Best minimalist shoes on Reddit

255 reviews from r/BarefootRunning, r/cars, r/Ultralight and 15 more subreddits

255 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Xero

4.3

(42)

"I love my xero shoes for driving."

"I daily drive a manual Hyundai Elantra with those very same Xero shoes."

"Xero shoes. Comfortable and good for wide feet."

"I wear Xeros while driving, and just generally all the time."

"I like the xeros for driving!"

"Are great for that."

"Xero shoes have a section walking which has a video at the end."

"Xeros are quite long and have good ankle stability, try em"

"I walk on xero hfs and softstars all the time. Its a nice change of pace!"

"Most aggressive truly minimalist trail running shoe I can think of is the Xero Mesa trail with 4mm lugs."

Merrell

4.4

(24)

"Merrell makes the Vapor Glove and Trail Glove. Both are zero drop minimalist shoes that work well for me in the car."

"I run long distance and do parkour in a soft floored gym in Merrel minimalist shoes."

"Great everyday shoe with a really light fit."

"I've heard they are ultralight."

"Merrells are always good."

"Merrell Boys' Bare Access Sneaker, Blue, 2.5 Medium US Little Kid."

"Very lightweight and comfortable."

"I wear a size 50 and run on sidewalks/streets a lot in my Merrell Trail Glove 4's have held up really well."

"And I love them both."

"It's a barefoot shoe for people who don't like things between their toes."

Vivobarefoot

4.4

(18)

"Any thin and breathable shoe is going to be where its at. how about vivobarefoot? i like mine and ive been driving a stick daily for over 10 years."

"I do most of my running in "regular" shoes (Saucony, Nike, Hoka) but my main walking around shoes are Vivobarefoot."

"I’ve been wearing vivobarefoots for 5-6 years and started my running journey last year in Altra Torin 5s."

"Vivobarefoot and Tolos Barefoot are my go to !"

"Vivobarefoot has great options"

"Excellent quality, barefoot and minimalist shoes."

"I wear vivo barefoot over two years and they are super comfy."

"Super minimal, super stylish, super spendy: vivobarefoot"

"I like Vivobarefoot or Lem's over Xero."

"Vivobarefoot is quite stylish, it looks sleek."

Altra

3.9

(17)

"Look for shoes with Vibram Megagrip outsoles. They are seriously fantastic on wet and slippery trails."

"I love my Altras. They are zero drop wide toe box."

"Altras or xero shoes are my go to."

"I run in Altra’s and wear Vivos for work."

"They are just so incredibly comfortable."

"I walk in Altra Lone Peaks. They are zero drop although not minimalist."

"Its great cause they haven't updated it since 2018."

"I wear minimalist shoes almost always. For backpacking I wear lone peaks and have had no issues."

"I hike in Altras with a sub 20 lb pack. They work great."

"I'm a fan of the Lone Peaks but they aren't exactly business looking."

Vivo

4.5

(12)

"I love my Vivo shoes. It's basically all I wear when away from home."

"He wears bedrock sandals or vivos to hike."

"He wears the vivos to work, and he works in a factory."

"I love my Vivos so much!"

"Vivo, bobux, snooshoos"

"For my money the Vivo Stealth 2 is the best all-around shoe."

"I have worn vivos as casual 'going to the shops' shoes for 2 years."

"My experience with Vivo Primus barefoot shoes for tennis."

"Work for my wide feet."

"I currently play in vivo stealth 2s."

New Balance

4.1

(11)

"I can't more highly recommend the New Balance Minimus."

"[NB Minimus] EDIT: 3 years on mine as well. 4-5 days week in the gym and even ran a Spartan Beast in them."

"If you live in the USA, you can check the New Balance Minimus series."

"My partner wears New Balance Minimus, but will bring a pair of TX4 mids if we're doing a heavy XC trip."

"New Balance Minimus - 250"

"I've played in NB Minimus without major issues."

"I used to wear and love love love the new balance minimus trail zeros."

"New balance minimus feel great in every way."

"New balance minimus"

Vibram

4.4

(9)

"The KSO-evo and V-run are also very light."

"I've been running in Vibram's and Merrell minimalist shoes for about ten years now."

"Not what you want to hear about but VFF are about the best gym shoe you can get."

"I'm a huge fan of the Vibram KSO EVO and Vivobarefoot Primal for the gym."

"I used to play racquetball at the peak of my shoe minimalism. I had the Vibram Five-Fingers."

"Vibrams (multiple models) - about 100 miles"

"I’m around 1500km on my vibram runs."

"Vibrams made a five fingers version of the KSO Evo for kids."

"If you like Vibrams they can be had on ebay fairly cheap."

Puma

4.1

(9)

"You should look up puma liberate nitro"

"Puma Active Gaming Footwear EVOKNIT Esports Sneakers."

"Pumas all day."

"Puma makes some 'driving' shoes."

"I've always liked Pumas for driving."

"I’ve always been a fan of the puma speedcats."

"Puma makes great driving shoes."

"I liked my Pilotis and my Puma Speedcats."

"Puma Sparco?"

Whitin

4.4

(8)

"I got these shoes called 'Whitin' on amazon and they are super comfortable."

"Amazing feel."

"The best of them all."

"Honestly whitins are maybe some of the better product for the price."

"I really like them and can feel my feet kind of changing and adapting."

"Maybe try Whitin barefoot shoes in Wide fitting on Amazon also."

"I am pretty pleased with mine so far."

"For cheapo ones check out the Chinese Whitin ones on Amazon."

#10

Hykes

5.0

(6)

"Hykes Pinnacle, best shoes I have owned."

"I am wearing Hykes Pinnacle and my husband wants the Hykes Navigator barefoot shoes."

"I am wearing Hykes Pinnacle and love them, I use them everything, I also run 5k every weekend and use them in our local trials."

"Best shoes I have ever owned."

"I love them, I use them for everything."

"Hykes Element or Pinnacle barefoot, they also donate a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair you purchase."

#11

LEMS

4.3

(6)

"I'm partial to LEMS myself, zero drop but still just a little bit of cushion."

"My oldest friend is now a physio and wears Lems. I just got some minimal shoes for walking and they feel great."

"I've used Lems and Xero shoes for soccer, tennis, basketball."

"Some (not all) Lems are fairly wide and worth a try."

"I wear my Lem's to work where I'm on my feet all day."

"I do a lot of walking in my lems 9 to 5."

#12

Lems

4.2

(6)

"They're the only ones that are truly comfortable."

"I really like them. The sole seems to be longer-lasting than other barefoot shoes."

"I wear them daily with business casual."

"*Much* wider toebox than most."

"I have lems primal 2's for the gym."

"If all black is acceptable, try the Lems Primal 2!"

#13

Wildling

4.6

(5)

"Maybe have a look at Wildling shoes?"

"Wildling, Splay, Vivobarefoot and Softstar have great options."

"Wildling make small wintery shoes and are great value for money IMO."

"Have helped up great so far."

"They do really good winter weather shoes."

#14

Soft Star Shoes

4.5

(4)

"Dressier than most & more mainstream look than their Runamocs."

"Currently the widest toe box of athletic shoes on the market."

"They do custom color shoes."

"Soft Star Shoes might be an option to consider... they are leather (and durable)."

#15

Saucony

4.3

(4)

"Sacouny Hattori (all time favorites) - 250"

"I liked the Saucony Shay XC 3 cross country flat. Super light and very little heel toe drop."

"Saucony Kinvaras have always worked for me."

"I'd recommend the Saucony Type A6. A beautiful light shoe."

#16

Softstar

4.0

(4)

"Softstar is the only minimalist shoe that I have seen that I think might work."

"Generally touted as the enormously wide barefoot shoe."

"Softstar Shoes have some really cute femme options with customizable colourways."

"Check out softstars."

#17

Altra Lone Peaks

3.8

(4)

"Lone Peaks! I just did 140 miles over Whitney."

"I backpack(ed) with Altra Lone Peaks for a few seasons and loved them."

"They’re good, but hurt."

"Lone Peaks are definitely not minimalist shoes."

#18

Vans

4.7

(3)

"Any Vans with the PopCush insole are stupid comfortable and are my go-to shoes for spirited driving."

"Skateboard shoes are what you want. Vans, etnies, lakai, ES."

"I’ve found Vans to be a great all-arounder."

#19

Leguanos

4.7

(3)

"Am super in love with my Leguanos."

"I find them very comfortable and the sole is really really durable."

"Leguanos are pretty good for these surfaces."

#20

Luna

4.7

(3)

"My luna sandals give me about 2000km"

"I finally tried Luna sandals and love them."

"Luna sandals are good quality."

#21

Inov-8

4.3

(3)

"Inov-8 makes a zero drop shoe that I really like, and Altra just released one, as well."

"Try inov8, I find they are more narrow and they are good quality."

"I also use Innov8 F-lite 235's. They got an 8mm heel drop which helps you squat."

#22

Hykes Pinnacle

5.0

(2)

"I have the Hykes Pinnacle and love them, best shoes I've ever owned."

"I have the Hykes Pinnacle and love them, best shoes I have owned."

#23

Wildlings

5.0

(2)

"I love my wildlings, they have tons of styles to choose from."

"I love my Wildling shoes."

#24

Vivo Barefoot

5.0

(2)

"I use vivo barefoot shoes for everything, including sprinting... they're pretty expensive but I find barefoot shoes are very good for sprinting."

"Last for years and years miles and miles."

#25

4.0

(2)

"I'm currently wearing a vivobarefoot shoe (primus trail sg) and I'm about to go out to the track for my run."

"Vivobarefoot Primus Trail SG are good in wet mud with good sized lugs."

#38

4.0

(1)

"I just got a pair and really like them."

Discover your audience

GummySearch is an audience research toolkit for 130,000 unique communities on Reddit.

If you are looking for startup problems to solve, want to validate your idea or find your first customers online, GummySearch is for you.

Tell me more

Get started