Why Barefoot Shoes?? Our Transition To Barefoot Shoes, and Where Do We Go From Here?

Why do we love barefoot shoes so much? Well we'll tell you! Both of the Sons of Sever, brothers Chris and Eric, have had some relatively dramatic changes to their foot and body health by changing from traditional to minimalist footwear. In today's video we'll give you our first hand accounts of what went down, and what we plan on doing next to continue building on our foot health. We know that barefoot shoes can be more on the expensive side, but we think that it's well worth it for the benefits that we've seen in our lives. Affiliate links and time stamps below!
TIME STAMPS:
00:00: Intro
04:57: Eric's Experience
8:40: Chris' Experience
14:10: Outro
AFFILIATE LINKS
Patreon: patreon.com/SonsofSever?...
Lems Shoes:
www.lemsshoes.com/?avad=32595...
Feelgrounds:
www.feelgrounds.com/?p=Sever
Xero Shoes:
xeroshoes.com/go/Sons_of_Sever
Vibram 5 Fingers Shoes
www.vibram.com/?src=ChrisSeve...
Splay Shoes (10% Discount Code SONSOFSEVER)
splayshoes.com/?ref=0qtf7evn
Bearfoot (SEVER10)
bearfoot.store?sca_ref=5021530.Nq4nR23pSC&
Bahé Running (SONSOFSEVER10)
bahe.co/?sca_ref=4857291.PbWp...
Peluva Shoes (10% Discount Code SONSOFSEVER)
peluva.com/SONSOFSEVER
Creepers Socks: (15% Discount Code SONSOFSEVER)
creeperssocks.co.nz/?ref=l0y1...
Earth Runners
earthrunners.com/?rfsn=768471...
Triplo (SEVER15 for 15% off)
www.triplogear.com?Instagram&Sever15&Sever15
Frontline Optics Sunglasses (15% Code sonsofsever)
frontline-optics.com?sca_ref=4411943.aXS6rNWNxY
GetAwayHats (20% with SEVERSHOOTS)
getawayhats.com/SEVERSHOOTS
Ombraz Sunglasses
www.avantlink.com/click.php?t...
Freein Paddle Boards Discount Code and Link:
SONSOFSEVER (10% off)
freeinsup.com/products/freein...
Sons of Sever Instagram:
/ sons_of_sever
Sons Of Sever Strava:
/ strava

[@THFrenchteacher]

My podiatrist wanted to put me in orthotics and hokas for the rest of my life. I turned to Dr Google and found so much countering her advice. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to her. It was work, but my feet are almost back to where they were. Thank you for mentioning that part about podiatrists. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

[@j_crust4582]

I'm not surprised. Their learning material is based on studies funded by conventional shoe and orthotic companies.

[@saraw6710]

Hi there yes you’re right. Peter Attia has just done a podcast on this (The Drive) it’s free. Where they said you need zero drop wide toe box shoes. Glad you didn’t get the hokas

[@Jessica-zi1en]

I’ve been wearing the Hykes Pinnacle barefoot shoes, and I always tell my friends, imagine wearing a pair of pants that did all the supporting for you. If your muscles didn’t have to work, they would slowly weaken, leading to countless problems. The same goes for your feet. Since switching to the Hykes Pinnacle, my feet have become incredibly strong, and I never experience foot pain anymore. I can’t imagine ever going back to restrictive, conventional shoes. These barefoot shoes have truly transformed my foot health.

[@Julian_FP-7]

Toe spacers will be a game changer. I used CorrectToes for a few months and got to a point where my toes were out-splaying the spacers themselves. So you won’t have to wear them forever. I agree with podiatrists coming off somewhat shady with their business practices. That’s unfortunately par for the course with most of the health industry at this point. It’s hard to put faith in doctors once you make that realization.

[@Julian_FP-7]

@@Oli-Ravioli which is where my bewilderment and mistrust comes from lol. It’s ridiculous.

[@Kalazore]

Love your content, especially the head to head comparison videos. I'd love to see a comparison video of different brands of toe spacers

[@childcrone]

Glad for your changes to this point and I'm interested to see how your feet respond to this challenge :~) The Bearfoot toe spacers look to be a direct emulation of CorrectToes; identical-looking shape right down to the slots for extra shims. When I contacted them (Bearfoot) asking how the material compares, they said theirs is a bit softer, squishier silicone. I would expect that the firmer, flexible but not jelly-like CorrectToes material would wear longer and so give more miles per buck. I have some Naboso spacers that are a very squishy, stretchy silicone and they're super comfy. Love em for 'light duty' and wearing around the house. But for walk/jog/hiking or working outdoors, when I'm going to work out my feet, I prefer the CorrectToes.

[@bubbalawrence1]

Definitely checking out the gun channel, love when interests overlap 👍

[@sonsofsever]

Not as active on there as I’d like to be. Hopefully I can pick it back up consistently again. This channel has become my priority. Reviews on there will be here and there 😂

[@ENigMa_GOODz]

Thought the same thing. 2 subs for one vid 😅

[@mrfrm1975]

I enjoy your channel. I’ve had similar results as you both. Keep up the great work! 👏

[@mamabear9389]

Orthotics cost me $700...big money maker. I threw them out a couple years ago and moved to barefoot shoes. Doctors only treat symptoms and never get to root cause.

[@sonsofsever]

Facts

[@wescon3745]

I just need to find a zero drop, natural toe box with a safety toe work boot that can survive my oily machine shop environment. Those days I gotta wear my boots are ones I don’t look forward too.

[@sonsofsever]

@@wescon3745 they are the on the horizon! Check out Flatstep work boots on Indie Go, that's one we have our eye on. We know it's at least on some existing brands radars too, keeping our fingers crossed!

[@wescon3745]

@@sonsofsever that’s great news. Been waiting a couple years at this point though haha. I found out Lems and xeros do not hold up in this shop and the thourogoods are comfortable enough, hate the toe box with a passion. Looking foward to seeing more from you guys.

[@mackjenkins7721]

Wow Chris what a big difference in your toes man with you just wearing barefooted 👣 shoes. That a big difference in two years man. Your feet 🦶 look a lot wider & all your toes are more Straight in my books. I noticed the big difference in your lil toes the most. We was born barefooted 👣& that's what we should wear. I do a lot of things barefooted 👣. I go walking around my neighborhood , Your work , ride my bike with my 6 boys , sometimes go to work , work on my 🚗 car & Truck 🚛 , all of that barefooted 👣 & I love it man. My feet 🦶 & toes are very Strong & very very Extremely wide too. I am happy for you to see that your feet 🦶 are getting wider & more better. I was born with very very extremely wide feet 🦶 but I guess with me being barefooted 👣 all the time my I can see why my feet are very very extremely wide. The challenge you got gone on that's pretty cool man but my feet 🦶& toes are very very extremely wide now. I think 6 1/2 inches wide from my big toe to my lil toe is pretty wide enough. It would have been nice to see the Different in Eric's feet 🦶 as well. Good video buddy thanks you for sharing this.

[@mamabear9389]

I have found the Softstar Primal Runamocs with the 5mm sole to be the most helpful for my particular foot. I have bunions so cannot wear toe shoes.

[@sonsofsever]

To each is own with that one for sure. We’ve handled the Primals and we are not super interested in them 😂

[@mamabear9389]

@sonsofsever Every foot is different that is for sure. I love the moccasin feel and flexible sole on the Primal runamoc. I walk mainly on rolling pastures with them. So no tough hiking. They allow me to use my feet and ankles. I have other barefoot shoes and boots for other needs.

[@martinzendejas8423]

I had to sell most of my Nikes because I couldn’t even put them on without my toes being squished . Seriously crazy because I regained my arch when I had flat feet for most of my life. I wouldn’t go back to regular shoes but my boots I can’t get rid of some of them 😂

[@Nonamenomad14]

I feel that as I have to wear steel toe boots for work. Not to mention all of my favorite casual footwear are boots too

[@mrfrm1975]

💥 There’s something called the Venice Run Club (VRC) in my neighborhood (Venice, CA). Every Wednesday, a mob of about 200 people run in the neighborhood. I joined them once and saw no minimalist running shoes. Let’s hope one day things change. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@sonsofsever]

Be the change you wanna see in the world 😜

[@popuppete]

To tie two of the videos comments together. When you go barefoot you will want to replace your entire shoe collection. Going barefoot can increase your foot size. My advice is to replace your daily shoes but take it slow in replacing your other shoes and boots. I’ve got a few that are still in good shape but m don’t fit anymore.

[@NateDaniel]

Love the channel, have been in Xeros for everything except running for the past 3 years. Just noticed how sore my back is after running (or even just standing) in my regular running shoes. Looking to move my running into barefoot shoes as well, but due to my job I have to maintain certain mileage per week so I am looking for a good transition shoe for that time, what are the shoes at 13:50? They look zero drop but with a little cushion! Thanks for your help!

[@sonsofsever]

Those are the Lems Primal Zen. I love those for running. We’re also working with a shoe called the Revive by Bahé. Review in the next couple of months as the weather improves. I LOVE them.

[@bicho_ovd]

After a few months in barefoot i feel like im biting so much better. I used to have the upper teeth a bit in front of the jaw ones. So i read a bit about it and looks like in wild populatins there are much fewer problems with teeth development and they of course dont have orthodintics. Maybe its just the postural problem u mention in min 9 of the video. Could be interesting to see if in a few years kids tend to grow up with this kind of shoes and we see a difference in that. Great content as always you do. Also in my experience its not about splaying that much the toes but just let them look straight front. In my case toes spacers hurt me even the toe separators. For me just progressive overload (using barefoot more and more each week till i use them all day) and toe socks were enough.

[@Inthecity1939]

What do you mean by zero drop at 9:30? The xero prio neo has a 5mm outsole+1.5mm removable insoles, and the vibram v-trains have 4mm insole.

[@sonsofsever]

Zero drop means there’s no difference in elevation from your heel to the ball of your foot. Most shoes from Nike, Reebok, Adidas, etc… have a significant heel raise which is bad for your posture. The Prio and the Five Fingers have no heel raise, making them zero drop

[@Inthecity1939]

@sonsofsever Ah ok, thanks. I appreciate the videos. I just ordered my very first pair of barefoots, being the v-trains, I'll be picking up a pair of prio neos once they go on sale for more regular use

[@sonsofsever]

@@Inthecity1939 we both started out in the Prio. Solid as far as barefoot quality goes. We had some durability issues unfortunately. But otherwise they’re great

[@Inthecity1939]

@sonsofsever I heard the same about the prios. I'm hoping the neos hold up better. Most of the long distance treks will be with the vibrams, so they should hold up for a while 🤞

[@ArialTheCat]

I’m very curious to see you guys’ 2024 favorites after wearing the toe spacers! I got Lems Waterproof Grip after watching your review last year. I was happy with them through winter. However my splay improved more lately and they are too narrow for me now😢. Would love to see replacement recommendations!

[@sonsofsever]

We'll definitely be doing another video like that! But, for now if you're looking for something wider I'd look into Be Lenka. Their toe boxes are definitely wider than Lems and even though Chris' York Boot had an issue we've found their quality so far to be good!

[@ArialTheCat]

@@sonsofsever Thank you! I do like the new spring styles Be Lenka has, especially the “Rebound”, good Converse replacement!

[@sonsofsever]

@@ArialTheCat yeah those are awesome looking! Hoping to get some soon!

[@yashawal]

It's funny that I find cushioned shoes more uncomfortable now after wearing barefoot shoes for a year, feels weird unnecessary squish under foot

[@sonsofsever]

Right!? I ran in the new Altra Elcalante 4s today that we’re going to review and my feet did not like it 😂 24mm stack height is…. A lot…

[@Atg.po1]

Do Jikatabi review from Kineyatabi

[@BradleyHoff-ck5kw]

Hey I’m new to this.. I work HEAVY with my feet as a crew leader for a local landscaping company. I walk across gravel, dirt, grass, concrete and many other things for many hours a day. Is there something out there for me? I would need something tough enough to withstand abuse and not hurt the bottom of my feet.

[@sonsofsever]

Lema outlander would be my pick. Rugged, zero drop, and wide

[@BradleyHoff-ck5kw]

Thanks a lot you guys are great!

[@CeliceDSCh]

Don't wear shoes at home, barefoot or wide toe sandal (birkenstock knock-off or crocs)