BayAreaKiteboarding.com

Has anyone tried the vibram fivefingers shoe as a kiting boot? Supposedly it is taking the obsessed runners' world by storm, cause the theory is that running barefoot stresses one's feet less than boxing them up in shoes. I ride barefoot, and accept the occasional gash on the foot as the price for better feel, but wouldn't mind using booties if they were close to barefoot. (scraped my feet hard coming in at the upper-upper launch at 3rd on Saturday)

Anecdotally, I've been having problems with one achilles tendon all year--a couple months ago I ditched the flip-flops and just went barefoot, and it's slowly been getting better since.

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

When I need them Vibram Five Fingers are the only booties that I use. It has a "sock" like fit that contours to the entire foot... literally toes and all. What makes them better IHMO is all surf-type booties that I've seen and used have continuous soles like skateboard shoes that offer more surface area to stick... which is ideal for grip on strapless boards. However this continuous sole design is generally the reason why booties are so difficult to insert into footstraps... they tend to stick to the pad while trying to insert your foot, preventing a good interface.

The bulkier shapes of surf-type booties also don't lend to a clean interface with footstraps. The combo of the contoured Vibram sole and low-profile upper is the closest thing to being barefoot and slides much easier into footstraps. I've been using Vibrams for over two years and I'll never go back. It did take a little getting used to the individual toes, but I actually felt it was better that the common split-toe found on a lot of tradtional booties.

You'll want to try the "Flow" or if you can find it they used to make a full booty called the "Surge"... it's warmer and better at keeping sand & debris out, but you have to cut off the strap on the top of the foot to make it work well with footstraps.

"Supposedly it is taking the obsessed runners' world by storm, cause the theory is that running barefoot stresses one's feet less than boxing them up in shoes."

The theory is that "engineered" running shoes cocoon the foot, causing the foot muscles to atrophy, basically turning your feet into loaves of bread. Think about how much you do with your hands, and then imagine wearing thick winter mittens on them all the time-imagine what that would do to your hands.

The vibram five toe "shoe" is a step in the right direction. They need to lose that goofy looking velcro strap though.

my 2cents. I have a pair(w/neoprene). Haven't actually used them for winter water yet. My thought is that the toes may end up getting cold/numb faster in these. Kind of like glove Vs Mitten..

thought they were kinda cool till I saw the price tag on them, pretty much $100. They can keep it considering I don't even see them last that long with everyday use.

S

Don't bother getting a pair..
I got some for running and tried them boarding yesterday.. They suck.. The small toe/s end up getting caught up on the board's foot strap. As I was evaluating how to make this work better I was thinking of taping the 3 small toes together, but quikly realized I was reinventing the wheel... In my opinion I think the single big toe separation is all you need (or could ask for in a bootie). Even once I got my feet situated they felt bulkier than I was expecting.. plus getting each toe into the shoe on the beach is a pain in the butt...

Maybe maybe maybe if the sole on the toes was not geared for running (i.e. thick) they would work/feel better.

It's disappointing to hear they have thick soles--which model do you have, Adam? Also, I'm curious why the toes catch inserting into the straps. Do you also use them running, or did that not work out?

FWIW, the best running shoe I ever found was the Asics Gel Cumulus 7, good support and cushioning, but so light I thought I was running in bunny slippers--should have bought 10 pairs. Asics screwed up the shoe after that model.

and yeah, the $100+ price tag is why I'm asking folks for their opinions instead of just buying a pair of the vibrams.

Don't bother getting a pair..
I got some for running and tried them boarding yesterday.. They suck.. The small toe/s end up getting caught up on the board's foot strap. As I was evaluating how to make this work better I was thinking of taping the 3 small toes together, but quikly realized I was reinventing the wheel... In my opinion I think the single big toe separation is all you need (or could ask for in a bootie). Even once I got my feet situated they felt bulkier than I was expecting.. plus getting each toe into the shoe on the beach is a pain in the butt...

Maybe maybe maybe if the sole on the toes was not geared for running (i.e. thick) they would work/feel better.

I've been using the Surge model Five Finger booties... http://www.trailspace.com/gear/vibram/f ... ers-surge/
Unfortunately they don't make them anymore and they're hard to find. I had to mod mine by removing the strap over the top of foot so it would work with footstraps.

What pad/strap combo are you using? I've not had any issues yet with my small toe getting caught on the footstraps I'd been using, but I can see how that could happen. I now have the new Litewave footstraps and I haven't had a chance to use them together yet, so I'll see if I have any issues with them. I adjusted the strap on the LWs to see if it will work and it seems to be fine. I've heard the soles on the current Vibrams may be thicker than my Surge booties. I know they are coming out with more cushioned versions for improved walking/running comfort. The nice thing is the contoured sole verses traditional flat-soled booties... IMHO it makes it easier to get you foot in. I'll admit they're quite spendy for booties... I'm glad I got mine at a discount.

My recent experience.

I got the KSO to protect my feet from rocks cause i've cut my soles multiple times at 3rd ave. Last time, it was a 3" gash when i went to recover my kite that fell from the air on the rocks by north launch.

Anyways. In terms of fit, they are fantastic. Unlike booties, they don't wobble from your foot. If you surf, you know what i mean, specially when water gets in there. Fit is #1. You will get used to getting in and out of bindings. that does require a little adjusting to, but they do provide a bit more grip. Ditching your board mid air, requires more kicking. Again you learn to do this.

The bad, and why i returned them. The KSO has a net to keep sand out. This is a must and wyh the Flow's are another good pair. Inside though, there is this stupid seam towards the front of your arch that rubbed me raw. After the 2nd weekend, the blistering (literally) pain was too much. I pointed out the seam, and got my money back from REI.

My booties just don't cut it though. I hate them after using the VFF's. I'm gonna buy another pair and do something about that seam. Grip is great, you feel solid on a strapless board, keeps sharp rocks from your soles.

my 0.02

Havent tried the Vibrams, but im a fan of the Xcel 1mm split toe reef booties.

http://www.amazon.com/Xcel-Reef-Split-T ... B0055AUJCY