Last year I tried Cloudneo shoes. I paid a monthly fee to use shoes that were made from beans that were processed into ’environmentally friendly recyclable shoes’. In reality this is a con. According to an RTS article the shoes are made from natural products, that are treated in a manner that is dangerous for humans and nature. The shoes themselves, at the time the article was written, are still not recycled.
There are two rules that we know well. The first is that we should take our shoes off before crossing a stream, to avoid getting our shoes wet. The second rule is never to cross a stream barefoot because you need to protect your feet.
Last week I crossed a stream and I broke the second rule of stream crossing. I crossed barefoot. I eventually slipped and smashed my toes into a stone or two which got me to yell in pain, and stumble.
Yesterday it snowed enough for the snow to get some depth. I went for a walk with snowboard trousers, a proper winter coat and the Xero Xcursion Fusion in snow that reached above their rim without getting snow or water onto my socks until I removed the shoes at the end of the walk. They’re minimal waterproof shoes that have “FeelTrue®” soles. These are thin, minimal soles. Despite this my feet felt warm for the entire walk with normal soles.
Intro On Cloudneo are shoes that you rent, rather than own. They are designed for running but you can also use them for walking. They are designed for dry, warm weather, rather than wet. They are designed to last from three months to six months depending on how quickly you wear them out. They are brilliantly white when new, but within two or three runs they lose their luminescence.
Circular - Use - Reuse These shoes are designed to reduce the carbon footprint of the shoes we wear.
Yesterday I switched from the trail gloves I have been wearing since May for some new ones. The old shoes are still wearable, for indoor activities or for road trips but they have reached their limit.
Just a Worn Sole The only thing wrong with these shoes is that the sole, where my heel pushes the ground has worn through. It no longer provides support for my heel, especially for long walks.
Since the Seventh of May 2023 I have walked more than 360 kilometres in the Merrel Trail Glove 7 and the experience has been good. For a long time I enjoyed wearing normal shoes but recently they started either to rub the front of my feet, or the heel would get worn away to bare plastic and I’d consider protecting the heel from friction damage when walking.
Not Goldie Locks The first Merrel Barefoot shoes I tried were the Merrel vapor glove 6 but they felt too thin.
Most shoes are designed to protect the heel with a cushion of air or material that absorbs heel strikes, before they are transmitted to the rest of the skeletal system. With barefoot shoes, especially the Vapor Glove 6 those heel strikes are not absorbed. You feel the force with which your heel is hitting the ground. Winding Up
I tried three walks with the Vapor Gloves. I decided to try purchase and try the Trail Glove 7 as a result of my Vapor Glove experience.
The easiest sport to practice every day is walking. We can walk to the bus stop, train station or other places every single day. We can walk in the morning, we can walk at the shops, and we can walk at lunch time or in the evening. All of these walking opportunities mean that shoes are on our feet for hours at a time and need to be comfortable. That’s why playing with Vapor Gloves and Trail Gloves makes sense.