Vivobarefoot Women's Mia Boot

My problem with these shoes is the same I have with all the Vivo shoes nowadays, they have a weird fit. If you look at the sole you can see they are a crescent shape.These shoes are not so much barefoot shoes, but training shoes for the barefoot impaired (or insole dependent). I grew up in the South, and spent most of my life barefoot. I have wide, "flat" feet, yet step predominately on my outer sole. You'd think these shoes would be made for me, but au contraire, they are made for people who've had too much arch support their whole life, those who put pressure on their arch and those who when they stand barefoot are "knock-kneed." If this sounds like you, these shoes may be for you.Additionally I find they run 1/2 to 1 size too big in length [to me, all women's shoes tend to be vanity sized these days] are narrow and duck-like (squashed down) in the toebox, but horribly loose in the heel. The thick ankle padding, shoddily glued sole, and metal plated eyelets make it a rather tasteless looking shoe. It smells strongly of chemicals out of the box. For the price, it's pretty outrageous.Now about the company... I ordered these directly from Vivo a year or so ago. They took almost a month to arrive and the return process was like a part-time investigation. Through careful research and negotiation I found the parent company who bought Vivobarefoot a couple years ago (hence their change in quality and footbed shape). I finally spoke to the CEO of the company who was surprised I wanted a return [I guess I was their first?]... she was still writing the company handbook. She said "Oh, I guess you can return them." After another sleuth job to find out exactly where I could send them to, and I still haven't received a refund a year later.

These shoes are fashionable and functional. I've worn them several times while hiking and while walking around the city and have received several compliments. The minimalist sole is thin and flexible enough to feel rocks underfoot, but durable enough to prevent sore feet and damage to the shoes. My usual shoe size varies between 6.0 and 6.5. Here the 6.0 fits perfectly with thin socks, but I wouldn't be able to wear wooly socks. After a week of heavy use, I haven't had issues with the soles coming apart as others have described.

Great fit, look nice with pants and skirts, good ankle support on uneven ground. I bought these shoes in advance of a two-week trip to Morocco. Before the trip, I wore them around the house for a couple of days and was concerned they'd rub a blister on the back of one ankle. But I slapped on a bandaid and took off wearing them. I brought another pair of shoes just in case, but ended up wearing these every single day of the trip. They were invaluable on old medina cobblestone streets, protected my feet from all of the street stuff (liquid, solid, and unidentifiable), gave me good traction on slick stones, and became more and more comfortable as the trip progressed. They are a great combination of light and sturdy. Did not do any serious hiking in them. Two minor complaints: first, the zippers need a little TLC to open and close at times, even when clean; second, the Thinsulate lining wasn't able to keep the soles of my feet very warm (maybe thanks to the otherwise great Vivo soles), but my thick-soled wool knee socks helped out perfectly.

I've only just received these so can't speak much about how they are in the cold etc. They look fantastic - kind of like I've hiked through the desert a few times in them, a bit weatherbeaten. They are very comfortable. But I have to go out and buy some shoe glue - the bit where the sole meets the upper is already coming apart in one place! I'd return them but it was hard to get a pair in my size and I live in New Zealand so the shipping costs are a bit crazy. Please do better in future, vivobarefoot!

These are the first barefoot shoes I've owned and I love them. I wear them every day! They are super comfy and I love the way they look. However, because they are so light and supple I don't recommend wearing them in mosh pits. I learned the hard way that they are no match for heavy men doing the pogo.The only thing that lets them down for me is the glue that binds the upper to the sole. I read reviews on here that said that the glue gives fairly early on and it's been the same for mine. I've patched them up with superglue and they are fine though (the gaps have been tiny but I glued them up anyway to prevent them from getting bigger).If in doubt, I say get these. They will be your best mates.

I'm a 35 EU (5 US) in my other vivobarefoot shoes, but these in 36 were too tight to walk in. BUT then I realized you can take out the insole... and after I did that, it was a good fit.Removing the insole means it is slightly less cushioned and insulated, but for my purposes and climate where it rarely goes below the 30s, it's just fine.I wore these in snow and rain and they seem to be waterproof too. The feel of the sole is nice, "barefoot" enough for being light of feet but not too painful for walking on concrete sidewalks.All in all very pleased. If you want to have the warmer insole and also wear thicker (wool) socks, try going 2 sizes up.

I already wear barefoot shoes so these fit and feel as I expected. They are a bit stiffer than my other barefoot shoes but that's the trade off for the water resistance and warmer leather. The only complaint I have is that the removable insole that is suppose to help insulate the bottom of the shoes does not fit properly into the shoe. The insole is slightly too wide so it puckers around the heel area which is annoying because you can feel it when you wear the shoes. I will probably have to try to trim the insole. This is disappointing considering how expensive these shoes are but they're still better than wearing my regular barefoots in the winter and getting frostbite.As far as looks go, they're reasonably normal looking but certainly not high fashion boots.