Thank for the review I will hold off on buying these as durability seems to be an issue. I have the prios and two years later they are still holding up well.
Yeah the insoles can be removed to reduce the stack height, having worn these shoes more since this review the soles have softened up a bit and feel less stiff to me.
What size shoes do you wear? If you look at the EU sizes they go up to an EU 48, which some of the other shoe companies convert to a UK 13/US 14. There is a company called Bearfoot that goes up to a UK 15.5/US 16/EU 50.5 never tried them out though.
Thank you for your detailed review on the Freet Calver shoes. I found this review extremely useful. I am ordering a pair today after watching your review. Thank you 👍
Freet keeps costs down by not offering lots of colors and types of sole patterns. This isn't a bad thing, honestly most of the xero shoes have like 5 to 6 colors and I always get black because I don't like any of them lol.
@jurkjaredgamez8392 making Freet's shoes more affordable is a big plus and gives more people the opportunity to try out barefoot shoes. I am hoping Calver sells well as Freet should give us more colour options if it does. Yeah I don't know what's going on with the colours of Xero Shoes, I want them to bring more options to the UK store. You can't even get the Mesa Trail II in black at the moment.
I've had my Trail Knits for around the same time. You mentioned the rubbing of you little toes in the smaller size. Well it's the same area that I have heard other people having a niggle with. For me, my right shoe's side wall material creased in a good place, but the left created more of an indent crease point, and this is a bit of a pain ...in the side of my little toe. If the width of this reinforced material wasn't so much I don't think it would even be an issue, but I do wear thicker socks because of this. And although I haven't ordered a pair yet, the all weather Trail FG shoes by Vivo look like they do have a slimmed down reinforcement side wall (little toe area) compared to these. Also I don't think the knit material really breathes very well, so probably warm enough for later month also, but still, not a bad think for keep debris out. I often use mine at a beach for dog walks.
The creasing of the shoe that you described is probably the same thing that happened to me. At first they were great but the rubbing on my little toe built up over time. I considered keeping them to break them in a bit, but in the end returned them for the next size up. The next size up is working for me, removing the insole on the smaller size also helped with the rubbing but I prefer to wear them with the insole in. I need to get my hands on the standard Trails at some point to compare them with the Trail Knits, the standard Trails look like they will breathe better.
I have bought shoes from freet(flex,tanga,vibe,pace,mudee), and now they have become the shoes I wear the most frequently in my daily life.and I think they are better than Xeroshoes for daily.
I have been wearing these shoes a lot since I bought them, I am surprised they are not more popular. Really impressed so far, looking forward to trying more of their shoes.
Do you think these would hold up to the Primus Trails or Mesa Trails over the long haul? I’d like to try a pair of Freet’s, but they’re hard to get in Canada. But if they’re better than the big brands, it’s worth paying the duty and delivery.
I am not sure as I haven't had them long enough yet, I think they might have the same issue where the soles start to detach in the long haul. After the duty and delivery the price of Freet shoes would be less competitive and the big brands are probably a safer bet.
hello! I have a more long term very high wear review of the freet calver which is extremely similar to the feldom. I have zero issues with the delaminating as its side wall stitched so thats basically impossible on the calver. looking at the feldom it isnt stitched so it would probably delaminate over time. personally my calver has held up way better than the xero shoes ive had and about the same as the vivobarefoot.
Thank you for showing the Freet Feldom shoes on your channel. I have never seen these shoes before but after seeing your review would definitely give them a try 👟👍
You want more grip in the wet but then you ask for taller lugs which would give you LESS grip (less contact area). Then you talk about them being slippery in mud. No shit.. They're not trail shoes and definitely not mud terrain shoes. They're a cross training shoe.. Scrambler low might be more suitable for your all terrain needs.
I tried to use these as more of an everyday shoe which they aren't suited for as you said. In hindsight I wish I had just used these in the gym and on dry days, these are good shoes just not quite what I was looking for. I would like to try the Scrambler low although it's not currently in the UK store.
The sizing is similar to Adidas, you can use Vivo's sizing tool on their site and see what it recommends. I would start with your usual size, if unsure you can measure the length of your longest foot and compare it with Vivo's size chart. The upper part of the shoe is designed to fit your foot more snugly and is more fitted than a standard shoe with a slightly higher tongue.
I have not had this problem with the insoles but reading online others have. Have you contacted Xero Shoes about the issue? They might be able to provide you with some other insoles that don't slip. I have had a positive experience dealing with Xero Shoes so far, I am sure they will help you out.
@@CptAngelKGaming I currently use double-sided tape to prevent the insole from slipping now.But it's a problem when I want to take off the insole in some situations.
@@movebarefoot I didn't contact Xero to solve the problem with the insoles (I'm not in USA), but I mentioned this in the product review in the hope of drawing their attention.
In addition, Prio's insoles are not easy to slip (the back of the insole has added anti slip design), but there will still be a slight sliding after a long time, which I believe is due to their insole material being too hard.
I have the Primus Lite III and Xero 360s and my Primus are noticeably narrower at the forefoot and midfoot, which is very important for my 4E width foot. The Primus has a wider toe box but that doesn't matter if they hurt the sides of my feet. The construction of the Primus sure doesn't help with that! Plus, the Xero are higher volume. Good for higher arches and instep. It is a shame really; I like the Primus but they are regulated to deadlift slippers for me. Looking forward to more reviews in the future. Thanks for sharing.
The low volume of the Vivobarefoot shoes causes me some issues too, they are good shoes but I have to break them in a bit. I have only bought a couple of pairs from vivo but, the sizing doesn't seem consistent. I have the Tracker Decon Lows which seem bigger all round than the Primus Trail Knits, I actually just returned the Knits for the next size up as they were hurting the outside of my little toes. The Xero Mesa Trail shoes fit better although they look a lot shorter than my Vivo's, sizing and fit of shoes is complicated.
I have had these now for a couple of weeks and just returned them back to Vivo today to get the next size up. The reason for this is the toe box area was rubbing on the outside of my little toes, I held these shoes up side by side with the pair of Tracker Decon Low's I bought and these were shorter and narrower despite being the same size. You can remove the insole to help create more space in the toe box but that wasn't for me as I prefer to wear them with the insoles in, I will post an update here when I get the next size up. Hopefully this is helpful in case anyone else is having the same problem.
The next size up in these shoes worked out fine, sizing up gave more volume and width in the shoes and stopped the rubbing on the outside of my little toes.
Since I did this review I have also bought a pair of the Primus Trail Knit FG from Vivo, in comparison these shoes are slightly wider, longer and taller in the toe box area. If you have a wider foot these shoes will be more forgiving, the thermal insole in them makes them a bit better suited to colder weather rather than warmer weather. I have worn them a lot in the UK but we only get a mild summer here :) hope this helps.
These were the first pair of barefoot shoes I tried so I was eager to use them and used them for more than what they were intended for. The 360 is great inside the gym and has excellent ground feel. The Mesa Trail is great on trails but feels a bit clunky when walking on pavements to me. I haven't tried the Prio yet but maybe that is a good middle ground between the 360 and Mesa Trail.
I think Xero is getting slightly better with its designs, as the Scrambler and Ridgeway look all right. I don’t think the soles are as durable as the Vivo’s, as I’ve worn down a few pairs in under 800 miles. They definitely won’t last anywhere close to 5000 miles as the warranty implies, but I never expected them to. As for breathability, I’ve never had any issues with Xero’s. I always wear merino socks which help regulate temperature. I have worn the Mesa Trails in -15c to +45c without any issues.
How do the Scrambler Low and Ridgeway Low compare to the Mesa Trail II? I would be interested to try them both but, they don't stock them in the UK store. I'd have to order them from either the EU or US site, I will ask Xero if they plan to stock them in the UK store. I will look into the merino socks thanks for sharing.
I’ve had the Mesa Trail ll for almost a year, in rotation with several other barefoot hiking shoes. It’s my least favourite shoe in terms of looks, but they’re actually quite comfortable, functional and durable. I’ve climbed mountains in them here in BC, mostly wearing in rooty and rocky terrain. They’re slightly more forgiving than Primus Trails and Decons on the rough stuff, but I do find myself reaching for the Vivo’s more often. I wouldn’t buy these if they were going to be my do it all shoe. They aren’t great on pavement, they feel a bit like cleats with the hard lugs underfoot. Vivo’s are better if you’re doing a mix of pavement and trails. For trails only they’re a great shoe.
Agree with you 100% walking on trails these shoes feel great, but on pavements the sole is too stiff. Vivo's sole has the perfect balance as you said, Xero should experiment more with the soles on their shoes. I wonder if they are aiming to make the soles more durable but at the cost of ground feel. Vivo's are just overall better looking shoes It will be interesting to see if Xero try and improve the look of their shoes. How do you find the breathability of the Mesa Trail II? The upper breathability feels good to me but my feet don't breathe too well underneath and get a bit sweaty.
They are good shoes while they last, I just wish they had a bit better grip in wet conditions. On the durability it's worth noting all Xero shoes come with a 24 month manufacturer warranty and a 5,000 mile sole limited warranty. If you have any problems they are happy to help, they hold sales from time to time too keep an eye on their youtube channel.
Curious on your initial thoughts on the Decon’s vs the Knit’s, as they’re kinda similar. I have some Decon’s as well, but I’m finding them quite warm in the summer. Great winter hiking shoe.
The Decon's feel slightly wider, longer and taller in the toe box area compared with the Trail Knit's to me, for people with a wider foot they will be more forgiving. The tongue and heel of the Decon are also slightly higher than the Knit although there is not much in it. The Decon's come with the thermal insole which feels slightly thicker and will probably store more heat, the Trail Knit has a thinner insole. The Decon has the FG2 sole with a different tread pattern compared with the FG sole on the Knit, both shoes have a decent grip. The Knit feels better suited to running to me although I am just using them for walking.
I am interested to hear how you find them when they arrive, I am wondering which has the better breathability out of the Primus Trail FG and Primus Trail Knit FG.
My guess is that you’ve got about 2000 or so km on your shoes based on 15,000 steps a day, provided these are your main shoes? Thanks for the review, I have a brand new pair (same Color)coming today, super excited! Do you think you have more life in them, or are the soles worn out completely?
Yes these are my main shoes, they are still fine for everyday use I want to keep them for another three months which might be pushing it. The sole has a bit more life in it but, the lugs are quite worn from me walking on harder surfaces. Hope these shoes are good for you too! I am looking at buying the Primus Trail Knit FG next to see how they compare to these shoes.
I’ve had a pair of Primus Trail FG for the past year, and just ordered a pair of Primus Trail Knits. So I’m curious too how they all compare to each other. The Primus Trails have been great aside from the laces not staying tight and one of the eyelets breaking, but the knit’s shouldn’t have that problem. If I want to extend the life of the outsole, I put Shoo Goo on the really worn areas and that gives me a few hundred extra km.
@@movebarefoot If you're in the UK, you're also fortunate to have their ReVivo repair/refurbish service available to you :~) Are the 'harder surfaces' pavements?
@@childcrone I have really enjoyed these shoes, so getting them resoled at ReVivo sounds like a good idea! Yes the harder surfaces are pavements, roads and paths.
