17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ideal shoe if you'd rather be barefoot, November 21, 2009
This review is from: Terra Plana Women's Lucy Running Shoe (Apparel)
The idea behind this shoe is that shoes are junk, that barefoot is better. They are the perfect shoe if you'd like to be barefoot but can't be due to terrain, sharp stuff, or because you aren't allowed to be barefoot for some reason.
You need to get the right size. The company suggests ordering a size up from your regular size, and I would have to agree. I ordered a full size up and the shoes fit great, I might be able to go up another size, but not down a size. Oh no. That would be wrong.
If the shoe is the right size it has enough length, feels wider than usual, but in a good way, and it is entirely flexible. The shoes are light and cozy (especially when laced a bit on the loose side) and feel great. The insole is thin and adds some cushion if you like that kind of thing. I wore it the first day and while I could feel the ground some (similar to many thin soled flat shoes)and the upper felt dreamy, I was somewhat disappointed. I spent a lot of money on the shoes, and didn't want them to fall short of the ideal shoe fantasy I had when I purchased them. So I took the insole out. It was wonderful. It was like being barefoot, only protected. Like being barefoot with perfect callouses (sounds awful unfortunately). You can feel the ground very well, have a sense of the ground temperature, but not suffer as a result. You can walk over something sharp and have a taste of the sharpness, but not be hurt (though you could probably get a heel bruise if you were thumping along on your heels on rocks). I can imagine wearing the insoles if I had a lot of heavy duty walking to do on concrete, but otherwise not.
I have walked rather a lot in these shoes, and they feel great. If you are new to minimalistic shoes/bare feet you will probably have to ease in to it. Your feet may feel sore and tired as they strengthen. Once your feet are strong, you will be in heaven in these shoes. There is no additional heel padding, which means heel walkers will have to adjust their stride. Luckily, you feel it right away if you are smashing down on your heels and you can adjust until it feels right - so it's a self regulating system.
These shoes are my favorites ever. I have them in black, and they aren't especially cute, though they make my feet look small. I think the brighter colors would fare better style-wise, but the black seemed more multipurpose for me, and I like that. They aren't ugly, but they don't stand out in any way to look at. This could be a pro or a con, depending.
I used to have bad feet (arches would ache horribly) due to standing too much at work. I switched to danskos (which immobilized my feet) and over time they helped my feet re-set, or so it seemed to me. I tried earth shoes, and they didn't work for me. Too stiff and hurt my arch. I was finally able to wear "normal" shoes again, and then finally flip flops, and then I decided to walk barefoot more (my son was a baby and the books i read suggested no shoes or minimally invasive shoes early on so his feet could get strong and develop naturally and I thought it might work for me too) and at first it was rough, my feet were sore and tired, and then it got better. My fairly flat feet got a bit of an arch, and the muscles strengthened. When winter would come I would wear my flexible thin soled timberland boots, and as it warmed up I would go back to barefoot or flip flops when I had to wear shoes. This year I purchased a pair of leather soled moccasins, and they were great until the rain started. I bought these shoes, waterproofed them right away and they don't leak (unless I got water in over the top of the shoe, and when I am really in the wet I wear my too-thick soled but very comfortable and flexible bogs boots). Now, I can wear these shoes when I can't be barefoot and I am thrilled.
I would buy another pair right this second if I could rationalize the purchase. I would recommend them to anyone who was interested/had foot or back problems/who liked light perfectly comfortable shoes.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
