Vivobarefoot MAGNA FOREST ESC

Spring is well and truly here and, for those of us that aren’t hardcore all-weather hikers, our thoughts are getting on to being out and about, enjoying the weather while shaking off the winter blues and reconnecting with nature. One of the things that Vivobarefoot focus on is this reconnection and it shows with these shoes.

Firstly, they are designed to be more foot-shaped rather than shoe-shaped, relying on the natural mechanism of feet to give you a more natural control and connection to the terrain you’re heading through. The shoes themselves are made from natural, renewable materials, unlike many shoes which include manufactured components that won’t degrade for potentially 1000’s of years, these will decompose naturally over time without polluting wherever they are. But, Vivobarefoot also run a re-cycling scheme where you can return worn out old shoes to either be refurbished for resale or repaired so you can continue to use them – the choice is yours.

Which is all fantastic and good for the environment but what are the actual shoes like to walk about in? I quite like them in all honesty! They are made to fit around your feet rather than force your toes in to squashed positions as traditional shoes tend to do and the feeling of freedom for your tootsies is a little odd to begin with but once you start moving around in them it becomes apparent that you have a lot more of a ‘glove-like’ feel on your feet than you would get from a traditional type of shoe – I felt no need to ‘get used’ to a shape of shoe, it was strangely refreshing… They are water resistant and also come with some Renapur Leather Balsam, essential for soft leather to keep it durable and make it last longer. RRP £190

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