To everyone else: thanks very much for playing, and remember that these tights are still discounted to $64 at Wilderness Running Company, where you can save another 10% with coupon code R&R10, and you'll get free shipping since your order is over $50.
And of course, stay tuned for the next giveaway coming soon.
When it comes to footwear, two concepts you don’t typically associate with each other are barefoot and boots.
Minimalist shoe aficionados generally seek the lightest, lowest profile footwear that’s necessary to protect their feet while still allowing good ground feel and natural foot function. And boot wearers tend to like ‘em big, either with tall sexy heels for women, hard-stomping heels and steel toes for cowboys and construction workers, or rugged sturdy midsoles for hikers of both genders. So the two user groups wouldn’t seem to have any common footwear interests at all.
Leave it to VIVOBAREFOOT to think outside the box and combine them – and the result is a much nicer product that you might initially think. On the scale of completely unexpected but pleasantly surprising collaborations, it ranks somewhere between Aerosmith singing with Run-DMC (unimaginably cool) and Eminem singing with Elton John (pretty darn cool, but seemed a little bit forced).
(And on a completely unrelated tangent … have you noticed that I haven’t embedded any songs here for a while? I’ll take care of that today, with a holiday-themed "unlikely combination" song after the post.)
VIVOBAREFOOT Aqueous (L) and Franklin (R)
The result of this mad experimentation is four models that VIVOBAREFOOT classifies as functional/waterproof: the Franklin and Aqueous for men, and the Brooklyn and Belle for women. I’ve been wearing the men’s models for about six weeks now, and found that they provide a nice option within this untapped niche for minimalist footwear users. And at the end of this post, one reader will have a chance to win his or her choice of these models, just in time for winter.
Comfort collars and neoprene/microfiber interior linings
The Aqueous is basically a high-top version of VIVOBAREFOOT’s best-selling Aqua model. Like other VIVOBAREFOOT models, it’s made with eco-friendly construction and stylish design for everyday use. The upper is made from abrasion-resistant polyurethane and nylon, and the interior lining is a material called Airprene (breatheable neoprene) for water resistance in rainy or muddy conditions.
The Franklin is a hiking boot with extra side padding for improved comfort on day-long treks. The upper is a combination of nubuck, nylon and abrasion-resistant vegetable-tanned leather, with a microfiber and nylon mesh lining. It has a neoprene lining like the Aqueous for similar water resistance.
Latex rubber and recycled woodchip outsoles
Both of the men’s boots have a 5mm outsole that’s both functional and eco-friendly: a TPU abrasion-resistant sole made partially with latex rubber and recycled woodchips. It’s similar in structure to the outsoles for the Oak, with slightly better grip on slick surfaces. It’s certainly not as grippy as the super-knobby outsoles on traditional hiking boots, but does reasonably well in most off-road situations.
Each of these models has a thin memory foam insole that can be removed for better ground feel or decreased weight. As you’d imagine with more substantial shoes, these boots are heavier than most VIVOBAREFOOT styles, with the Franklin weighing in at 11oz, and the Aqueous at 13oz.
Great flexibility! The Franklin, all curled up
Despite their larger dimensions, both of these models are still very flexible and allow natural foot movement. Dedicated minimalist users may experience the strange sensation I felt with having a high-top collar against my ankles; I compensated for this by leaving the collar area excessively loose to ensure that I had unimpeded ankle range of motion while walking.
On the ladies’ side, VIVOBAREFOOT offers the Belle, a short waterproof nubuck boot with an adjustable elastic strap, and the Brooklyn, a waterproof knee-high leather boot made with faux-shearling lining for increased warmth during cold winter outings. They have the same 5mm outsole construction and removable insole features as the men’s styles. Weight for these is 10oz for the Belle, and 16oz for the Brooklyn.
A couple of important notes should be considered if you’re thinking about purchasing any of these boots:
1) Some of these styles have some size variance, so be sure to check the webpage of the specific items for sizing guidelines, or call VIVOBAREFOOT for further clarification.
2) The remaining online stock of the Franklin has a minor design flaw in the tongue area – that I honestly didn’t notice even though it was pointed out to me - so it is only sold through telephone orders and comes with a 30% discount. You can still use my coupon code (a very generous one, see below) associated with this post on top of that 30% discount as well.
So let’s get to the good stuff: between now and December 20, you can purchase any of the models described above at a 30% discount by using coupon code RRWATER at checkout. The banner ad at the top of this page will be in place all week long to remind you. And on Wednesday night of this week, I’ll pick one winner to receive a free pair of one of these models.
We’ll do the regular link method with this one: one entry for a comment, one for a Facebook/Twitter link, and one for a blog link to this contest page. And to throw in a little bit of fun, I'll give you one additional entry if you name any other unexpectedly pleasant musical collaboration (there's one rap/metal classic from the 1990s that I'll be totally disappointed if nobody remembers) that hasn't been mentioned yet. Let me know in the comments section how many entries you deserve, and submit your entry by 5PM PST on Wednesday December 15 so I can announce the winner later that night. Good luck to everybody!
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As for the musical selection: it’s a decent piece of holiday music on its own, but the remarkable thing about it is the players involved. In the late 1970s, David Bowie was nearly at the height of his androgynous Ziggy Stardust glam-rock reign, and Bing Crosby was the embodiment of traditional, conservative America. Fortunately, they had enough musical respect for each other to recognize that their differences were the small stuff, and the message of the season was far more meaningful.
And yes, you have to sit through a couple minutes of scripted banter before you get to the good part, but the song that follows has become a holiday classic in its own right.
David Bowie and Bing Crosby, "The Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth" (click to play):
In addition to laying the groundwork for most of the giveaways that are taking place this month, I spent a lot of time this fall testing some cool jackets for reviews that have been published at FeedTheHabit.com. Since I don't have the time or interest to do duplicate posts nowadays, I'm linking to all of those reviews today. If you're in the market for a cold-weather top layer, check out the following reviews ...
One of those will be included in an upcoming Gear of the Year post I'm preparing for next week, but I'm not going to tell you which one yet - for that, you'll need to check back later.
In the meantime, here's this weekend's Random Shot of Beauty:
My 9-year-old daughter in the home stretch of a Jingle Bell 5K Run along Ocean View Boulevard in Pacific Grove this morning. The bad news was that we couldn't catch Skinny Santa and his kid. The good news was that it really didn't matter.
It's time to announce the winner of the VIVOBAREFOOT work shoe giveaway drawing ...
Tezcatzontecatl - e-mail me! You've won your choice of Dharma, Oak or Kali VIVOBAREFOOTs (and on a side note, I'd love to learn how to pronounce your name).
To everybody else, remember you can get these shoes at a 20% discount from the VIVOBAREFOOT website between now and the end of the weekend; click on the banner advertisement at the top of this page, then use coupon code RRWORK at checkout. Thanks very much to everyone for playing, and check back here next week for another VIVOBAREFOOT drawing.
Of all the giveaways going on here this month, this might be the one I’m most appreciative of.
That’s because the prize comes from Soft Star, a company I’ve plain and simply fallen in love with over the past year and a half. They’re a true Mom-and-Pop business that has survived and thrived for more than 25 years by doing things the old-fashioned way. Founders Tim and Jeanie Oliver taught themselves the shoe crafting trade, and started the cottage business while their toddlers bounced around the workshop.
To this day, every pair of Soft Star moccasins is hand-crafted (by employees affectionately called “elves”) at the family workshop in Corvallis, Oregon. The company is one of the last remaining shoe manufacturers whose entire material acquisition and production process stays completely in the United States. And although the company has grown, they haven’t lost the cozy family feel, as you can see in this cool video the company released this year, in conjunction with its 25th anniversary:
"Soft Star Shoes" (click to play):
Definitely a business you can feel good about supporting, huh? And for a company with 100% handmade products, they have a fairly impressive variety of adult, youth and (quite adorable) baby footwear. I first reviewed their grippy suede Roo slippers last year, and my wife went crazy for the Phoenix boot (see my review here) this fall. But of course, the primary object of my affection is the RunAmoc, whose development I was fortunate enough to be involved with, and which has become my favorite day-in, day-out minimalist shoe since its release last April.
All smiles after a wet, muddy 21-miler in Redwood Park last spring in my RunAmoc Lites
It’s important to note that the RunAmoc isn’t an “all things to all people” minimalist shoe: various other products out there have a more secure fit, or a better barefoot feel, or a longer lifespan, or a more aggressive trail outsole. But there’s something unmistakably sweet about running in a pair of leather moccasins that look like something Native Americans might have worn, and no other minimalist shoe on the market comes close to matching the primitive “back to nature” vibe that you feel in a pair of RunAmocs. It’s a joy to run in them – and in my book, there’s a lot to be said for just plain joy.
And when I say they’re my day-in, day-out preference, I mean it. I have one pair of RunAmoc Lites with a 2mm street outsole that I use for road running or general all-purpose activity, a pair of Lites with a 5mm trail outsole for running off-road (including a 50M ultra back in May), and a chocolate suede RunAmoc with street outsole that I use as my favorite walking around shoe.
Finish photo from Quicksilver 50M
If you’re the winner of this contest, you’ll get to try a new pair of RunAmocs for yourself. The winner will receive a gift certificate code equal to the cost of one pair of standard RunAmocs (lite or suede) plus domestic shipping. Two minor disclaimers: if you need to do a custom order for unusual sizes or widths, it will cost you a few extra dollars, and if you’re an international reader, you’ll be on the hook for the cost difference with international shipping.
I used the word appreciative in the opening paragraph above, and that was no accident. Since all of their products are hand crafted and made to order, it’s not like Soft Star can just pull a brown size 11 off the shelf and ship it out to a winner; it takes some time to build a pair from scratch, and as you can imagine, this is a pretty busy time of year for a workshop full of slipper-making elves. So I’m honored that Soft Star is a sponsor here – which is all the more reason for me to love them.
For this contest, the link rule will be in effect: 1 entry for a comment, 1 for a Twitter or Facebook link, and one for a blog post link to this contest page. Enter by next Friday, December 17th at 5PM PST - be sure to let me know how many entries you deserve - and I’ll announce the winner later that night. Good luck to everybody, and very big thanks to Soft Star for making this contest happen.
Also, if you didn’t win the Drymax socks contest and missed the follow-up announcement of the awesome Drymax sale at Wilderness Running Company, you can still purchase their socks at a sweet discount: less than 9 bucks per pair, with an additional 10% off by using coupon code R&R10. You can pick up some lite trail socks or regular trail socks for this winter, and also earn my gratitude for supporting WRC, because they’re good people - so good, in fact, that they’re sponsoring the following giveaway.
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I don’t often find myself hoping that the weather would turn colder, but that’s exactly how I felt back in early November, after visiting Wilderness Running Company’s global headquarters in St George, Utah.
More specifically, Stacy (WRC’s owner) set me up with a pair of Salomon Trail III tights to try, and I knew as soon as I put them on that they’d end up in the heavy rotation of my cold-weather apparel. But since our morning temperatures back home in California hadn’t yet dipped to my “too cold for shorts” threshold (typically 40 degrees or lower - insert laughter here), I had to keep the tights in the drawer for a little while.
Salomon Trail III tight
Thankfully – and I can’t believe I’m writing this sentence – a cold spell came our way during Thanksgiving week, and the tights saw extensive duty. Now that I’ve logged an honest amount of mileage in them, I can confirm what I initially suspected about the Trail IIIs when I first tried them on: they’re super comfortable, and an ideal piece of gear for cold-weather trail running.
The main panels of the Trail IIIs are made from actiLite, Salomon’s soft stretch moisture-wicking fabric that rides very comfortably against the skin, with flatlock seam construction to minimize chafing in key areas. Behind each knee is a panel of actiLite mesh that provides some ventilation without sacrificing warmth. Overall weight is 260g (9.17oz), making the Trail III ideal for moderate winter chill; the coldest run I’ve used them in was 30 degrees, and I’d estimate that they’d be comfortable for another 5 degrees or so lower.
There are a few nice accents such as a drawstring adjustment, reflective brand accents, a securely zippered rear pocket, and calf zips on the ankles. The ankle area is my only minor critique of the pants, as they are noticeably looser than most other tights – in fact, I’m easily able to put my feet through the openings without unzipping. One other caution worth mentioning is the sizing of these tights, which tend to run big. I’m 6’2” with a 32” waist, and sized down to a medium Trail III after the large proved too long.
Overall, I’ve been very pleased with the Trail III; they’re not awesome enough to make me love winter weather, but they sure help me deal with it a lot better. They normally retail for $85, but they're currently on sale for $64 at Wilderness Running Company, and one reader (male or female - there's a women's version) will get a chance to try them for free by winning today’s contest. And to sweeten the prize even further, we’re throwing in a $25 WRC gift card to use on anything else from the website.
The ground rules for this one are similar to others lately: you get one entry for a comment below this post, one more for a link to this contest page from Facebook or Twitter, and a third for a blog link to this contest page. Let me know how many entries you deserve (remember, I’m doing random checks) by Monday, December 13 at 5PM PST, and I’ll announce the winner shortly thereafter. Good luck to everybody, and thanks very much to Wilderness Running Company for sponsoring this giveaway.
