Xero Shoes Ridgeway Minimalist Hiking Boot In Depth Review 

I bought these on launch for rain and snow, I'm not a hiker. I liked the look of the brown and navy colourway, as well as the improved grip over Xero's Denver model, even though that has insulation for cold weather. I'm not a fan of the laces though, I think they look kind of bland on the boot, so I tried a few things and settled on some beige laces that match the strip along the bottom edge of the boot perfectly. I went a half size up to accommodate thicker socks for the winter, and with regular socks and without the insoles, they're extremely roomy in the toe box. They're comfortable around the ankle when fully laced up, I don't find that they irritate my ankles. The bottom of the boot feels a bit stiff though, but they're twice as thick as my other barefoot shoes so that's just how it is I guess. Not really uncomfortable, just not as malleable as my other shoes. I have worn them in the rain though, I was out for a walk the other day when it had been raining, and halfway through my usual walk, the rain started coming down again, so I ran basically the rest of the way back home and I didn't have any slippage. For the winter, if the snow and ice is mostly taken care of, I used to wear my running shoes, so I'm not in desperate need of an abundance of grip, but it is something I do value in winterwear. if these can do better than running shoes, which I assume they will, then I'll be okay. I have a bit of a different perspective than you guys since I have a different use for them, yours being what they were made for, but I think your assessment is fair. Plus, you and I both know that Xero takes user feedback seriously so maybe this boot or another model in the future can be changed or improved based on your feedback.

Thanks for this review! 👍

Do you guys have some links or ideas for insole replacement for a situation like this, where the insole seems to be bothersome?

I am between the Ridgeway and the Lems Boulder Boot Grip that just came out. Where I live the Colorado snow is around the corner and I am wondering what you think would work better in snow around town and light hikes? Thanks!

Xero is hard to get sizing information out of. They tell you to go with your regular shoe size but for me that differs based on width. Any suggestion on a starting point (looking at the Prio Neo but any starting point in general would work) based on what I wear? Lems (multiple models) I wear an 11 and the length is about spot on for how I like shoes to fit but they are all too low volume for me. My Jim Greens are a 10.5 and are prefect in length and width and are, if anything, bordering a bit too high volume which is something I never thought I would say! I will say that my H-Trails are 11s and that is cutting it close in width (but they say not to use their sandals as a guide...) Thank you!

I like mine a lot, even though I called it "Ridge line" in my video. I wear only Xero these days. But I still hike barefoot👣 Insole? I just pull those out. OK, you guys probably would not call what I do "hiking." Oh, and friends say something that small does not qualify as a boot. Maybe a booty. (I wear size 6)

How did you size on these!??

They are very good and light boots, I bought them. To work, they are very pretty. I think they would be perfect if they had a slightly thicker and more comfortable insole.

Good reviews what do you think of vivobarefoot

The stack height is almost too much for a barefoot boot. You like the flexibility but you want more height which will make it more inflexible.. Maybe you're looking for just an overall wide zero drop boot like Lems makes, not a barefoot one.

So not grippy enough and pretty thick stack height. I'll stick with my vivos for the moment then.