BEST Budget Barefoot Shoes - 1 Year Follow-up

[@LaniGunn]

Super helpful, thank you! I'm an experienced barefoot trail runner and I was tired of my expensive brands that still tore up in about a year. So I thought, even cheap shoes last about a year and thanks to your last two reviews, I LOVE my Aleaders as well :). I tried three budget brands and I agree, Aleader fit me the most.

[@JessicaSojourning]

So glad I could help, and so glad you're loving Aleaders as much as I have. ❤👟

[@Robosan4000]

Instead of superglue to glue down the insole, you should try a "contact cement" type of glue on your next pair. Superglue dries hard and brittle. Contact cement is rubbery and flexible.

[@JessicaSojourning]

I will definitely do that!! That's exactly what happened with these shoes 😩 and sadly the parts of the insoles in contact with the dried superglue degraded and wore down so much faster than the rest. I really appreciate you leaving this tip. Now I know how to do it better next time 👍😊

[@Robosan4000]

@@JessicaSojourning Look for Weldwood contact cement. Should be able to get it at a hardware store.

[@JessicaSojourning]

Perfect! Will do!

[@paulapart5110]

I just got my first pair of this brand of shoes and your review and mods tips were really helpful, thanks!

[@johnmorgan4405]

Great video. I have a couple of pairs of Vibrams, and currently my favorite hiking shoe are Merrell trail glove, however I also have about 5 pairs of aleader shoes off Amazon. I have to say, for $30 you cannot beat them. For the price of one pair of Vibrams you can get 4 pairs of these. Brand snobs might have a problem with these, but they are surprisingly durable.

[@JessicaSojourning]

I agree, you can't beat the price. I was considering giving the trail gloves a try, but I saw alot of reviews (mostly 4 and 5) saying the soles separate from the rest of the shoe fairly quickly. Had any problems with that? Right now I wear VivoBarefoot Primus 2 along with the Aleaders on hikes.

[@handaneyripala9551]

Thanks a lot, you showed me that backpacking in barefootshoes is possible! My feet love to be more flexible and I am getting used to it now before my first backpacking trip. But as a beginner to barefootshoes and also to backpacking I got worried when someone whose job is about backpacking and gear and rescuing in the mountains told me that I would get a case of emergency if I tried to backpack in barefootshoes. Seems to be new to the backpacking world. I‘d love to hear your experiences with barefootshoes in bad weather conditions like rain, snow or heavy terrain or mud and with weight on the back. I couldn’t find any information about that yet. Perhaps it’s just something you can get used to?

[@JessicaSojourning]

I'm so glad you found this helpful! It definitely took a couple months for my feet to toughen up and get used to them, but over a year later barefoot shoes are the only thing I wear hiking now. I certainly DON'T think it's fair to say Barefoot shoes will increase your chances of danger or an emergency 🤨 if that's what they meant. I took a 75+ mile trip in barefoot shoes with no trouble. I haven't tested them in snow yet, but as far as mud goes they hold up 👍I decided to give VivoBarefoot a try around the same time as ALEADER and I have a lot more confidence in the textured soles on the Vivos in rainy conditions.

[@hernanvilla9136]

Hi! Great review btw! Without the insoles that came with the shoes did you noticed an increase in space?

[@JessicaSojourning]

Thanks! Yes, I had about a 1/4 inch extra space without the insoles.

[@hernanvilla9136]

@@JessicaSojourning Thank you!!

[@curanderoverde]

Best hiking shoes around and the price is freaking awesome

[@amgame9489]

look for an insole thats thin and same cloth materials all over. ive had dr scholls crumble inside my shoe and it was a hassle to clean. it may be even worse if its glued in.

[@grentreem3096]

Those look like Saguaro shoes. I personally owned the Vitality iii model and ran daily to school for 5 months but the material got separated from the shoe which exposed the inside. Nothing a little duct tape didn't fix, though the cloth looking material looks battered.

[@JessicaSojourning]

They're very similar. My husband had a pair of Saguaro shoes for a while. The fabric material on these ones is a lot thinner and not as plush. 5 months isn't bad for a similar pair of budget shoes!

[@grentreem3096]

@@JessicaSojourning Now that I think about it, 5 months is pretty good, and I can still wear them some more anyways. And when my pair breaks, I plan on getting the Saguaro 'smart ii' which looks like its material could be made out of mesh, like aleader. Also I've only seen around 3 cheap barefoot brands in my country, so I can't try aleader.

[@MJGEGB]

I've been going through mostly the same thing. Flat wide feet and finding shoes that fit my feet is very difficult. I'd finally settled on a pair of lone peaks before getting into barefoot shoes as a training tool. I've been wearing the Xero shoes DIY sandals daily for about a month now and I'm thinking about picking up a pair for runners for backpacking. I've heard some people say that the Xero shoes sneakers aren't wide enough. Is that the issue you had with them or something else?

[@JessicaSojourning]

With Xero shoes I tried the Mesa trail runners and found the toe box was too round and too short while the rest of the shoe was too wide. In general it felt ill fitted. BUT I gave VivoBarefoot a second try. They made some improvements to the Primus trail runner. After taking them on a few day hikes I'm actually pretty happy with them. They have a cool measurement feature on the website and a 100 day return guarantee. Hopefully won't have to use that, but it's good to know I can change my mind in the next 3 months.

[@MJGEGB]

@@JessicaSojourning thanks for the response. Sounds like the Xero shoes might be worth a look for me. Foot width is a big issue for me. Especially towards the end of the day when my feet have swollen on trail. I was honestly more worried about them being too narrow than anything else.

[@JessicaSojourning]

Glad I could help! Hopefully Xero will be the right shoes for you.

[@enligh10ed8]

Hi, I was was wondering what type of socks you wore with these while backpacking. Thanks

[@JessicaSojourning]

Hey! I wear merino wool socks. I don't really have one brand I stick to. Usually it's Smartwool or Keen, but I've found as long as it's 60% wool or more I don't get blisters.

[@enligh10ed8]

@@JessicaSojourning Thanks for the quick reply! I wear Injinji with my barefoot shoes. I have the Whitin from Amazon that I wear when doing yardwork (no socks with those) so I don't mess up my expensive barefoot shoes. Also, I just rewatched your budget barefoot shoe video and I agree that most of these are probably made in the same factory. Thanks again!

[@JessicaSojourning]

No problem! I've heard good things about Injinji, but haven't tried them myself yet. Same here! I use the L-Run shoes I mentioned in the old video for just stuff around the house now lol.

[@rohitiyer230]

Is it ok to wear wool socks in summer?

[@tineh9724]

I have a flat feet and bought a barefoot/ minimalist shoes. It’s been 3 months wearing my shoes and I felt pain in my heels part. I’m size 7 and the shoes that I’ve got is 39 even I ordered size 7.Do you think it’s normal? I still keep wearing my shoes thinking my feet are adjusting from barefoot shoes.

[@JessicaSojourning]

I can only speak from my personal experience. Everyone's different, so barefoot shoes may not be right for everybody. But it definitely took me some time to get used to mine. The balls of my feet and heels hurt quite a bit after the first 2 or 3 backpacking trips in barefoot shoes. I'm sorry to hear your feet are hurting. Maybe taking a short break from the shoes or even going half a size up might help?

[@darrensurff8554]

Hi what's the name of those budget shoes please

[@JessicaSojourning]

The brand is ALEADER on Amazon

[@darrensurff8554]

@@JessicaSojourning cheers 🥂

[@rohitiyer230]

How does this compare with the whitin trail runner?

[@JessicaSojourning]

So my husband actually wears a pair of Whitin trail runners on hikes. The material is a bit softer with a cushion inside above the heel. They also have regular laces instead of the cord and lock mechanism like on ALEADERS. The Whitin shoes also have good grip on the soles with little triangle shape studs for traction. He typically has issues with toes rubbing up against eachother, but not with the Whitin shoes. If you want barefoot shoes with similar features as ALEADER, but the look of a typical tennis shoe Whitin is the way to go. Hope this helps!!

[@rohitiyer230]

Seagrass to Sassafras thanks for the detailed reply

[@JessicaSojourning]

No problem!👍🥾

[@lolobacco]

I went to Amazon. Looks like this brand is declining, I was not able to buy shoes from aleader. Only few shoes pairs available !

[@estelaarroyo7629]

HOW MUCH