Vibram Furoshiki Wrap Shoe Review

[@bushmansurvival5053]

Great review. I never knew that these existed. During the non-summer months, I like to pack a pair of sandals with me for river crossings so I can keep my boots dry plus have more than just my bare feet to cross with. These look like a much lighter and more compact option than what I have now. Plus they will give you something to wear around camp while you are drying out your boots. Thanks! I will look them up........

[@CoachHelder]

Hello Bushman and thank you for taking the time to share your feedback; It's greatly appreciated. I want to give you a "heads up" about these shoes. The market is FLOODED with counterfeit versions of these shoes. My advice is to definitely buy them from Vibram. Vibram has a disclaimer on their site about this issue. People were opting for websites selling these at a discount. The shoes would fall-apart quickly, and the customer would fault Vibram. Thanks again for taking the time to comment and have a great day my friend! -Hg

[@DanEvansn]

Thanks for reviewing them! I just ordered mine! :D

[@CoachHelder]

Thanks for the feedback, Dan! I hope that they work out well for you. -Hg

[@bushmansurvival5053]

I forgot to ask, have you used them in river crossings? Do they stay on your feet well over rocks and such or do they slip off under adverse conditions?

[@CoachHelder]

I have not used them for river crossings but I have used them on extended hikes with lots of wet terrain. There was some slippage but it was certainly extreme conditions; I wanted to put them through the test during my review process. They performed similarly to my Vibram Five Fingers. I would say that sweating and minor water engagement is fine, but I wouldn't push them much further. However, in the warmer months, they do dry relatively fast. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@fredcdobbs823]

I believe VIBRAM is the manufacturer of the outsole. They make top quality, high-wear soles for most top line shoe & boot makers.

[@CoachHelder]

👍 -Hg

[@AceDeclan]

All I need to know is how high the heel actually is. The lower the better.

[@CoachHelder]

It has a zero drop. -Hg

[@thetasurfers]

I'm a bit surprised by your positive review. I found them to be absolutely useless when hiking, as the wrappable flexible part which extends up until the toes was just expanding when i descended from hills and i had absolutely no grip, as i was literally sliding around in my Furoshiki. Apart from that one of them broke apart after a week of wearing. Quite disappointing. PS: The other downside was that they don't breathe so in summer they were just a terrible smell producer.

[@CoachHelder]

Thanks for sharing, thetasurfers. I have heard very similar words from various people. I bought these shoes a while back and have had an excellent experience with them. I contacted Vibram, after several subscribers complained about similar issues. Vibram was well aware of the issues and asked me to ask my subscribers if the "Furo's" were actually purchased from Vibram. When I spoke to a few of those with issues, they all explained that they bought their pair discounted, from sites other than Vibram. These shoes were highly counterfeited for some strange reason. I do recall seeing a couple Facebook Ads of Furo's, from sources that weren't Vibram. Did you get yours from Vibram.com? It sucks that you had that experience. Vibram has been very good to me over the years as far as performance. To be honest, I have never received 1 free piece of gear from them so I have no vested interest. -Hg

[@solsoman102]

tbh I think they look good!

[@CoachHelder]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Baby. -Hg

[@LBproductions666]

Can you wear these with socks comfortably?

[@CoachHelder]

It depends on the sock, Lee. If the sock is thin, it should be fine. I prefer to wear them without socks but everyone has individual preferences. They are machine washable. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@darkknight6703]

I have a question, if you wear for example, a size 10 in normal shoes, would you order the furoshiki in size 10 as well? Or go a size lower or higher?

[@CoachHelder]

Hello Dark, I usually go with 1 size higher on all my minimalist Vibram shoes. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@darkknight6703]

@@CoachHelder Thanks! This helps a lot!

[@CoachHelder]

Glad that I could help. -Hg

[@thevanraj291]

How do these work with bunion prevention?

[@CoachHelder]

Not sure but I have never gotten any. -Hg

[@RhabdoGFCM]

Looks like a blister free shoe? I’ve been wearing NB minimums for years which I love, but still get a few blisters.

[@CoachHelder]

Depending on the activity, especially long trail runs for me, I manage to still get a blister here and there. Especially since I seem to be one of those that sweats by just standing still... ;-) Thanks for sharing, Jason! -Hg

[@mikey280380]

Hi, can you do long runs in these shoes? Marathons? I use huaraches right now, will these be similar feel? Do you think try can last 500-600 miles of use?

[@CoachHelder]

To be honest, Makul, I like them a lot but I would prefer the Vibram Five Fingers or the XERO Shoes that are also modeled after the huaraches, for long distance running. I think the XERO Shoes make work better for you. I have reviewed a few pairs on this channel if you are interested. They come with a 5000 mile warranty. Good luck and keep me posted. -Hg

[@mikey280380]

Coach Helder thanks a lot.

[@CoachHelder]

Glad that I could help! -Hg

[@jayextarys8616]

I got flat feet, would you recommend those?What can I do to make them more comfortable? Walking with shoes with no curve at the bottom hurt my feet and legs after 5 minutes.

[@CoachHelder]

Hello Jay, everyone reacts differently to minimalist footwear. It does take a while for the "break-in" period. My advice would be to get a pair of minimalist shoes and see how they work for you. Wear them in short intervals and gradually increase your duration in which you wear them. This pair by Vibram is quite expensive. I would look for an inexpensive pair of minimalist shoes that you can test. If the shoes do work for you, I would then look for a better quality minimalist shoe. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@jayextarys8616]

@@CoachHelder You are awesome thanks! Do you have any good brands you can recommend that are a little cheaper? Here those shoes are 150$ CAD... Yikes!

[@CoachHelder]

Hello Jay, here is an example of a shoe, that is minimalist in design, but has not jumped on the "Minimalist Footwear" wagon: amzn.to/2UE5W6W I recommend them to my WarriorZeroProject.com members when they first start out. There is very little support offered by these wrestling shoes and the soles are zero drop. They are also 1/2 the price or less, compared to other choices. There are also low-top version available. You can find these cheaper in a brick and mortar store than on Amazon. Once again, these are just an example. I'm sure that you will find countless options in your area, if you just use these as a starting point. I hope that helps and Good Luck! -Hg

[@sniffingdogartofficial7257]

Hey mate, great review, thanks for the upload. I'm guessing the Icon is a newer version of this shoe from Vibram; I love the look of these, but the newer ones seem to have more of a pointed tip, which is exactly what I wanted to avoid with a minimalist shoe.

[@CoachHelder]

Thank you for your feedback, it is appreciated! I am not yet familiar with the Icon model but a wide toe-box is certainly a feature that I look for in my shoes. Thanks again and have a great day. -Hg

[@sambrandt3688]

Howdy Coach, As i was watching this video i was wondering about how much protection they give your feet? It would seem they don't give much protection. you kind of touched on your toes eating rocks. What about side protection from something penetrating?

[@CoachHelder]

Hello Sam, these definitely offer very little protection on the sides as well as the toes. The rocks will definitely "bite" so you need to be mindful throughout the entire mission. It is part of the allure of minimalist footwear. Attention to detail and situational awareness are certainly honed when you are in the field barefoot or with minimalist footwear. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@sambrandt3688]

shouldn't attention to detail and situational awareness ALWAYS be in play no matter what you are wearing or what your mission is? I have twisted my ankle wearing boots and walked in grass that had small cactus mixed in it before i realized what i was walking on. Foot protection in my opinion is critical in ALL we do. A foot injury of any kind is potentially a mission scrubber. I can see these for walking on a clean surface to begin building the muscles in your feet or improving your hard surface endurance? I am sure there is a place for them for training or to relax in around the home or camp site. I like to protect my feet, I only have two and i want to keep them. LOL

[@CoachHelder]

Absolutely Sam, they should both be in play... However, they are skills that need to be developed. By putting on "snow tires" as I call most hiking shoes, we bypass crucial time that we could be working on those skill-sets. We pay much less attention to our environment when our sensitivity is masked. That is usually where the "bites" come into play. You can equate it to wearing a form-fitting thin glove as opposed to mittens... On top of the 2 mentioned skill sets, there is the bio-mechanical aspect. When we wear standard hiking shoes, we are allowing technology to do the work that our muscles, ligaments and tendons should be performing. As you can imagine, this also leads to injury and imbalances in our posture and overall structure. I certainly want to keep my feet protected but not at the cost of foregoing other crucial factors that will enable me to complete my mission; regardless of what I am wearing on my feet at that moment. Just like most things... Getting back to moving the way that we were designed to move takes time and desire, it is never easy. Most of us have spent a lifetime doing quite the opposite. I hope that helps convey some of my reasoning for minimalist footwear preference. It works well for me but it certainly doesn't mean that others will choose to follow the same path. It all depends on our goals and the path that we choose to attain them. Thank you for commenting in such great detail. It brings great value to our platform! -Hg

[@sambrandt3688]

Actually thats a very good point, That was kind of in the back of my head as i was commenting. Thought I thought these shoes would be more in line with non critical walking/training as opposed to a second pair for down time. I just didnt say it quite right. I learned a while back that the native culture in Australia can run multiple miles across their country. Part of that ability is they run differently than we do. Besides bare foot they land on their toes instead of heel first. Or so i was told. I think these shoes could lend to a similar style of training? Possibly??

[@CoachHelder]

Absolutely, it's all about the biomechanics. We tend to "heel strike" because... Our running shoes have a ton of gel and other technology that will allow us to do so. Go ahead and give yourself a little test... While barefoot, go ahead and run at your normal pace for 50 feet; nothing major. Let me know how many strides it will take before you switch from heel striking to running on your fore-foot like the Mexican and Australian natives do. The only thing that truly makes us different from them is that they never had Nike telling them that they NEED these shoes in order to maximize potential. ;-) It goes back to my previous comment about "unlearning" the bad habits that we have been practicing our whole lives. -Hg

[@rexcanine9766]

I am wearing my first pair all the time and it they are wonderful. I may buy a pair for Mary Louise Ensor's hundredth birthday on the fourteenth of this month. If she uses them about a week and I predict she will be 30% more able to walk about during the eclipse.

[@CoachHelder]

Thanks for sharing, Rex! -Hg

[@experiment54]

How did they work out?

[@nash7448]

Theres so many place sell this shoes, where can i biy the original one?. Please let me know thank you

[@CoachHelder]

There are a ton of knock-offs on the market, so be careful. If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is. My advice is to buy from the Vibram website. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@nash7448]

Coach Helder thank you so much for the advise

[@CoachHelder]

Glad that I could help! -Hg

[@JohnMoseley]

Wellll I tried a pair of these on today and, I'm afraid, hated them. I've been walking around for most of the summer in my xero shoes kit sandals, revelling in my little toes' freedom to spread out, and in the furoshikis they immediately felt constricted again. You'd think the fabric would mean comfort and freedom, but seems not. And even if you did spread your toes out a bit, it would just mean the fabric was touching the ground, because the shape of the rubber sole is pretty narrow - just like a lot of normal shoes the makers of which strangely assume the foot is shaped like a missile. I really don't understand why more of the minimalist shoemakers don't give you a wider toe box. Vivobarefoot even has pictures showing how widely the toes of people who've never worn shoes splay, but they don't make their shoes accordingly at all. Very odd. I still don't know how I'm going to stand going back to shoes when summer's over.

[@CoachHelder]

Thanks for sharing your opinion with us John. -Hg

[@JohnMoseley]

Thanks, Coach. Sorry not to be able to be more positive.

[@CoachHelder]

No problem at all John. Sharing info and experiences is what this channel is all about. I have no vested interest in these shoes; I'm also just sharing my opinion. Thanks for taking the time! -Hg

[@chickenoncsgo]

Kinda late but do they still sell these? And do they make them for kids?

[@CoachHelder]

Yes Wah, Vibram sells them on their website and on Amazon. I have a link in the description that you can follow. Be sure to get the genuine product; there are many knock-off companies stating that they are the real thing. Good Luck, -Hg

[@jamesbeer9886]

hold video, new comment. i have been looking at these for a few weeks. i like being barefoot, and keeping my feet's ligaments naturally strengthened.. how did these hold up over time, did you keep wearing them everyday, or did you find something else that was better for your feet?

[@CoachHelder]

Hello James, these have help up great but they definitely aren't an everyday shoe for me. For daily activities, as they pertain to my lifestyle, I am a big fan of Xero Shoes. I have reviewed a few of their shoes over the years and have a couple new reviews coming up. If you are interested, the link to my reviews in located here: coachhelder.com/?s=xero+shoes I hope that helps. -Hg

[@AHintOfAshelyLife]

Awesome review thanks!

[@CoachHelder]

Thank you, I appreciate your support! -Hg

[@bathanmark]

Unfortunately they dont do wide toe style anymore.

[@maliknaveedislam]

Is it ok to cross through the rivers?

[@CoachHelder]

They tend to get a bit slippery so it really depends on what you are stepping on when you cross the river(s). The plus side is that they do dry fast. I hope that helps. -Hg

[@Steffielea]

Thanks for the review. Do you feel that these shoes would work well with someone that is flat footed?? I'm concerned about wear on the side of the shoe, if my foot is wider than the sole. I have many pairs of Vibrams and I've never had a problem before. But these look a little different structure wise than the others. Thanks in advance and new subby!!

[@CoachHelder]

Thanks for the sub! If the VFF's work for you, then these should also be fine. Everyone is a bit different so it's difficult to generalize when it comes to shoes. I feel that you will be fine but that is just a general opinion. Since you are familiar with Vibram's minimalist line, and they work for you, the Furo's should be a nice addition to your gear. I hope that info helped you a bit. Sorry that I couldn't be more detailed but it's difficult without working with you in person. Thanks again, -Hg

[@Steffielea]

Coach Helder, thanks again. I'm glad they may fit similar to other VFF. Time to go shopping!!

[@rbmanb]

Steffieleaa Hello (: Did you have them? I'm interested to know if it's good for you since I too have flat feet... Thanks.

[@solartesreciclaveis1752]

Quero comprar edte produto onde acho loja ou fornecedores para compra?

[@CoachHelder]

desculpa mas eu não sei. Vibram.com nao tem informacao do Brasil. -Hg

[@solartesreciclaveis1752]

Tenho esse calçado fitkicks eu ameiiii esse calçado com no aeroporto em Atlanta moro no Brasil em SP quero saber onde posso encontrar esse calçado por aqui fm SP???? Obrigada

[@CoachHelder]

desculpa mas eu não sei. Vibram.com nao tem informacao do Brasil. -Hg

[@vapng]

how many time it to remain usable?

[@CoachHelder]

Just like any other pair of shoes, it depends on what you use them for and how often you wear them. -Hg

[@HannibalsSurplusReviews]

how much did you pay for yours? I'm seeing them on eBay for $80, $90, $100 plus wow...

[@CoachHelder]

+Codename Hannibal i paid $75 for my pair. Vibram was running sale. Keep an eye out for sales on their website. -Hg

[@HannibalsSurplusReviews]

still can't afford them at $75 even

[@WTR-mf8ki]

Those look awesome

[@CoachHelder]

Thank you for your feedback, it's appreciated! -Hg

[@dankpepe3394]

Aren't these the shoes that were famous for giving people fractures in their feet?

[@CoachHelder]

I doubt it. -Hg