I'm not sure if my current ones will last another season. I need both a new summer- and winter pair.

I would like to get some advice on what brands you guys would recommend, in terms of looks, price, quality and availability.

---

I've had three brands for now:

• Leguano: my first barefoot shoes. Great build quality, synthetic, washable. I'm using them mainly for going outdoors and jogging. But pretty much all made from the brand look horribly imo.
• Zaqq: Good looking casual shoes, but they don't have the best build quality, at least the ones I bought. They weren't as ergonomical and pretty slippy too. But for office, they were fine. Had two identical pairs.
• Feelgrounds: My first pair winter shoes. The fabric did look really bad after just a few months, they aren't warm enough (bad sole insulation) and they are moist 24/7. They soak up water super quickly and will never release it anymore, even if they are on the radiator the whole night. Won't buy again.

--

Preferably, I'd like to have synthetic shoes made out of robust fabric. Leather shoes would be fine too, if I can get them used in good condition (I don't wanna contribute to the industry).

I'm mainly looking for:

1. Good looking casual shoes, especially for office
2. Also, decent looking ones, but for the colder months.

Washability is very important for me, at least for the ones I want to wear for lab. They either have to be great looking, or decently + washable. I work with a lot of chemicals and dirt, and being able to just throw them into the washing mashine is a huge plus. My leather ones already looked ...unique... after just a few months of wearing, with colorful sparkles and random stuff all over them :D

But still, I'd rather like to wear a pair that looks dirty than non-stylish 😁

Review: Lems Outlander

This is not a barefoot/minimal shoe in any way. But it suits the needs for a comfortable shoe in cold and wet conditions.

!A frontal picture of the shoes

They are heavy. Not extremely heavy, my previous boots where hell, but very heavy after wearing real minimal shoes before.

Also they are expensive, a lot. I got them anyways, but the price is not for everyone. As they are from the US, resellers take up to 220€ for them, which still is below the regular 50€ tax. USA, whats going on?

But as you can see, the material is really sturdy. Not vegan for some weird reason, the small stripe on the sides is leather, the rest the standard outdoor plastic stuff.

Thats the reason I got them, I just dont trust Winter shoes from wool, or even vegan stuff like cotton, dont want to imagine the wet mess.

!shoes from above

But they are pretty comfortable. Their shape is pretty good, could even be a bit wider at the toebox, but nothing to complain really.

I tie them very loose at the ankle, that way they are way better and still fit very securely.

!pic showing the soles of the shoe

Why does your heel rub, your ankles hurt and your shoes get holes in the back? Its because of stiff soles!

!infographic showing foot movement in a regular shoe

You see how in the last pic, the heel is moving upward, while the stiff sole doesnt really move and pull the heel of the shoe down?

I blame the stiffness of the sole for the slight ankle pain I got after walking around in these shoes all day.

If you want to DIY fix this, just cutting some small slits where there already are some (see sole pic), orthogonally to the movement of your foot. Disadvantage (common among many minimal shoes) is that sharp objects can penetrate through more easily, so I guess this is well known and already done, keeping a compromise between durability and flexibility.

!image of the back of the shoes

The shoes arent that tall, so they dont limit normal movement a lot. Through the stiff sole I tend to heel-walk though, and I recognized that I was very wobbly on rough terrain, easy to twist my ankle.

Statement here, that barefoot shoes are worlds better for rough terrain, as by actively walking with the ball of your foot your muscles protect your ankles from twisting.

Conclusion

I bought them to be

• water-resistant (not tested but positive)
• long lasting (upper material and sole are promising)
• warm (they are)
• spacious for my toes (they are 90% perfect)
• good looking (100%)

And with these criteria, looking towards using them for 5+ years, I think they are a really good buy.

I think having some more will help the community. We could add some nice side banner with links, seperated by country. Maybe a sticky post with recommendations or myths?

Maybe also moderation, we will see how necessary that will get

german version below

I want to report how my barefeet shoes go. This is a real Test of the black Wildling Tanukis.

Use Case

I got them as summer shoes, they look nice and are breathable, made from Washi (Paper + Plastic lol) and not very expensive.

And I wear them as summer shoes today, they are not really made for sports, even though I went on a few km run already. Breathable, not collecting sweat makes them really great.

In even light rain and puddles they are wet quickly. They are summer shoes, wherever summer is always dry ;D

I use my Saguaro shoes for running, as the inlay soles are horrible. Very soft, they simply slip around and give very little grip. So these are no sport shoes. But I guess I am stupid, the regular soles coming with the Tanukis are very different and worth another test.

Feel

I took a week or more to really break them in! They were actually not comfortable before, with stiff stitches, but with socks totally okay. Now they are very confortable. The Washi is pretty rough, not silky soft, but its breathable and they fit my feet perfectly.

The sole and shape is perfect, like actually perfect. I have wide toes and thats how its meant to be. Nothing to say, perfect fit. Wildling has a measurement paper and they fit my size.

Durability

!Image of the soles, showing very little wear

The soles are great. Sustainable and contrary to some reports they last very well. I see them lasting 3 seasons for me. I have to say, I wore them only in summer, and swapping with my Saguaro shoes for sports.

!Iamge of the inside of the shoes, showing holes in the fabric at the heel, but overall okay condition.

I spare you the image of the inlay sole. I got the "Hanfling sole" and never tried the original one. The Hanfling doesnt last at all and the color is pretty bad for barefeet soles, spoiler: they are brown at the contact points (heels, toes).

The overlay (membrane?) of the bottom also has holes now, not convinced here.

The rest is durable. Again, I didnt do crazy stuff with them, but they last okay. The stiches still seem robust, maybe one area will get loose.

The Color

I give this an extra chapter. You see how brown they got, they were pure black before. I will use regular fabric dye, but thats not good. It doesnt seem to resist sun and washing very well.

Result

I would buy them again. They are my casual summer shoes, look nice, are possible to wear all day. Not very expensive and made from sustainable material in the EU, I think this is the only company that good. Not sure about washi actually as it contains plastic, but it seems to last very well. The sole is great. Also they are vegan, no worries about weird wool "harvesting" practices or mistreated sheeps.

Also I think the normal sole that comes with them is way better for sports. Its more stiff, rigid and has a rubbery coating on the bottom I think.

---

German version

Ich möchte von meiner Erfahrung nach einem Jahr Wildling Tanuki berichten.

Verwendung

Ich habe sie mir als atmungsaktive, elegante Sommerschuhe gekauft und trage sie jeden Tag, da sie sehr hübsch sind.

Schon in leichtem Regen sind sie durchnässt, es sind Sommerschuhe, wo auch immer es nie regnet ;D

Zum Laufen benutze ich meine Saguaro Schuhe, die viel fester sitzen und im Gegensatz eine steifere Innensohle haben, die besser Abpolstert. Die Innensohle der Wildlinge rollt sich auf, rutscht herum und ist generell eben sehr weich, nicht für Sport geeignet.

Tragekomfort

Ich habe mindestens eine Woche zum Einlaufen gebraucht. Sie sind immer noch nicht kuschelweich, tragen sich aber gut und haben sich perfekt meinem Fuß angepasst. Im Gegensatz zu den viel glatteren Saguaros stinken sie auch nie ;D

Die Form von Sohle und Schuh ist top, wirklich perfekt. Sie passen zu meinen vorne normal breiten Füßen wie angegossen.

Haltbarkeit

!Bild der Sohlen mit wenigen Abnutzungsspuren

Die Sohlen sind sehr gut, anders als in manchen Berichten zu lesen. Ich habe sie aber auch nicht zum laufen verwendet!

!Bild der Innenseiten, mit Löchern an den Hacken am Stoff über der Sohle

Ich spare euch das Bild der "Hanfling" Einlegesohle, sie sind braun an den Kontaktpunkten, was sich kaum rauswaschen lässt. Meiner Meinung nach keine gute Farbe.

Die Membran (?) über der Sohle, unter der Innensohle hält überhaupt nicht. Nicht überzeugt.

Der Rest hält gut, ich habe aber wie gesagt nichts krasses damit gemacht, kaum Sport, leichte Outdooraktivitäten.

Die Farbe

Das bekommt einen eigenen Abschnitt: Die Farbe verträgt Sonne und Waschen anscheinend gar nicht. Sie sind extrem ausgeblichen braun, man kann sie aber leicht mit schwarzer Textilfarbe nachfärben.

Ich hoffe es gibt da noch Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten, da das wirklich eine schlechte Performance ist.

Ergebnis

Ich würde sie nochmal kaufen. Sie sind die nachhaltigsten, schicksten Sommerschuhe, die ich auf dem Markt kenne. Der Stoff eignet sich aber auch glaube ich nur dafür, ich bin von der Papier-Plastikmischung etwas unsicher, aber sie scheint extrem robust zu sein.

Ich würde sie nicht als ideal zum Sport beschreiben, merke aber beim Schreiben, dass das wohl nur an der anderen Sohle liegt.

Made in EU, und sogar vegan. Kleines Unternehmen. Kaufempfehlung auf jeden Fall.