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Writer's picturejessfellows

Barefoot shoes and foot care on trail

Updated: Apr 9



Footcare is not something I would usually prioritise when living ‘normally’ day to day. But when you’re taking an average of 40,000 steps a day, every day for weeks or months, suddenly feet hygiene is paramount. Not only that, but cleaning my feet is one of my favourite parts of the day. When exhausted yet satisfied from the day’s antics, before going to sleep, having a ritual of cleansing and massaging my feet is the most crucial aspect of my self care routine and one that I absolutely relish. A daily massage? Yes please! My feet love this act of devotion to myself. As a type 1 diabetic, health care professionals are always concerned about the state of my feet, and I gotta say, since walking thousands of miles, my feet have never been in better shape.


In fact, I’ll begin this post by saying that over all of the thousands of miles that I’ve hiked, I’ve never once had a blister, or any foot, skin or nail problems whatsoever.


So firstly, let’s talk about the garment objects themselves - SHOES AND SOCKS. 


SHOES


For all of my thru hikes so far I’ve only ever worn XERO shoes. I first wore them on the South West Coast Path in the summer of 2021 and I was so pleased with them, they’re the only shoes I want to wear hiking now. Or just generally as everyday shoes actually. Sizing for shoes can be tricks, (especially now most shoes are bought online, amirite?) and since I know the style and size of the hiking shoes that work well for me, I reckon I'll just keep buying the same ones on repeat.


For thru hiking, I use XERO mesa trails. Not sure how you pronounce this brand, so I’m thankful to be writing it. When I do say it aloud I say ‘zero with an x’. Any idea if that’s right?





As a side note: I have also tried and really rate Xero’s:

Xcursion fusion for hiking in colder climates

Alpine for a winter boot

Gracie for a welly

Prio for an indoor/gym shoe

Z-trek for a sandal


The days of walking in heavy, bulky leather boots are gone! - for me, anyway. Some people will disagree with me, but personally, I want my feet to feel as light and airy as possible so each step is buoyant, not weighed down by unnecessary boot weight. (An average pair of leather hiking boots weigh around 1.8kg. In comparison a pair of mesa trails weigh 500g.) Especially in climates where there’s likely to be rain, or river crossings - your feet will probably get wet at some point, it’s more or less inevitable. Even if you’re in really thick ‘waterproof’ boots, at some point the water will seep through. If you’re in the UK, that’s almost guaranteed. And so which type of footwear is likely to dry out more quickly.. 


Some people will argue that you need the sturdy rigid over-the-ankle boot for ankle support. But my response to that would be, in barefoot shoes your feet will become stronger and more flexible, and the likelihood of spraining an ankle is in fact, less likely. Add to that, when you can feel the uneven ground more directly through the thinner soles, your foot placement is much more deliberate. Suddenly, the act of walking becomes mindful. 


My first ever barefoot shoes were some form of hiking boot by Vivobarefoot. I loved them, and wore them until they literally flapped apart. They no longer make that style, else I think I would have stayed loyal to that boot. After seeing their promotional material showing how conventional shoes literally box our feet in and squash all our toes, at the time I was so excited to see this new style of shoe come to market. Until that point, I had been having some nerve pain in my feet wearing comfy dr martens and superga’s. It had become such an issue that I took myself to see a foot specialist. He asked me to take in the shoes that I most often wore. In biro, he drew around the insoles of these shoes onto paper and then asked me to put my foot on the paper while he drew around that. I was so shocked to see that my foot was so much bigger than the insoles! Heh? No wonder the nerves in my feet were freaking out - they were quite literally trapped! He didn’t recommend barefoot shoes to me back then, maybe he would if I went now? My main takeaways from him were: find shoes with a wider toe box and walk in 4 wheel drive, i.e. walk using my arse and not my thighs.


The timing of purchasing my first pair of vivos aligned with reading Born to Run while on holiday in Spain, where we were also hiking through the Sierra Nevada mountains. An amazing book that advocates not wearing thick soled trainers for running, but thin plimsolls. On an extremely hot (41 degrees celsius kinda hot) day hike I started running in my new kicks and fell in love with how free my feet felt. Didn’t run far mind you, but the feeling was lasting! 




That was actually a period in my life when I did run quite regularly. When I converted to barefoot shoes, I was still running on tarmac which isn’t ideal. I won’t lie. It’s PAINFUL. 

So you may notice when walking or running on concrete that barefoot shoes don’t perform well. They’re designed to be worn on natural ground, where your feet and the ground can have their natural communication. I was committed to the idea of barefoot shoes but couldn’t run further than one kilometre before my calves would burn up, so for a while I kept running in Asics. Then one day I was running along some slippery cobbles and sprained my ankle. That was the last time I really ran. So I can’t comment on barefoot shoes for running, because I haven’t tried them for running since then, and even after 7 years of wearing them, I’m still not sure my calves would take it. But I can say that barefoot shoes for hiking (so long as it doesn’t involve too many road walks) are AMAZING. 


Here’s a video to see the benefits of hiking barefoot, according to vivo. 


In summary:

Your feet and ankles become stronger. 

Your balance improves. 

You are more connected to the ground. 


They say wearing barefoot shoes for just 6 months can increase your feet strength by 60percent! Say whaaat?!


When I first tried vivos in 2017, their website wasn’t nearly as trendy as it is now. I’m pleased they’re doing so well as a brand, because I’m a big believer in barefoot shoes so I’m delighted that the word has spread. However, the vivo shoes I’ve tried since those booties haven’t been comfortable for me one way or another so I was keen to find another brand. I had a fling with Merrell gloves for a while. They were fab but when they wore out and I tried to replace them I discovered that they’d changed the design and now include a foam midsole arch support, making them not barefoot any more, despite the product name still claiming to be. I have a pair, actually, only used them once, if anyone is looking for barefoot/arch support and would like to buy them off me? 


Then after some achilles pain post SWCP, I dabbled with the ever so popular Altra lone peak. They were comfortable, there’s NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. It was like walking on marshmallows after being barefoot for so long. But after a couple of hikes in them I noticed that actually, even though my feet felt more loved, I was beginning to experience pain niggles in my left hip and right knee. Which further proved that the ample support that those zero drop, cushioned shoes gives results in certain muscles and tendons in the feet to turn off and go to sleep. The consequences of which create a kind of ripple effect through the body and impacts gait; resulting in compensation and problems then with other, bigger joints. So, in the end, I went back to xero barefoots and worked on strengthening some more, and tried as much as I possibly could to not sleep on my front (as is my preferred sleeping style). Having my feet flat against the mattress was shortening my achilles all night long, which had resulted in the pain on trail.


That’s all to say, sometimes tough love is actually what’s best for us… when it comes to footwear at least. 


I would say that wearing barefoot shoes takes time for your feet and body to adjust. Don’t expect to be able to walk for miles all day repeatedly if you’ve never worn them before. If you’re planning a long distance hike and want to do it in barefoot shoes, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to train and for your body to adapt. And finally, I expect whichever shoes you choose to hike in; barefoot, boot or zerodrop, your feet will ache at the end of the day. When you slog over 20-30miles a day, it’s the nature of the beast.


SOCKS


I’m going to be bold here and say - toe socks are the way forward for hiking. I know they look ridiculous, but hear me out… with each toe being separated from one another, the risk of friction between them is totally mitigated. Therefore, with no friction comes no blisters! There are plenty of toe socks suitable for hiking that are on the market these days, but I’ve had such a good time with Injinji over the last few years, as the saying goes - if it ain't broke.. 


I personally go for the COOLMAX variety. They have moisture wicking EcoMade so they don’t get too sweaty and dry quickly, and are vegan friendly. I’ve tried a sample of long, medium, and short cuts and different levels of thickness. They all perform well and are worth the pricetag.


Everyone is different, so what works for me might not for you.That’s a given. But I would recommend giving toe socks and barefoot shoes a try, before dismissing them.


PREPARATION


There are heaps of resources online for strengthening your feet for hiking. I’ll create another post dedicated to all of the exercises that I try to incorporate daily that I've found really helpful. Strengthening and stretching your feet will help them no end when you’re on trail.


This balance bar looks great. I was tempted to buy one, but as we’re in saving mode, my partner chose to make a similar version using some scaffolding pipe and spare wood. It’s a little crude, but it does the job wonderfully. You can feel your entire core switch on when simply trying to balance on one or two feet, and the connective tissues in the feet working hard to keep you on.





Toe separators. If like me, you spent most of your life wearing conventional shoes that look cool and all, but are actually imprisoning your precious feet. And now your toes look somewhat / a lot squashed or disfigured then you might want to consider these bad bois. The toe separators that I’ve sampled vary between single toe separators for the worst culprits, or full 5 toe separators, or separator socks. I like using them all, for different occasions! They’re really helpful for realigning and strengthening the toes. 


The socks are the most gentle and subtle working so a nice long term sustainable investment if you want to wear them regularly, and if like me, they may well invoke your inner dancer! When it’s cold I wear these over the top of my toe socks for double layering, and I like to wear them at night while sleeping. The individual separators I like to wear between my little toe and fourth toe as my little toe is the most squashed. You can wear this under regular socks, or in between your toes over toe socks. They fit well even when you’ve got (wide toe box) shoes on so you can go about your day with this little support for your little toe. And finally the full toe splayer support. This is the most intense option but maybe the most effective. I wear them for up to 4 hours usually, any longer than this and they become uncomfortable, but that’s just me. When I’ve tried wearing them at night, I unconsciously tear them off at some point during my sleep. 





CLEANING RITUAL 


As for that foot hygiene routine I mentioned earlier; always, always priortise this before sleeping when on trail. Your future self will thank you. Make sure you clean your feet, with whatever you have. A cloth and water (and maybe soap if you’re feeling fancy) will do the job just nicely, or wet wipes. Once the feets are dry, make sure to rub in a balm or cream all over your feet, but especially the soles of your feet, and while you’re at it, give yourself a thorough, tender massage. Go gently to start with as your feet may well be feeling delicate. When all the balms rubbed in, put on some socks to allow the moisture to stay locked in overnight. 


In the past I’ve used a couple of different balms, each with the desired effect of keeping feet skin healthy. Unfortunately my preferred brand is no longer available for purchase, and I’m on the hunt for the next best thing. As a vegan, I’m looking for a balm that has all the right properties for being antifungal, moisturising and blister preventive etc. I’ve decided to make my own balm for the PCT, and send tubs up the trail from when I arrive in San Diego. If I’m impressed with how the balm performs, I’ll share the recipe.


In any hikers mini first aid kit, I suggest you always include a small roll of leuko tape. This stuff works a charm! As soon as you feel a hot spot or niggle anywhere on your foot, pop some leuko on it and it acts as a barrier. From my experience, this has worked miracles and has definitely played a part in the result of being blister-free so far! 





As luxury items go, sometimes it’s nice to carry with you a small cork ball to roll out your feet at any point during the hiking day, especially nice in the evening. If weight isn’t an issue, a golf ball works equally well. 


And finally, I recommend taking breaks as little and as often as you can when you’re hiking. Whenever you're able to, remember to take off your shoes and socks, let it all aerate. Even better, if there's a water source nearby; a creek, lake or shoreline, submerge your feet. Cold water therapy can be great for reducing inflammation. And then remember to dry them thoroughly before popping your S&S's back on.






If there's not water within immediate reach, simply lying on your back and elevating your feet and legs will help with the circulation of blood to relieve pressure and pain. If lifting them directly up isn't comfortable, then elevate them on a rock or wall so that they're higher than your heart. Let them foots airdry, baby!




 


Happy feet, happy hiking <3


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