I recently got some new shoes. I have long considered making my own mocassins, but wasn´t able to get decent aftermarket soles. Of course you could use shoe goo, but then you get no traction profiles. Cutting it out is not that much of an option. Why mocassins in the first place, I hear you asking? Yeah. If you have ever tried them in the woods, you will not want anything else period. Of course, there might be better shoes for extreme alpine terrain, but that remains to be discussed... in my opinion, mocassins offer way more surefootedness than "normal" trekking shoes due to the better terrain feedback on your soles. Of course you need to train your feet to their use, but that´s a matter of time. Even Nessmuk his very own self;-) was a high advocate for soft soles or even walking barefooted. Some laid hunters I knew were walking barefoot when stalking in ´em days. But that´s not always an option. Ticks can molest you, and not everyone´s all for ants between your toes. I used to use Neoprene shoes with good success or my own mocassins, but, having a thin sole, they tend to wear out quite fast.
Enter the Lizard "barefoot" lineup. The shoes are constructed around a Vibram multidirectional traction sole with a "barefoot footprint". The sole appears to be quite flexible at first, but, as far as I can say, they have a relatively hard rubber compound. The fit is snug, and they come with an aluminium insole that proved to be a bit too warm for my liking, so I replaced it with a common Coolmax insole.
The fit is tight and glove-like. The leather shaft is very soft and comfy. To facilitate access, there is a zipper in addition to the laces. There is a Neoprene interior which keeps your feet warm and nice while providing - in combination with a Drytex membrane - dry feet even when traversing creeks. It was then that I noticed that the soles is not actually at its best when wet.
While the shoes really inspire confidence and encourage even some parcours-like running endeavour when dry or even in moist forest ground environment, balancing over wet logs, rocks or even hardpack terrain can send you arse over teacup in no time, which is not THAT great. But then it is one of the first shoes developed for this kind of endeavour, and all in all it is a huge step in the right direction. For Skóggángr dynamic hiking, running and martial arts techniques, they are really cool. They sell at roundabout 138,00 €. We´ll see how long they last in the woods, and then I will know if they are worth the bucks...;-) I´ll keep you posted!
