The Xero Shoe is a Huarache sandal, also known as a barefoot running sandal. Every pair is made fully customized to meet your foot’s specifications & is lighter than any other barefoot shoe, including Vibram FiveFingers. It’s as minimalist as you can get in terms of footwear as it’s made with just a string and a piece of rubber.
Below are video testimonials from people who actually own and the Xero Shoe. Watch what they have to say about these barefoot shoes to find out if they’re the right pair for you!
 Name: Perry Rosenbloom Pros: Inexpensive Cons: Uncomfortable, Tough to Tie, Not Enjoyable to Use Owned For: 1 Week Recommends: No |
Today I’m going to be reviewing a pair of Huaraches Xero Shoes. They are also known as Invisible Shoes.
So I am gonna be reviewing a pair of Zero Shoes. They are also known as invisible shoes. What these are, are basically Barefoot Running Sandals. You know how Vibram makes barefoot shoes? Well, these are barefoot sandals.
So they are made with Vibram Rubber outsoles. There is 6 millimeter sof protection between your foot and the ground. They also have a 4 millimeter of model. However for me personally, I wouldn’t go with the 4 millimeter model because you feel every single pebble, every single step. And that’s with the 6 millimeter. So, I’d imagine the 4 millimeter would be really rough on your feet.
We have been walking for about 3 miles so far today in these, on a variety of terrain. Every pair of these shoes is custom made specifically for your foot, as I demonstrated in the article below. You will see how I went about creating my custom barefoot running sandals.
So they came in a mail for me, completely tied up. It took a little adjusting for me to get them perfectly tight around my foot. But they feel pretty tight and smug now. Let me show you the back real fast. See, all this tread? You are not going be sliding down a mountainside in them.
Let me show you what they look like on and then I’m going to take them for a run.
Take your thumb right here, wrap it around the heel. Put your foot inside, and just pull it over. There we go! Keep this lace in between your big toe and your other toe. And there you go! They are on.
Now I am gonna take this for a run. Go for about a three, four mile run. I’ll be going over a variety of terrain. I’m gonna run with them on trails, take ‘em on cement, take ‘em on small pebbles. And then I am gonna report back to you on what they feel like. Let’s take my microphone off here.
And I’ll see you on the other side!
So unfortunately my run had to be cut-short a little bit as I stepped on a little cactus. Guess that’s one of the drawbacks of having barefoot shoes.
I still got about a mile and a half in though. Overall, I found the experience with these shoes—well, they didn’t live up to my expectations, I guess. Creating mold for my foot was quite challenging and took a lot of time.
Now, lot of this could be user-operated error. There is a lot of personal customization that you have to do with these shoes. While they were perfectly tight—Ow! There’s the cactus.
While they were perfectly tight when I began my run, towards the end, they started coming loose, my foot was sliding out a lot, and overall, it was a pretty uncomfortable run. Again, a lot could be user operated error. And in the end, I stepped on that cactus there and I also hit a cactus with my heel as it slid out (because the laces were coming loose). Again it could be user-operated error, I am not sure.
Overall, I have to give these barefoot running sandals 2 out of 5 stars. They are just not for me. They are doing great things for lots of people out there. They have received great reviews by the people who really, really love them. For me personally, they just didn’t do it.
That’s my review of these Barefoot Running Sandals, the Invisible (Xero) Shoes.
More Details From My Hands-On Review
(This information below was written before I actually tried them out, but instead during the entire ‘fitting’ phase. The video review above is my full, in-use review… Also, you’ll notice I gave them 2 stars in the video, but 3 stars next to the video. This is because I wanted to give them another chance, so I spent the next day hiking in them. They were much more comfortable as I’m guessing the material molded to my foot better than it would have initially. Still, I’m not crazy about them, but it could just be me)…
I just spent the last 45 minutes measuring my feet for a pair of Invisible / Xero shoes. These are the most barefoot shoes you could possibly imagine and when they asked if we’d be interested in a sample for us, I jumped at the offer!
All Of My Failed Attempts at Tracing My Foot
First, a bit about the Huaraches running sandal AKA Xero shoe:
Xero shoes are a local company here in Boulder, CO. It’s a small company that designed the shoes because the Vibram FiveFingers never fit the owner.
They come with a 5,000 mile warranty, are very inexpensive compared to other barefoot running shoes ($39.95 – $44.95 for them to make it versus the Vibram FiveFingers, that cost around $100–but note that Xero shoes also sells a DIY kit for $29.95, but I’d prefer having them make it for me for the extra 10 bucks).
They are entirely customizable, with plenty of colors for your sole and laces.
I had a difficult time finding what they were made out of on their website. Ends up, they have a trademarked FeelTrue rubber outsole, made specifically for barefoot sandals. Pretty cool.
Finally, they are UBER lightweight, as in 3.4 ounces for a men’s size 9. If you are an ultralight geek, you owe it to yourself to check these out.
OK. Enough of that. Here’s my experience with them.
My Experience With Huaraches / Xero Shoe Running Sandals
I’m writing this review in 2 parts. First, I just finished measuring my feet for a pair of these running sandals. Because of that, I want to immediately give feedback on the process.
On their site, they specify that you should have someone helping you. I didn’t. It was just me. I’m also terrible at tracing, coloring and anything artistic.
Tracing My Foot For A Xero Shoe
I found the experience of measuring my feet to be aggravating & frustrating.
In total, it took me 11 attempts to finally get it right. Those 11 attempts took about 45 minutes. Granted, if I was going to REI to buy a pair of running shoes, it would take at least 45 minutes to drive there, shop around, try shoes on and purchase a pair. Still, I enjoy shopping for outdoor gear. I didn’t enjoy this.
Here’s some advice for measuring your feet for a pair of Huaraches running sandals:
- Get another person to help you
- Do not attempt on carpet (no brainer, right? Guess I’m a scarecrow)
- If you can’t get someone to help you, don’t try to trace the outline of your foot in one go. Be patient and while keeping your other foot stable, move the opposing foot in strange directions so you can get a better angle. This is especially the case when tracing the back of your foot.
All that said, I’m super stoked to get a pair and try them out. They’ve received rave reviews and I love supporting small, local businesses.
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