TRACKER AT vs MAGNA ESC / the best rugged vivobarefoot hiking boots

[@AndrewFolts]

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[@christopherspatz5852]

Just tried the Magnas on slabs and bouldery terrain in the Gunks in 4 inches of wet snow. No traction issues climbing, descending or hop-scotching rocks at all. Added a felt insole the night before and waterproofed the leather. Wore a single layer of Darn Tough merino ankle socks. Feet stayed warm and dry on a sopping wet 2.5-hour hike. Mighty impressive. Better, I've found the lightweight winter barefoot hiking boot I've been looking for.

[@christopherspatz5852]

Found another use: the Michelin rubber smears quite well on vertical rock and boulders. In a pinch, you can rock climb in them. That makes the Magna ESC a barefoot approach shoe. Whod've thunk.

[@AndrewFolts]

Yea, that ESC tread chews up nasty terrain like its nothing, ha. Killer combo with the lightweight Magna upper. Glad you're having some great adventures with it Christopher. Happy trails out there!

[@grueneauen]

Great! Thank you so much! Very helpful.

[@AndrewFolts]

You're welcome, Gruene! Appreciate you stopping by. (:

[@grueneauen]

@@AndrewFolts Since I asked for it of course! 🤓

[@anniwilson2534]

I haven’t tried the AT version so can only comment on the ESC one. Something to help with waterproofing is to remove the laces and slightly dampen the sock part with water. Then spray the sock with Liquiproof Premium Protector.

[@AndrewFolts]

Interesting, I'll have to try that. Is Liquiproof the one Vivo sells? Haven't tried it before. How's it compare to wax based balsam in your experience?

[@ekjellgren]

Can you recommend some gaiters for the Magna? It would be nice to be able to temporary use some protection walking through some wet parts on the trail.

[@AndrewFolts]

Yea, Kahtoola makes some good ones. That's what I used to sell when I was a shoes salesman. amzn.to/3AZKkbz

[@User-Tal1951]

Do you know what is the thing about the colors with vivo? There was this brown Forest esc before and now only the black. It happens with the other shoes too. I am waiting, maybe they come back with the nice colors that I like 😢

[@AndrewFolts]

I'm guessing they're just short on stock. It's probably hard to get manufacturing slots this time of year, and things are still backed up from the pandemic, unfortunately.

[@Xarkanian]

Jup, also waiting. It's been out of stock for over half a year.

[@User-Tal1951]

@@Xarkanian is it out of stock or never coming back?. There was one Lite all weather so beautiful. But I think it lasted only 3 days. Now there is only a black with white sole

[@peterKukTCK]

tracker at sole came apart at the pinch point. love the boots but really sad this happened.

[@AndrewFolts]

How long have you had them? You could certainly contact Vivo if it's within the warranty period. Or you can use some Shoe Goo amzn.to/3PBAdyO and gently clamp the separation part for 24 hours, which can fix it.

[@athena4895]

Awesome video! Would you say AT has more space infront for toes than the esc?

[@AndrewFolts]

I'd say the ESC is slightly wider, partly due to the leather just being softer and more flexible.

[@Faverolles]

I'd love if you could do a review of the new Tracker Textile AT. The old tracker textile was my favorite boot from vivo, but it was also the boot I had the most issues with (low gusset, no stitched sole, laces not laying nice on the upper front part of the boot, and absolutely not waterproof), so I'm wondering if they fixed those issues with the new AT. Thank you for doing all these barefoot shoe reviews. I wasn't able to get barefoot shoes for a while due to financial restraints, but last year I was able to buy a couple, and that's largely due to the confidence I had in the sizing, feel, and quality from your videos going real in depth on each shoe. I've sprained and twisted my ankles so many times throughout my life, but I've never done that while barefoot or wearing barefoot shoes. It's crazy how much of a difference they make :)

[@AndrewFolts]

For sure, Vivo's sending them for review, hopefully sometime soon. My original Textiles seemed waterproof, but I got a lot of comments from people saying theirs weren't, so let's hope Vivo learned from whatever was the issue the first time. I'll keep you posted. Also, yea, I found the same thing, often hurting my ankle in "supportive" hiking boots, but never once in flexible barefoot shoes. Being lower to the ground helps a lot.

[@georgono8402]

Thank you for your detailed reviews. I missed a certain point about the Magna esc: the stitched (rubber/leather-)cover at the heelzone, which is stitched over the wool-blended „sock“; does this certain zone stabilise the heel, like in low shoes, which I need as a minimum for my weak ankles?

[@AndrewFolts]

No, the leather's thick enough that it doesn't affect it at all, other than just adding some durability.

[@georgono8402]

@ I meant does the small , I guess synthetic material, cover stitched onto the sockpart directly in the middle of the heel give some support for the ankles..?

[@AndrewFolts]

@@georgono8402 Barefoot shoes generally don't have any support. That would defeat the purpose, because they're meant to be flexible and move naturally. Also, you're a lot closer to the ground, so ankle support is unnecessary.

[@DillonMark]

On the esc sole, do you notice how the front 2 lugs are taller than all the others? It's really noticeable as pressure on the front of big toe even though i have some room at the end of the toes still, and going up to 12.5 from 12 gives way too much volume and length. If you noticed that I'm wondering if those wool insoles solve that problem?

[@AndrewFolts]

Hmm, no I can't say I ever felt that, but maybe it's the wool insole smoothing it out, because I always use some with my Magna ESC's.

[@gilldoyle3295]

I'm starting to look for boots for the winter .. I get so muddy every day so I'm wondering if they'll fall apart .. does anyone make a barefoot wellington boot? Your channel is great .. so much info, really handy 🥰

[@AndrewFolts]

Not that I've found, although that would be awesome! The wraparound guard (same as AT) on my Vivo Winter SG boots from last year seemed to work really well and has no separation, so the Tracker AT should be able to handle mud just fine. The AT sole does feel more clunky on roads, though, so it's best used mostly on trails.

[@gilldoyle3295]

@@AndrewFolts fab thank you 😍 I looked up and Vivo do a Wellington but sold out everywhere 🙄😂

[@AndrewFolts]

@@gilldoyle3295 Oh really? What's it called?

[@gilldoyle3295]

@AndrewFolts Waterloo womens rubber boot by Vivo .. not sure if there's a men's one .. they look good but can't get them here anywhere 😬

[@AndrewFolts]

@@gilldoyle3295 Oh wow that looks great, I hope they bring it back!

[@valdius85]

I have a specific video request - please show your foot through the whole range of motion of the ankle in both of them. It makes me wonder if they restrict movement. It can be a short, I don’t cere the quality much. I care info and no one talks about it 😂

[@AndrewFolts]

You can see the Magna ESC in action here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5rEdKVomr11fbs. Generally the Magna upper doesn't limit you at all. The Tracker AT works a bit more like a regular hiking boot, providing ankle support, so there's a small amount of limitation. When I do the full Tracker AT review there'll be plenty of footage for that too.

[@valdius85]

@ Thank you for answering. I don’t believe in ankle support, I believe in limiting range of motion :) When I buy my first Vivo, they will be used in technical terrain. Range of motion will be important.

[@themaedog]

you did not just say 70 degrees is hot..

[@AndrewFolts]

No, I said the the boots could start feeling hot around 70º, Particularly the Tracker AT, which are meant for cool/cold weather.