Lems Boulder Boots

I have now worn the Lems boots which I won in the draw here a few times and owe a review.

I really like the look and style of them and they are real eye catchers. I am always being asked by people where they are from.

I love how bendy they are and how I can wriggle my toes in the roomy toe box too.

Being a seasoned wearer of very thin soled shoes, I do however find the soles a little thicker than I would prefer and I find myself heel striking hard when I walk after I have been wearing them for only a few hours.

They are however still my go-to footwear for social occasions and 'Sunday Best' and I would have no hesitation in recommending them to 'beginners' interested in transitioning to barefoot style shoes or barefoot running.

The first pair I received were a little too tight across the width and Lems kindly allowed me to exchange them for a size up. If anyone has any doubts about which size they need I would definitely recommend sizing up not down.
 
I also owe a review, so maybe it's best to tack on here?

First, I ordered the Boots, like Paul, but they were too tight. I could barely get my foot in. Like Paul says, you should probably size up with Lems. Unfortunately my size in black wasn't available until May, so when I told my wife about it, she asked if she could order the Primal 2, Frost, instead. Having seen the boots, I wasn't too excited by the none-too-minimal cushioning, so I agreed to let my wife get my prize. How often do I get to give her a gift at no cost? I asked the friendly folks at Lems if it was alright, and they said yes.

My wife absolutely loves the Primal 2s! She says they're the most comfortable shoe she's worn for her nursing duties. As both Paul and I mentioned, they're a little too cushy to be considered true minimalist shoes, but the flexibility, wide toe box, and flat sole get everything else right, and for a job that requires a lot of standing, maybe a little extra cushion is what's called for? I dunno, I just know my wife likes these shoes a lot, and she's a real shoe connoisseur. In fact, she just ordered the Primal 2 in black as well.
 
I have now worn the Lems boots which I won in the draw here a few times and owe a review.

I really like the look and style of them and they are real eye catchers. I am always being asked by people where they are from.

I love how bendy they are and how I can wriggle my toes in the roomy toe box too.

Being a seasoned wearer of very thin soled shoes, I do however find the soles a little thicker than I would prefer and I find myself heel striking hard when I walk after I have been wearing them for only a few hours.

They are however still my go-to footwear for social occasions and 'Sunday Best' and I would have no hesitation in recommending them to 'beginners' interested in transitioning to barefoot style shoes or barefoot running.

The first pair I received were a little too tight across the width and Lems kindly allowed me to exchange them for a size up. If anyone has any doubts about which size they need I would definitely recommend sizing up not down.
Thanks for these useful informations! :)
Do you think they would they make good hiking boots? (If for one reason or another somebody wants to wear shoes whilst hiking :p) How is the traction on mud, wet grass or gravel?
 
Hi Hobbit. They are much like Desert Boots. There is not a lot of tread
 
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I'm seriously considering getting a pair of these as hunting season approaches very quickly. A boot with a roomy toebox can be hard to find, not mention the zero drop.
 
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My wife continues to rave about the Primal 2 shoes she wears to work in an assisted living and care facility.
Actually, my girlfriend works standing up most of the time and long shifts. Yesterday, she came home with such intense knee pain she couldn't even stand or walk. I'll be getting her a pair of Primal 2 shoes as I suspect her shoes are the culprit here.

I went to Heavy Montreal (a metal music 2 day festival) in minimalist sandals and standing still most of the time for hours on end and never had knee pain. I had other issues, but that's whole other discussion.
 
Hey Paul, when you talked about going a size up, did you use their step on guide? According to it, I'm hesitating between a 43 and a 44 especially because of the toe box and my unusual foot shape. I have a lot of foot and not much toes and this results in a very wide across the toe area. For example, my Vivobarefoot Ra II are about 10.5cm (4 3/4 inch) and it's nice but I wouldn't complain if was wider. In fact, the pinky toe spot is right in the stitching of the sole and the upper part of the shoe.

So if you say you used the step on guide and still ended up a bit tight, I'd be confident about ordering a 44.
 
Hey Paul, when you talked about going a size up, did you use their step on guide? According to it, I'm hesitating between a 43 and a 44 especially because of the toe box and my unusual foot shape. I have a lot of foot and not much toes and this results in a very wide across the toe area. For example, my Vivobarefoot Ra II are about 10.5cm (4 3/4 inch) and it's nice but I wouldn't complain if was wider. In fact, the pinky toe spot is right in the stitching of the sole and the upper part of the shoe.

So if you say you used the step on guide and still ended up a bit tight, I'd be confident about ordering a 44.
OH, yeah, I forgot to mention, they run small. Order a size up from your normal shoe size for sure.
 
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Hey Paul, when you talked about going a size up, did you use their step on guide? According to it, I'm hesitating between a 43 and a 44 especially because of the toe box and my unusual foot shape. I have a lot of foot and not much toes and this results in a very wide across the toe area. For example, my Vivobarefoot Ra II are about 10.5cm (4 3/4 inch) and it's nice but I wouldn't complain if was wider. In fact, the pinky toe spot is right in the stitching of the sole and the upper part of the shoe.

So if you say you used the step on guide and still ended up a bit tight, I'd be confident about ordering a 44.

Yes Josh, as Bare says, go a size up if not sure. I think I ordered based on foot length. I don't remember any step on guide. The problem I had was the width across the middle of my foot
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So I received them today. A pair of boulder boots and a pair of primal 2 for my girl.

My initial impressions are as follows (I barely walked a few steps in them):

First thing, I'm not sure I agree with these shoes being called minimalist shoes mainly because a 9mm sole doesn't provide much ground feel if at all if you ask me. But I knew that when I ordered them so let's proceed with something else.

Sizing :
At first glance they looked to big. After putting them they still looked too big for me. After walking around in them, I still felt they were a bit big for me. So, I proceeded to examine them properly to see if size smaller would be better, and I think a size smaller would be too small. So I'll keep the 44. Maybe I felt it was too big because I'm not used to wearing a boot that doesn't cram all my toes together. After that, I barely tried the primal 2 since I didn't want my girl to feel like I walked around in them before she did ! :p The size felt appropriate for me so they may end up a tiny bit too big for my girl, but she might need the extra space too. We'll find out tonight I guess.

Comfort :
I'm surprised at how comfortable they feel with their wide toe box and no heel support. The sole is EXTREMELY comfortable. I think I might use them as my regular winter footwear (I normally wear shoes during winter for casual wear even in the -40C, unless I'm working outside or something). I think these boots will do wonderfully well for what I intend to do with them which is to say hunting and doing some landscaping work like cutting trees.

Looks:
I'm not too fond of how the stitching looks on top of the boot, but everything else looks good. I think they look have good breatheability too. I'll update on this. Primal 2 look great though. If I wasn't really into barefooting, I'd love to own a pair of these. Should I ever get another job that allows sneakers, I'd seriously consider them especially with how comfortable they are.

Miscellaneous :
Also, I'm not sure what Lems did or what the deal is, but I didn't have customs fees when I picked up the package and I expected to so I am pretty happy.

I hope to test them out properly this week end or the next one, but it looks promising so far.
 
Hi Josh. Have you tried them without the removable insoles? I wear my Boulders without them. My boots are snug around the ankle and over the top of my foot, but as you say, do look and feel a little large around the toes
 
Hi Josh. Have you tried them without the removable insoles? I wear my Boulders without them. My boots are snug around the ankle and over the top of my foot, but as you say, do look and feel a little large around the toes
I haven't tried removing the insoles. I think it really was the initial feeling... I felt like my heel wasn't properly placed and with a proper inspection I realized my heel was right where it should be. Removing an inch or half an inch from the length would probably make it too small so I think I have the right size.

I definitely have the right size for me for the Primal 2, but the size chart is different than the boulder boots.

Without much field testing, so far I'd say I'm fairly satisfied with purchase.
 
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Paul, Josh, others - if you get a chance to use them hiking (especially for an extended period) please chime back in here. Or once the snow flies how they handle outdoors activates in the cold. I've been debating on ordering a pair for these two things. The style on clearance is tempting, but I dislike the white color personally (perhaps why they are on clearance?). Would seem odd to be out hiking in white boots, or say deer hunting in all camo and then white boots lol. Might be fitting color for shoveling snow though!
 
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Will do Tristan but we're still in barefoot mode here in the UK, so it may be a month or so before I reply ;)
 
Socks!? Wash your mouth out with soap immediately Josh! :)
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Socks!? Wash your mouth out with soap immediately Josh! :)
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Haha! I thought so! I'll be wearing them tonight. Only reason I'd want to wear socks with them is if wearing them barefoot caused some friction issues. I've had enough blisters and skin chaffing when I ran shod ;)
 
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Personally, I hate wearing any shoes without socks, even VFFs I wear socks. My feet sweat too much even without socks that the shoes stink in no time. Atleast with socks it captures most of that daily.

Yep. Know that problem. I'd have ended that sentence at the sixth word Tristan :)
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