VIVOBAREFOOT Legacy Review

It’s worth noting that when I first started reviewing VIVOBAREFOOT footwear more than three years ago, they were at that time exclusively a dress shoe company.  They hadn’t yet entered the running business, but there was an inherent symbiosis between their “barefoot” shoes and the natural biomechanics of a bygone era of running, before modern corporations turned the entire shoe industry into a destructive vortex of technologies that none of us needed. 

VIVOBAREFOOT Legacy

All of which is my long-winded way of saying that running shoes used to be much simpler.  However, today’s product review doesn’t feature a running shoe, but the VIVOBAREFOOT Legacy, designed as a throwback to those simpler days of running – or as the website describes it, “a luxury barefoot shoe that pays homage to the classic Roger Bannister era.”  

And before we proceed further, allow me to re-state what longtime readers already know: I’m a complete Roger Bannister freak.  (Scroll around the lower right sidebar to see what I mean.)  So when you put together the words “Bannister” and “barefoot”, you pretty much have me at hello.  Admittedly then, I may not be the most objective person to provide this review – but truthfully, the Legacy is probably one of the most versatile and stylish shoes I own.

Let’s start with the styling: true to its claim, the Legacy looks like it came straight out of Oxford University in the 1950s.  The entire upper is made with what VIVOBAREFOOT calls luxury leather.  The continuation of the lacing ridge lines down through the toe box give the shoe a look that’s equally suitable for office or casual wear.

The toebox is nice and wide, allowing your toes to splay naturally.  This design element seems almost needless to say for natural shoe reviews nowadays because pretty much everybody does it - but it bears mentioning that VIVOBAREFOOT was way ahead of the curve in pioneering this kind of last in office-appropriate footwear.

Unlike most other VIVOBAREFOOT shoes, there’s a bit of a breaking in period for the Legacy, as the luxury leather is slightly stiff right out of the box.  It becomes softer and more malleable after a few outings, and eventually becomes like a second layer of skin around your midfoot (but not so much in the heel – more on that in a second).

Midfoot fit can be fine-tuned by the traditional lacing system and waxed cotton laces that hold their tension quite well during long periods of wear.  Each shoe weighs 8.5 oz, (241g) which is slightly heavier than other office options (such as Merrell’s Tough Glove), but is light enough to not be burdensome even after a full day on your feet.

Around the heel area, the leather is approximately twice as thick as in the rest of the upper; I suspect this is to give a bit of structure to the heel collar, but it makes the rearfoot area noticeably stiffer than the rest of the shoe.  I feel the difference when walking up stairs or up steep inclines, but it’s not enough to cause any discomfort.

Standing height of the Legacy is either 5mm or 8mm, depending on whether or not you include the removable 3mm EVA insole.  Whichever way you choose, ground feel is outstanding with this shoe, as the soft, flexible rubber outsole provides heightened proprioception on a variety of surfaces.

Another nod to Bannister is the aforementioned outsole, which is taken from VIVOBAREFOOT’s luxury Evo running shoe.  It’s composed of high abrasion, puncture-resistant rubber with shallow hexagonal knobbing.  From my experience with other VIVOBAREFOOT models, I’d say this outsole is quite strong from a dry traction standpoint (especially on dirt or irregular surfaces), but lacks a bit in wet conditions compared to the all-weather outsole found on VIVO’s Lesotho shoe and other models.

Functionally speaking, the Legacy’s outsole mirrors its upper in terms of being versatile for a range of situations and conditions.  Ultimately that’s the strength of the Legacy on the whole: it’s a very well-built, good-looking shoe that you can use pretty much every day of the week, or from transitioning easily from work to a night on the town.

The VIVOBAREFOOT Legacy is available in two colors, and retails for $140 from the company website.  

*Product provided by VIVOBAREFOOT.  Affiliate sales support Running and Rambling.

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Zion Adventures: Hiking the Narrows

It’s hard to spend any time in Zion National Park and not start thinking about the Narrows.

You’ll see images and read descriptions of it from pretty much any informational resource you choose.  You’ll overhear people in the nearby lodges and restaurants talking about it.  And you’ll see passengers on the Zion Valley bus wearing waders and carrying walking sticks (more on those later) and automatically know how they’re spending the day.

Zion Narrows; click any photo to enlarge

The Narrows are as iconic to Zion as Half Dome is to Yosemite – but with practically zero elevation gain and the flexibility of doing as much or as little mileage you want, it’s far more accessible to the average Joe Hiker than climbing up some massive bald rock.  Unfortunately, it was also one of the areas I missed on my first pass through the park a couple of years ago – so this time around, with a family full of kindred souls looking for adventure, I knew which hike would be at the top of our list.

And just because the adventure is accessible, that doesn’t mean it’s easy; the challenges of hiking in the Narrows are still formidable, but in a more unique way than most hikers are typically accustomed to.  By the end of the day, your legs will be just as tired as if you spent a long day climbing and descending on regular trails – but the memories you keep with you afterwards will be far more distinctive.

But before we talk about the end, we should talk about the beginning – and at Zion, the starting point for a day hike of the Narrows is a paved trailhead at the last stop off the public bus line that runs through Zion Valley.

The paved portion is only one mile long, and is gently rolling, without anything that really deserves to be called a hill.  Basically, it’s an extended warmup walk to enjoy some nervous chatter, and to take the measure of the river you’ll be spending the rest of your day wading through.

Before getting to that part, there’s a transition zone of sorts where you can gear up for entering the river.  Prior to our arrival, it was this aspect of the trip that caused the most uncertainty (and occasional anxiety) for my wife and me, in that we had no way of knowing what exactly we might need.

Here’s the deal with the Narrows: the hiking route essentially goes straight through the Virgin River.  Not adjacent, not criss-crossing … but literally walking in the river.  Therefore, you’re guaranteed to spend the day wet – the only question is how much of your body is going to be submerged at any given time.  And when you talk to people or read reports about the Narrows, you’ll hear about the possibility of waist-deep currents or hidden sinkholes where you risk being completely submerged.

Accordingly, pretty much every guide to hiking the Narrows – especially those that are affiliated with one of the local rental shops - will tell you that you shouldn’t attempt the hike without canyoneering shoes, thick neoprene socks, drysuit wading pants, and a sturdy walking stick.  However, since I’m 1) a minimalist at heart, and 2) cheap, I wasn’t convinced that shelling out big bucks to outfit everybody was really necessary.

Truthfully, this assessment wasn’t a complete shot in the dark; with some advance research, I was able to make a reasonable guess as to what the water conditions might be like.  Zion uses a USGS water volume measurement of cubic feet per second (CFS) to gauge how much water the river is carrying on any given day.  If the flow is above 120 CFS, the park won’t issue through-hike permits, and any day under 75 CFS is considered reasonably safe for hiking.  On the mid-October day that we targeted for our outing, the river was a measly 35 CFS.

So we took our chances.  Instead of renting shoes and socks and pants, we wore … something else, which I’ll indicate shortly.  The only essential piece of gear you need is a walking stick …

… and you can most likely save yourself the rental cost and just grab one from the “take a stick, leave a stick” rack that’s just beyond the transition area.  Once you select the size and style you like …

… it’s time to make your way into the river.

When water levels are low, there are portions of the hike where you can avoid the river via rocky paths along the bank …

… but it won’t be long before your side trails disappear, and you’ve got nowhere to hide from the water.

Here’s what NOT to use for footwear: a pair of princessy high-heeled sandals, as the owner of this abandoned pair at river’s edge can attest to.  As for me …

… I went with VIVOBAREFOOT Ultras, which were designed as a hybrid aqua / land shoe – in other words, exactly the conditions you find in the Narrows.  Eschewing my traditional Vibram hiking shoes also allowed me to wear merino wool socks, which provide effective insulation even when wet.   Water temperature in the Virgin River was in the 55 to 60 degree range, so keeping your toes warm is definitely a priority for this hike.

(As a family, we were evenly split between Merrell Barefoot and VIVOBAREFOOT – and there’s one more note on footwear coming soon.)

On the subject of keeping warm: as you journey into the Narrows, you’re not only spending the majority of your time in frigid water, but the high canyon walls on either side effectively block the sun and keep the entire route cold …

… so anytime you find a narrow sliver of space where daylight actually reaches the ground, that’s occasion to stop and soak in some rays to bring your body temp up just a bit.

The further you go into the canyon, the more the walls seem to close in on either side of you, and the more surreal the entire scene becomes.  You also gain a heightened appreciation for the park service’s regulation of this route – because if there are heavy rains or flash flooding, you’ve got absolutely no place to hide.

Approximately 1.5 miles upriver is a junction for a side canyon called Orderville; this also marks the beginning of the most famous section of the Narrows, known as Wall Street.

Also, one final footwear note: if you click to enlarge the photo above, you’ll notice that the two people pictured are barefoot.  They weren’t the only ones we saw with naked feet, and I also found some people wearing Vibrams.  Obviously this was encouraging for me to witness, and it also completely dispels the notion that you need specialized shoes to navigate the Narrows. 

There are some precautions, however.  The slick river rocks cause your footing to constantly be unsteady, and you often slide unexpectedly from the surface of one rock to another.  Even with a walking stick, bashed toes are probably inevitable if you go the barefoot or Vibram route.  Also, a full day of this kind of unsteady walking on rocks is a pretty high-demand activity for your feet and especially your ankles, so if you’re a newbie minimalist, you’re going to have some soreness afterwards.

Inside Wall Street, the river is less than 25 feet wide in places, and the vertical sandstone walls on either side rise up to 1500 feet overhead.  If you’re a Star Wars freak like me, you’ll have flashbacks to the trash compactor scene in Episode IV – and if you’re a normal person, you’ll probably have an overwhelming feeling of smallness when staring up at the cliffs looming overhead.

When you’re day hiking* the Narrows, the turnaround point is wherever you make it; a popular turning point is the far end of Wall Street when the canyon opens up slightly again. 

(*As opposed to through-hiking, where you can start at the far upstream end and hike the entire 12 miles down to the transition area where my family’s hike started.  You need a permit for through-hiking, but not for day hiking as I’m describing here.)

You also want to budget some extra time on the way back …

… to make a side trip up Orderville Canyon, which is narrower and has less water flow than the main canyon …

… but has some distinctive features all its own, such as a couple of low scrambles over logs or rock piles.  You can go about a half-mile into Orderville before day hiking is prohibited (but through-hiking with a permit is OK) …

… and it’s time to turn around and head back through the main canyon towards the transition area.

By the time you finish the day, your vital stats won’t be very impressive; the trip described here is probably only 7 miles round trip, and took us the better part of 6 hours to complete with a few rest and meal breaks.  However, this hike isn’t about the numbers – it’s about venturing into surroundings that are unlike almost any other hike you’ll ever do, and taking in one of the best experiences that Zion National Park has to offer.

There’s a reason people talk about the Narrows so much – and if you ever get the opportunity, it’s definitely worth spending a day to see what all the talk is about.

*See other photo tours under tab at top of page. 

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VIVOBAREFOOT Gobi Boot Review (And Discount Offer)

Beginning in the summer of 1940, Allied and Axis troops pushed each other back and forth across North Africa for three long years, in battles whose outcomes were largely determined by the ability of either side to mobilize troops and supplies more effectively than the opponent in the harsh desert conditions.

In November of 1942 the British Eighth Army secured a key victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein, a coastal Egyptian city, and ultimately drove Erwin Rommel’s Panzer Army westward all the way to Tunisia. By the end of the year, thousands of American and British troops joined the attack, and the North African Campaign ended with the surrender of all remaining Axis troops in May of 1943.

British 8th Army in WWII; photo from ww2incolor.com

So what does any of this have to do with a product review?  Well, one of the smallest historical footnotes from the North African theater was the popularization of what came to be known as the desert boot, also sometimes called a chukka boot.  With high leather siding and rubberized soles, the British Army’s footwear of choice was highly durable, effective at keeping sand away from the feet, and comfortable enough for seemingly endless hours of use.

VIVOBAREFOOT Gobi boot

While the desert boot has become a modern fashion staple, it wasn’t until VIVOBAREFOOT (coincidentally and perhaps fittingly, a company of British origin) introduced its Fall 2012 lineup that a suitable barefoot equivalent existed.  The company now offers the Gobi, a low profile boot that echoes the styling of classic desert boots and maintains all of the biomechanical benefits of modern minimalist footwear.  It’s available in three different styles, and is also available for a short time at a 20% discount.  More on that later – for now, let’s march (get it?) through a review.

The Gobi’s uppers are composed of full grain leather on the black version, and suede for either the dark or light brown models.  My suede version is quite comfortable against the skin, making it suitable for use without socks – however, there isn’t any sort of liner against the foot, so you may develop some odor issues with prolonged barefoot use.  I wear thin socks with mine just to be on the safe side.

Otherwise, the uppers are fairly simple and nondescript, with three large panels enveloping the foot, and a heel pull in the back to help get them on.

Three eyelets and traditional cotton laces in the front help secure the fit.

Considering that this is technically a boot, the Gobi is impressively light at only 8.2oz for the suede versions, with the leather version slightly heavier at 8.6 oz.  By comparison, two pairs of VIVOBAREFOOT boots I reviewed a couple of years ago weighed in at 11oz and 13oz, so the Gobi is a huge improvement from a minimal standpoint.  When reviewing their running models, I’ve often been critical of VIVOBAREFOOT for not making their shoes lighter, so I owe it to them to make this a high point of praise for the Gobi.

Like all VIVOBAREFOOT shoes, the Gobi comes with a removable insole that expands the toebox and lowers your standing height by 3mm when absent.  Removing the insole leaves you practically touching the ground …

… because the Gobi outsole is a mere 3mm thick, using one of VIVOBAREFOOT’s original high-abrasion puncture-resistant TPU materials that I also tested on the Dharma a few years ago.  This is the company’s thinnest outsole, so it’s unbeatable from a ground feel and proprioception standpoint, but it definitely lacks some traction on slick or wet surfaces.

For that matter, the entire Gobi has minimal water resistance – although the leather would be a little more effective than the suede - and isn’t well suited for harsh winter conditions in general.  This shouldn’t be surprising for a boot that was made with the desert in mind, but it’s worth noting that you’re buying these more for fashion than for true winter weather protection.  However, with its above-ankle height and classic styling, the Gobi easily complements a pair of jeans or dress pants in your fall wardrobe.

VIVOBAREFOOT’s Gobi retails for $150 from the company website, but for the remainder of the month you can get them for 20% discount by using coupon code RUNNINGANDRAMBLING20 when you check out.  The discount applies to all styles of VIVOBAREFOOT footwear, including their running and dress models.

*Product provided by VIVOBAREFOOT.  Affiliate sales support Running and Rambling.

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VIVOBAREFOOT Ultra and Ultra Pure Review

Although I've reviewed a lot of VIVOBAREFOOT shoes in the past, one notable model flew under my radar - perhaps because I never knew what to make of it.

VIVOBAREFOOT Ultra

The company's Ultra is the shoe equivalent of a Rorschach test: whatever you want to see in it, that's what it can be.  It was originally released in 2011 as a beach or travel shoe, but it's equally suitable as a casual shoe or a super-lightweight running shoe.  Its modular construction allows you to use the same pair for a variety of uses - and with a kids version released this year, it can also be a very cool schoolyard shoe: bright and fashionable for wearing in class, but athletic enough to sprint around the playground at recess.

In hindsight, I'm sort of embarrassed that it took me so long to get around to reviewing them - so to make up for it, this is a double review: I've been testing the modular men's Ultra as a running shoe, and my daughter has been wearing the non-modular (I'll explain shortly) Ultra Pure as an everyday kids shoe.   There's also an Ultra Kids model which is basically a scaled-down Ultra Pure with a Velcro strap.  All of the shoes are 100% vegan, and are constructed with the same injection molding technique which creates the entire outer shell from EVA.

VIVOBAREFOOT Ultra Pure

Or, as my daughter put it, "They're like fancy Crocs!" - which is the primary comparison people make when they see or feel the Ultra for the first time.  However, in my opinion they're WAY better than crocs ...

... because they have all the features we love about VIVOBAREFOOT: completely flat, completely flexible, and completely suitable for pretty much any activity you can think of.   

They're also very impressively light: the standard Ultra weighs in at 5.5 oz, and the Ultra Pure weighs a mere 3.7 oz.  The difference between the two models is the presence of a sock liner that snaps into place at the heel and at the base of the lace area: the Ultra comes with the liner, the Ultra Pure doesn't.

If you remove the sock liner, there's a small pad that can snap into place underneath the laces on top of the midfoot.  All of this snapping back and forth can be done in a matter of seconds. 

One minor drawback I found with the lacing system is that the clasp that holds the laces in place can be very stiff when switching to the "unlock" position.  Fortunately, you don't really need to adjust the tension through the laces very much, and the shoe essentially functions like a slip-on once you get the proper setting established the first time.

Since the primary difference between the Ultra and the Ultra Pure is the presence of a sock liner, if you happen to be mathematically gifted, you can deduce that the liner itself weighs 1.8 oz.  If you remove the liner from the Ultra, it weighs the same as the Ultra Pure.  Some users wear just the liner without the shell as a protective second-skin sock, similar to a Sockwa or Moc3; the advantage of VIVOBAREFOOT's sock over those others is that it has full puncture protection underfoot.

This brings up another distinction between the Ultra and the Ultra Pure: on the Ultra, the puncture-resistant layer resides on the bottom of the sock liner - so if you take the lining out and wear just the shell, you don't have the same resistance that other VIVOBAREFOOT shoes provide.  However, on the Ultra Pure, the inner lining on the footbed is fully puncture-resistant.

The interior of the sock liner is very soft and comfortable against bare skin.  I run in mine sockless for all road mileage, but use a thin layer of socks for long trail outings. 

With the liner removed, the insole surface is lightly pebbled, which feels a bit odd at first but quickly gets accommodated by a bare foot.  This is the same insole pattern featured on the Ultra Pure, which doesn't have the sock liner. 

  

I tend to keep the lining in my Ultra for road running for a couple of reasons: 1) I'm usually running in the early morning when my toes get cold, so I like the insulation of the sock to keep my bare toes warmer, and 2) when your feet start sweating, if you're not wearing the liner there can be a bit of movement inside the upper as the EVA insole surface gets a little bit slick. 

Back to the shell construction: all Ultra shoes employ a modern EVA injection molding technique which combines a softer density (and more flexible) EVA in the uppers and a higher density (and more protective) EVA on the outsole.  The high-abrasion EVA upper is highly durable but very soft, allowing the foot to flex and move naturally.  The outsole portion is 7mm thick, but according to the company specs can compress down to as much as 3mm with long-term use.

The outsole EVA is also firmer than the upper to enhance ground feedback.  Obviously, the primary drawback of an EVA outsole is the rate of deterioration; my pair came with a disclaimer slip stating that with proper running technique, they should last for up to 300 road miles.  However, since I'm primarily running on trails, I anticipate that they'll last significantly longer.

Traction isn't outstanding - in fact, it's probably the worst of any VIVOBAREFOOT running shoe.  On steep hills or gravel fire roads it's definitely a limitation compared to something aggressive like the Breatho Trail outsole.   And interestingly, considering its original marketing as a aqua shoe, I've found that traction on wet, rocky stream crossings is pretty shaky.  However, the grip is perfectly adequate for road running in all but the slickest conditions, as well as for groomed trails that aren't obnoxiously technical.

It also makes a great hybrid shoe for high-mileage runs that shift from roads to trails, which is why they were on my feet during my 20-mile Pebble Beach adventure a few weeks ago.  You may recall that run had significant stretches of running in deep sand, and since the Ultra's outer shell is completely porous, I was curious to see how the sock liner protected my feet from sand intrusion over the long haul.

I was pleasantly surprised, as this picture (click to enlarge for a better view) taken after a long sandy stretch illustrates.  Very little sand made it through to my socks (Drymax hyper thin, if you're interested), and most of the debris was either trapped by the sock liner or fell to the bottom of the shell for easy removal.

Overall, the Ultra and Ultra Pure turned out to be highly functional for both my daughter's and my needs.  She loves the open look and summertime feel of the Pure without a sock liner, and I'm impressed with the Ultra's performance as a hybrid running shoe.  (Of course, for me or any other ultrarunners out there, the name of this shoe conjures something that's better equipped for rugged trails than for tame roads, but that's just semantics.)  They're also very suitable for a lot of cross-training activities, or simply as a funky-looking warm weather casual shoe.

All of VIVOBAREFOOT's Ultra shoes are quite affordably priced, and available from the company website at the links below:

The Ultra retails for $80.

The Ultra Pure retails for $50.

The Ultra Kids retails for $40.

*Products provided by VIVOBAREFOOT

**See other product reviews on sidebar at right.  If you have a product you'd like reviewed, contact me at info@runningandrambling.com.

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