70 shoe, and might even need to or be designed to in order to translate the benefits of midsole cushion & grip. In fact, it is not surprising to see cheap shoes made of harder, less gripping soles glued together with heavy amounts of toxic glue last much longer than those made of more pliable, comfortable and foot conforming materials which are hand stitched to soft, grippy, flexable soles designed to bend and not crack (split soles being a very common thing which happens with cheap shoes) One cannot ask or blame someone for buying outside their price range, the same would be like asking someone who is financially able (and most importantly, willing) to purchase a $10 meal to buy one costing $40, or even $80. But, for me, barefoot shoes became much, much less expensive in the long term, as I was able to transfer a life of pain in my feet, ankles, heels, plantar, knees, back & neck along with $200 shoes every 3 months, new orthodics every 3-6 months & the diagnosis of muscle death and atrophy and being told of inevitable future surgery to a life free from constant pain, stronger feet, ankles, etc, more flexibility than I ever thought possible & buying a new pair of shoes for about $140~ maybe once ever 3 years. Source: years of pain until late 90s when I made the transition to barefoot and barefoot shoes, owned many, many pairs price ranged from $20 to $150 (price doesn't matter, get the kind that works for you) went from a yearly budget of shoes and medical expenses due to feet in the thousands to, well, I guess less than $60/yr for the last decade, worked in the shoe industry for over 2 decades, saw gimmicks & trends come and go (remember Sketcher's Shape-Ups and all the brands jumping on that bandwagon?) and many more persist and become mainstream beliefs such as the need for arch support (mould-injected shoes with high arches were first produced in the 1970s and along with it has come a wealth of foot problems--I know it's anecdotal, but if I could recount here what I've seen...) And I never expected barefoot shoes to ever go mainstream for more than the short time it did. Because most people want squishy, foamy soles that break down and hurt after they've owned them a few months and then wear them a few more years walking at a slant on tilted midsoles wondering why their knees and back hurt) -- this is the true strength of barefoot shoes no one tells you about -- ***no midsole=lasts longer*** Go ahead- put on your favorite shoes and then go put on a brand new pair. Feel taller? Less... crooked? Go watch people walk from behind and observe their heels. I was wearing Xero shoes before the guy even made shoes, just a haurache kit with a sole and lace, hole punch & instructions for ways to tie them. They're real Colorado hippies and make a great product which is way more slip resistant & puncture proof than one might think despite being so thin. It's funny to see the barefoot shoes poking its head up and still hearing all the same arguments that are universal and not at all isolated to barefoot specific footwear. To everyone who has these complaints -- they weren't made for you, but you might benefit from them. And they are becoming more mainstream in that more companies are making a balanced blend of shoes that are more barefoot feel but look more normal and have more cushion. Gone are the days where you have to drop $150 on a pair because the creator makes them in his garage with his 3 vegan roommates & wants to keep the costs low but also can't buy materials by the shipping container like the big corporations that sell down the street at Walmart do. I impulse bought a pair recently off Amazon made in China by a Chinese brand that's completely serviceable and it cost me $23.79 with free shipping. They're pretty great. Good to see a great, fairly objectionable review on the subject of barefoot footwear. Concise and hopefully insightful to the open minded to try out a pair!!! Most people never get to try them out & less to see how far it can take them if they stick with it (sorta like exercise habits). Words can't express how much better life became for me and has stayed after over 20 years of barefoot living. A zero-drop, natural shaped, wider toebox allows my aductor hallisus muscles to engage and the flexable sole improved my prioperception & strengthened my feet so that, along with the hallisus muscle allignment and proper engagement, I no longer pronate or supinate my feet inward or outward, which eliminated the grinding of cartilage in my left knee, improved the muscle strength of my ankles so they no longer are prone to rolling, eliminated my lower back and neck pain, all the while weighing significantly more now than when I was wearing prescribed high arch orthotics and expensive shoes designed to hold my feet rigidity and firm as to not pronate or supinate. My arches are now higher, my feet stronger and my smile bigger and it doesn't hurt to get out of bed!!! That's worth every penny in the world to me.