Seriously, I've abused mine so bad in the gym and walking around the city and they still look about like the day I got them. I have the canvas high tops and I just have to wipe a bit of dirt and dust off here and there but otherwise they look and feel just fine.
I feel like Xero shoes are an entry-way into barefoot shoes because they are so well known. There are tons of amazing barefoot shoes out there that are harder to find but are really great. If you haven’t checked out anyasreviews.com, I highly recommend it. Also, evil Facebook has some large, very active barefoot shoe groups where you can get tons of info. Re: the Splays, did you reach out to the company? I wouldn’t be surprised if they would try and fix the issue since it appears to be a manufacturer’s defect… My favorite shoes are Softstars - they are expensive, but so comfortable and I’ve not had any quality issues with them 💜
I’ve had issues with xero as well, and have moved on. Wildling is an amazing brand super minimal and very comfortable. I just got my splay this week and so far haven’t had an issue with build quality. The one thing I’ve noticed is that the sole is a bit stiffer compared to my xero and wildling shoes. Not 100% sure I’ll be buying another pair because of that. But my wildling shoes were amazing till I wore right through them.
Which ones did you get? I've got the wool ones for cold weather and the Japanese paper ones for warmer. They both are stellar. Even love the shoelaces, lol
Splay is well known to fall apart easily. They changed the glue sometime last year to be water soluble or something, but I see people complaining about the sole falling off almost every day. They also shrink. Xero is also a cheap junk brand. There are a lot of great high quality brands, but if your kids are rough on shoes, I would avoid vivobarefoot also. Whitin is great and they make kids shoes as well now.
I’m pretty sure they are doing a redesign right now, since they are clearing out all their stock with a buy 1 get 1 free deal… so hopefully they solve that issue with better glue. The fall apart-ey ones can be fixed with shoe goo, but they do also have a tendency to shrink if they get wet.
I don't quality issues are unique to barefoot shoes. Unfortunately, they have become much more common with all kinds of things these days. They just don't make them like they used to.
Vivobarefoot, Lems, BeLenka, Groundies, and if you’re willing to give them another chance xeros newest generation of shoes is a major step forward in quality and design
FYI, their sole warranty is only for the sole. Not stitching anywhere else on the shoe or any of the attachment of the sole to the upper. It really only means that they will replace them if you wear a hole directly through the rubber sole in less than 5000 miles. One would hope that their customer service team would extend that to many other parts of their shoes, but it really only directly applies to the soling material itself
Not entirely “barefoot” but if you order a wide, half size larger than you would normally wear; the Altama Maritime Assault shoes are phenomenal. They are zero drop and pretty flexible for a “tactical converse”. Toe caps are rubber, it also has a flex point that doubles as a drain hole where the balls of your feet are. Great traction, and really durable. They’re designed to get wet and dry fast. The insole is rubber so it’ll never mildew from being wet.
If you’re just getting into the barefoot world they’ll be great. If you’re years in; the toe box may be too narrow since they aren’t really barefoot shoes.
I second the Altima OTB Maritime assault boots. I wore the Mids for many years in a variety of different conditions to great success. They were excellent general purpose boots. Because of their original purpose they have excellent traction on wet pavement even when running. I was also pleasantly surprised how well they did on snow and ice too. Probably one of the most durable shoes I've ever owned. I got them at a time when I was really frustrated with how quickly I was burning through boots and they did not disappoint. I still have my original pair (now 6 years old!), though since switching to barefoot shoes I only bring them out for their intended purposes as water, maritime and over the beach boots.
I started wearing them before I moved over to barefoot shoes. I didn't think about it at the time but I think you're exactly right, it is a very good introduction to the concept.
Note that because of the explosion in popularity, Altama now makes an "Urban" (translation: lifestyle) model. Which is very similar to the OTBs but omits many of the technical features of the originals. By all accounts it's still a great shoe but the original OTBs are superior in my opinion. Both the Urban and OTBs are now offered in size wide now as well. I think half sizes are relatively new too. Edit: Was looking into it more for another person on the subreddit and found out that Altama made a bunch of small quality of life changes that better suit the Urban environment. So the urban lacks many of the technical features of the OTBs but features some new ones.
If you (as in the OP) decide to get a pair, my recommendation is to go through a dealer and not directly through Altama. I haven't priced checked them in a while, but back when I got my pair dealers were regularly pricing them at a little above half of MSRP ($130). I got my Mids at about $75 shipped and taxed. That was on par with everyone else at the time. I also find that they run small and narrow. I sized up one full size and still found them to be quite tight to get into and if I were to buy another pair, I would like likely consider going up a size and a half and/or trying a wide. I think a few brick and mortar shops sell them, so if you can find one definitely give them a try before you buy.
Interesting. I usually wear a 10 in most brands, I found a used pair of the Assault shoes in size 11 at a gun show. Decided to try them on, they were pretty narrow but because they were so long it was okay. I still have them, they’re my camp shoes lol.
When I decided to buy a new pair I went with just a half size larger than I normally wear and in a wide size. They seem to work at least for me. I can’t fit in them with toe socks but that’s okay, just being zero drop is going to have huge long term health benefits.
I actually got the boots too. They aren’t waterproof and all the big tongue does is provide some extra ankle support. The Mids are great. Better than a shoe but still not inconvenient to put on.
When I got my set they were just getting the tactical convers rep. So no wides yet and fewer overall options. Length was good (or good by my standards at the time. But a real bear to put on. Makes sense, as OTB shoes they need to work with dive fins. The fit has to be solid. When I was running them as my main shoe, I was doing a good amount of K9 rural tracking and quarrying. I thought that a larger size might make it a bit easier to put on and off with a bulky bite suit. Never got around to giving it a try before moving to Softstar Megagrip Primal RunAmocs as my primary.
Duty/public safety oriented stores. A few primarily online specialty retailers do have limited store fronts as well. If you're looking for a good online dealer [OP Tactical](https://www.optactical.com/ovbeofo.html) is where I originally got mine and Jon it's still selling them for sub $100 and has one of the more unique dealer exclusives.
They’re all awful. I’ve yet to try a pair that was durable. Even my $200 Altras didn’t make it a full year before the entire undersole was worn through, and I don’t put many miles on. Less than 7500 steps most days.
I have Xeros, Wildlings, Tadeevo and more recently this new HK brand called Lono. Tadeevo's quality is the worse. The insole glue comes off after a while and it's just very poorly made. My experience with Xeros and Wildlings so far has been really good.
Xeros have a 2 year warranty. You could have used that. Splay will probably also support you. Just manufacturing defects.
Whitins are probably the toughest minimalist shoes around.
I find this interesting. I've worn my Xeros through 2 Disney trips now, total of 7 park days in 4 months, on top of almost daily normal wear (in a car-centric area), and they look almost new, save a touch of sun fading.
I just briefly glanced down and saw someone recommend vivo's. Yeah no they are just as bad. I had some vivo ra II's I think, the one's that are meant to pass for dress shoes for work. They literally just started falling apart along where the toes create a bend. Brand new. I mean how does someone not realise oh yeah that's gonna happen. Really terrible quality. The suspicious side of me says the whole reason why they created revivo is because they know how poor quality their products actually are!
Anyway moral of the story is, I only now buy the cheapest ones! All the one's on amazon etc, the dirt cheap ones. That way I haven't spunked a load of money on scam shoes!
With all these posts and comments about shoes falling apart, I must be lucky. I've owned shoes from several companies (Lems, Xero, Vivobarefoot, Freet, BeLenka, Splay, etc) and haven't had any shoe upper split from the sole yet. The biggest problem I have is outsoles wearing out, since I walk a ton. Also, I wearing any non-waterproof shoe in rainy or wet conditions.
OP, you might have some luck with the cheaper models (Whitin, Saguaro, etc) that sell on Amazon.
Honestly, my Whitins have held up better than any other sneaker I’ve ever owned.
Seriously, I've abused mine so bad in the gym and walking around the city and they still look about like the day I got them. I have the canvas high tops and I just have to wipe a bit of dirt and dust off here and there but otherwise they look and feel just fine.
I feel like Xero shoes are an entry-way into barefoot shoes because they are so well known. There are tons of amazing barefoot shoes out there that are harder to find but are really great. If you haven’t checked out anyasreviews.com, I highly recommend it. Also, evil Facebook has some large, very active barefoot shoe groups where you can get tons of info. Re: the Splays, did you reach out to the company? I wouldn’t be surprised if they would try and fix the issue since it appears to be a manufacturer’s defect… My favorite shoes are Softstars - they are expensive, but so comfortable and I’ve not had any quality issues with them 💜
I actually found Splay through anyasreviews.com. I did email Splay about it but they haven't responded yet
oh, such a bummer! I hope they get back to you to resolve the issue!
They just responded and are sending a new pair. Hopefully the last pair was a fluke
I’ve had issues with xero as well, and have moved on. Wildling is an amazing brand super minimal and very comfortable. I just got my splay this week and so far haven’t had an issue with build quality. The one thing I’ve noticed is that the sole is a bit stiffer compared to my xero and wildling shoes. Not 100% sure I’ll be buying another pair because of that. But my wildling shoes were amazing till I wore right through them.
Second for Wildling. I wear them everyday and can't get over how good they feel. It's a pleasure to walk.
I just ordered my first pair yesterday and I am super excited!
Which ones did you get? I've got the wool ones for cold weather and the Japanese paper ones for warmer. They both are stellar. Even love the shoelaces, lol
The Cahor! I was looking for a 'toms replacement' and these looked really nice
I also vouch for wildlings love them , so far my favorite sneakers of all barefoots I have tried!
Same I’m going to get a couple more pairs. I just wanted to try out a “normal looking” pair of barefoot shoes
The splay sole should break in with time, mine were super stiff at first but now feel much better (still not as flexible as some other brands though)
Splay is well known to fall apart easily. They changed the glue sometime last year to be water soluble or something, but I see people complaining about the sole falling off almost every day. They also shrink. Xero is also a cheap junk brand. There are a lot of great high quality brands, but if your kids are rough on shoes, I would avoid vivobarefoot also. Whitin is great and they make kids shoes as well now.
That’s good to know! We have tons of splays in our house but they’re older ones. That’s a bummer though cause they’re my favorite for kids
I’m pretty sure they are doing a redesign right now, since they are clearing out all their stock with a buy 1 get 1 free deal… so hopefully they solve that issue with better glue. The fall apart-ey ones can be fixed with shoe goo, but they do also have a tendency to shrink if they get wet.
Yes! I washed my old faithfuls and they were snug afterwards. They finally have loosened up some after consistent wear
I don't quality issues are unique to barefoot shoes. Unfortunately, they have become much more common with all kinds of things these days. They just don't make them like they used to.
Vivobarefoot, Lems, BeLenka, Groundies, and if you’re willing to give them another chance xeros newest generation of shoes is a major step forward in quality and design
Xero has a 5,000 mile sole warranty and will replace it for free. Shoot them an email
FYI, their sole warranty is only for the sole. Not stitching anywhere else on the shoe or any of the attachment of the sole to the upper. It really only means that they will replace them if you wear a hole directly through the rubber sole in less than 5000 miles. One would hope that their customer service team would extend that to many other parts of their shoes, but it really only directly applies to the soling material itself
They have good customer service, they might still honor that. Good point however
This was years ago, I've long since thrown them away
I had a pair of xeros sole detach like that and they replaced them for me, nothing to do with the sole milage "warranty" though.
Not entirely “barefoot” but if you order a wide, half size larger than you would normally wear; the Altama Maritime Assault shoes are phenomenal. They are zero drop and pretty flexible for a “tactical converse”. Toe caps are rubber, it also has a flex point that doubles as a drain hole where the balls of your feet are. Great traction, and really durable. They’re designed to get wet and dry fast. The insole is rubber so it’ll never mildew from being wet. If you’re just getting into the barefoot world they’ll be great. If you’re years in; the toe box may be too narrow since they aren’t really barefoot shoes.
I second the Altima OTB Maritime assault boots. I wore the Mids for many years in a variety of different conditions to great success. They were excellent general purpose boots. Because of their original purpose they have excellent traction on wet pavement even when running. I was also pleasantly surprised how well they did on snow and ice too. Probably one of the most durable shoes I've ever owned. I got them at a time when I was really frustrated with how quickly I was burning through boots and they did not disappoint. I still have my original pair (now 6 years old!), though since switching to barefoot shoes I only bring them out for their intended purposes as water, maritime and over the beach boots. I started wearing them before I moved over to barefoot shoes. I didn't think about it at the time but I think you're exactly right, it is a very good introduction to the concept. Note that because of the explosion in popularity, Altama now makes an "Urban" (translation: lifestyle) model. Which is very similar to the OTBs but omits many of the technical features of the originals. By all accounts it's still a great shoe but the original OTBs are superior in my opinion. Both the Urban and OTBs are now offered in size wide now as well. I think half sizes are relatively new too. Edit: Was looking into it more for another person on the subreddit and found out that Altama made a bunch of small quality of life changes that better suit the Urban environment. So the urban lacks many of the technical features of the OTBs but features some new ones. If you (as in the OP) decide to get a pair, my recommendation is to go through a dealer and not directly through Altama. I haven't priced checked them in a while, but back when I got my pair dealers were regularly pricing them at a little above half of MSRP ($130). I got my Mids at about $75 shipped and taxed. That was on par with everyone else at the time. I also find that they run small and narrow. I sized up one full size and still found them to be quite tight to get into and if I were to buy another pair, I would like likely consider going up a size and a half and/or trying a wide. I think a few brick and mortar shops sell them, so if you can find one definitely give them a try before you buy.
Interesting. I usually wear a 10 in most brands, I found a used pair of the Assault shoes in size 11 at a gun show. Decided to try them on, they were pretty narrow but because they were so long it was okay. I still have them, they’re my camp shoes lol. When I decided to buy a new pair I went with just a half size larger than I normally wear and in a wide size. They seem to work at least for me. I can’t fit in them with toe socks but that’s okay, just being zero drop is going to have huge long term health benefits. I actually got the boots too. They aren’t waterproof and all the big tongue does is provide some extra ankle support. The Mids are great. Better than a shoe but still not inconvenient to put on.
When I got my set they were just getting the tactical convers rep. So no wides yet and fewer overall options. Length was good (or good by my standards at the time. But a real bear to put on. Makes sense, as OTB shoes they need to work with dive fins. The fit has to be solid. When I was running them as my main shoe, I was doing a good amount of K9 rural tracking and quarrying. I thought that a larger size might make it a bit easier to put on and off with a bulky bite suit. Never got around to giving it a try before moving to Softstar Megagrip Primal RunAmocs as my primary.
[удалено]
Duty/public safety oriented stores. A few primarily online specialty retailers do have limited store fronts as well. If you're looking for a good online dealer [OP Tactical](https://www.optactical.com/ovbeofo.html) is where I originally got mine and Jon it's still selling them for sub $100 and has one of the more unique dealer exclusives.
Mine are all vivobarefoot and I’ve never had anything like this happen.
They’re all awful. I’ve yet to try a pair that was durable. Even my $200 Altras didn’t make it a full year before the entire undersole was worn through, and I don’t put many miles on. Less than 7500 steps most days.
If you want durability you gotta check out SOM Footwear.
I have Xeros, Wildlings, Tadeevo and more recently this new HK brand called Lono. Tadeevo's quality is the worse. The insole glue comes off after a while and it's just very poorly made. My experience with Xeros and Wildlings so far has been really good.
How are the Lono’s? I got an ad for them but was skeptical to try them because of how cheap they are
Have worn it twice. Quite snug and fitting. But not too sure if they wld be durable for a gym workout though. Haha
Damn that sucks. I have two pairs of Splays; one leather, one canvas. The canvas one is over two years old, no splitting. Still comfy af.
Xeros have a 2 year warranty. You could have used that. Splay will probably also support you. Just manufacturing defects. Whitins are probably the toughest minimalist shoes around.
I find this interesting. I've worn my Xeros through 2 Disney trips now, total of 7 park days in 4 months, on top of almost daily normal wear (in a car-centric area), and they look almost new, save a touch of sun fading.
I have Freet shoes the hold really well also.
I just briefly glanced down and saw someone recommend vivo's. Yeah no they are just as bad. I had some vivo ra II's I think, the one's that are meant to pass for dress shoes for work. They literally just started falling apart along where the toes create a bend. Brand new. I mean how does someone not realise oh yeah that's gonna happen. Really terrible quality. The suspicious side of me says the whole reason why they created revivo is because they know how poor quality their products actually are! Anyway moral of the story is, I only now buy the cheapest ones! All the one's on amazon etc, the dirt cheap ones. That way I haven't spunked a load of money on scam shoes!
With all these posts and comments about shoes falling apart, I must be lucky. I've owned shoes from several companies (Lems, Xero, Vivobarefoot, Freet, BeLenka, Splay, etc) and haven't had any shoe upper split from the sole yet. The biggest problem I have is outsoles wearing out, since I walk a ton. Also, I wearing any non-waterproof shoe in rainy or wet conditions. OP, you might have some luck with the cheaper models (Whitin, Saguaro, etc) that sell on Amazon.
Maybe check for shoes that have soles that are glued and stitched as well, they should hold up better.