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Not sure if anyone else has heard if the vibram fivefingers but myself and a mate are thinking about wearing these on our kokoda trek this April. Check them out
The ones we are looking at are the trek sports. These have been used in the north face 100 and apparently were great. Not only are they light weight, but they dry quickly and have a nice dense rubber sole with great grip. The idea is to feel as much like you're walking in bare feet as possible. Some feedback from some experienced Trekkers would be great. Even if it's just to say that u think we are nuts. We will of course be doing plenty of training in them before we go over to make sure that they are up to the job! Look forward to hearing from you soon!
Hi there, my first impression would be that they do not offer enough ankle support for the rough terrain of the Kokoda Track but having said that I have not had a pair on my feet.
I do however wear on a daily basis a pair of Vibram Merrill walking shoes which I can swear by.
When I went to the website I must admit I was kinda shocked to see the invention as I personally would never have thought of it. Can they only be bought off the net or available in camping shops as I would love to try on a pair next time I am in Australia. At the present time I am in the river quite a bit and stones can be sharp so wish I had a pair right now to trial as even if not ok for the trekking side, they certainly would be great for crossing over the rivers and wearing around the campsites.
I think it comes down to the fact that whatever is worn on Kokoda, unless you have great ankle strength, the majority of people need good ankle support and thick socks to stop blisters etc.
Trek_Brown__640x480_.jpgWhat do our forum trekkers think:
KSO TREK SPORT – Building on the success and versatility of the KSO and KSO Trek, Vibram FiveFingers presents the TrekSport. Our TrekSport offers a 4mm EVA midsole for plating protection and a lightly cleated 4 mm Vibram performance rubber outsole for added traction on a variety of surfaces. The Coconut Active Carbon upper offers natural breathability and abrasion resistance for maximum performance during your outdoor and athletic pursuits.
Materials:
UPPER – Coconut Active Carbon Fiber
TPU Toe Protection
SOLE- 4mm EVA Midsole & TC-1 rubber
FOOTBED- Antimicrobial microfiber
*Machine washable. Air dry.
Men__s_Trek_Sport_Shoe.jpg
Trek_Sport.jpgThey look absolutely ridiculous and completely inappropriate. Got to be a gee up. I can't think of anything worse to wear (except maybe high heels…).
QUOTE(Rocky @ 18 Jan 2011, 12:04 PM) [snapback]12829[/snapback]They look absolutely ridiculous and completely inappropriate. Got to be a gee up. I can't think of anything worse to wear (except maybe high heels…).No worries rocky. I will let u know how they go. And about looking ridiculous? Pretty sure kokoda is not a fashion parade!
Ive seen runners wearing these on dirt tracks in the Blue Mountains around Sydeny, the only thing is I dont think they would stay on your feet when going through deep mud. I reckon youd lift your foot out then have to fish around for the shoe at the bottom of the swamp. Im thinking of the area near Goldie River.
Like Gail I wear vibram soled "soft" merril walking shoes on a daily basis, these might be a better idea for you if you dont want the conventional style of boot.
QUOTE(Scacey @ 22 Jan 2011, 08:53 PM) [snapback]12841[/snapback]No worries rocky. I will let u know how they go. And about looking ridiculous? Pretty sure kokoda is not a fashion parade!
Fair enough Scacey, looking back I must of been in a mood when I wrote that! I don't think they're a good option for the terrain but good luck with it. As Pete and Gail have said, your chief worries are ankle support and dealing with the mud (can be very sticky / sucky – had a porter with us constantly digging around for his KT26rs). That said he got through.One more thought Scacey would be stab injuries from the small sticks and tree roots that are sticking up out of the mud on the track. Some are very pointy and sharp. You could injure your ankles this way. Im not sure you could wear gaiters with these shoe/gloves.
I copy paste from our Kokoda Facebook page an answer posted by Nicole Young:
I'm writing this on behalf of my husband as he doesn't have a Facebook acct. We trekked Kokoda in Aug with Mikayla & Co and Mark took Vibrams to do creek crossings and for at night. He found them way too hard to get on an off with the separated toes, especially at the end of the day when your feet are starting to swell some. If they were wet or damp at all, they were even worse. He didn't have the sock insert as shown above, so not sure if that would help. Basically he said they were useless and only wore them once. But each to their own. I recommend when you are trekking you really need good thick hiking socks as they absorb some of the moisture.
Hi,
Seen guys using them on a number tracks in Nepal recently and they swapped them back for boots after about 2 days. Not really suitable for rugged off trail use as they don't give your feet adequate protection when scrambling around rocks, mud and tree roots.
They would be fine in camp and for bathing etc but the mud will pull them off your feet. I have done Kokoda a couple of times now and once just after cyclone Larry when it was a pig pen the whole way. Think not seeing your hike boots let alone these shoes. I mean the mud can be a foot deep most of the day, but you may be lucky and have fine weather and jogger type shoes will be fine.Try them well before hand and see how they perfom in the really rugged stuff carrying a pack.Then make an informed decision.
I did the trek in April from Owers over 6 days carrying my pack. I wore Vibram KSO Trek Sports the whole way with injinji socks. On the second day one of the other trekkers, Scott, saw how good they were and put his on, which he had brought for river crossings. He left them on for the rest of the way and loved them. They're extremely light, didn't cause any blisters because they are so flexible and because of the increased proprioception of your feet we didn't even come close to rolling an ankle. Just like any other shoe you should always wear them in and get your feet accustomed to them before you leave. I would highly recommend them!
Hi Matt C, I'm thinking about wearing my TrekSports when we do Kokoda next August/September. I love them! How did you find them in the mud and on steep decents? Oh and which injinji socks would you recommend?
Millymoo, I found that the vibrams were just as good as any of the boots being worn by the other Trekkers when it came to the mud. On steep decents they can be prone to slipping if you keep your feet straight and land on the balls of your feet as the tread is slightly angled backwards. But if you angle your foot out or in slightly they were excellent. I actually found that I could use my toes around small roots and stones to get better grip than most. The injinis that I wore were the micro ones
Thanks Matt, I'm feeling better about wearing them now but maybe I'll go with black rather than pink. lol
I have boots however I dont feel confident in them at all. Thats the great thing with the Vibrams, you are able to use your toes for extra grip and at least have some control. I'll check out the socks, not sure which ones I have at the moment – not that I wear them much. I'm guessing you didnt have any problems with your feet being wet all day?
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