Hello all,
I am looking for some shoe recommendations if anyone has them. Way back in 2011 I bought some of the original ZEM 360 Ninja's and I loved them, even if they looked goofy. They're basically a thin sock with like 2mm of foam and 4mm of rubber on the bottom, and flexible enough that if I lift my toes the sole lifts up with them. To this day they're the only shoes I've ever run in that actually felt like I was running barefoot. Unfortunately the thin soles meant they had holes worn through them after one cross country season (worth it though), and it seems they're now either discontinued or changed to be an entirely different shoe.
I tried a couple other shoes that I didn't really like many years ago, and I've mostly been just not running or running barefoot since then. But I'm trying to get back into it and wondering if any shoe like the original ZEM 360's is still being made. I have recently tried the Xero Prio, I found it to be too stiff and clunky even just to walk in. I then tried the Vivobarefoot Primus Lite, which was a little better, but still not great. Both shoes are at least twice as thick as I need them to be. I'm not completely sold on the stiff rubber they use either, although I suppose it would probably soften up with use. I'm considering trying a half size down of the Primus lite as they ran a little large (so did the Prio's, I'm not sure why companies think I want a whole inch of toe room in a shoe that is supposed to move perfectly in sync with my foot rather than flopping around).
Does anyone know of any minimal shoes currently being made that is significantly more minimal than either the Prio or the Primus Lite? Also I have large narrow feet so I prefer to not have the ultra-wide toe boxes that seem to be the industry standard now because my feet don't need the room and it just makes the shoes unnecessarily giant and floppy. I'm basically just looking for something to barely seperate my feet from the ground because it's cold out and I don't want my feet going numb and a bit stiff if I'm trying to run barefoot.
Alternatively, would it be possible to repair my ZEMs? The holes are rather large, but I'm thinking maybe with some kind of mesh and a rubber compound I could patch them up.
I am looking for some shoe recommendations if anyone has them. Way back in 2011 I bought some of the original ZEM 360 Ninja's and I loved them, even if they looked goofy. They're basically a thin sock with like 2mm of foam and 4mm of rubber on the bottom, and flexible enough that if I lift my toes the sole lifts up with them. To this day they're the only shoes I've ever run in that actually felt like I was running barefoot. Unfortunately the thin soles meant they had holes worn through them after one cross country season (worth it though), and it seems they're now either discontinued or changed to be an entirely different shoe.
I tried a couple other shoes that I didn't really like many years ago, and I've mostly been just not running or running barefoot since then. But I'm trying to get back into it and wondering if any shoe like the original ZEM 360's is still being made. I have recently tried the Xero Prio, I found it to be too stiff and clunky even just to walk in. I then tried the Vivobarefoot Primus Lite, which was a little better, but still not great. Both shoes are at least twice as thick as I need them to be. I'm not completely sold on the stiff rubber they use either, although I suppose it would probably soften up with use. I'm considering trying a half size down of the Primus lite as they ran a little large (so did the Prio's, I'm not sure why companies think I want a whole inch of toe room in a shoe that is supposed to move perfectly in sync with my foot rather than flopping around).
Does anyone know of any minimal shoes currently being made that is significantly more minimal than either the Prio or the Primus Lite? Also I have large narrow feet so I prefer to not have the ultra-wide toe boxes that seem to be the industry standard now because my feet don't need the room and it just makes the shoes unnecessarily giant and floppy. I'm basically just looking for something to barely seperate my feet from the ground because it's cold out and I don't want my feet going numb and a bit stiff if I'm trying to run barefoot.
Alternatively, would it be possible to repair my ZEMs? The holes are rather large, but I'm thinking maybe with some kind of mesh and a rubber compound I could patch them up.