Vivo Barefoot Tracker Forest Esc Women’s Walking Boots – Product characteristics
- Rubber sole
- The Michelin ESC Sole, offers extreme traction using high performance rubber and aggressive off trail lug design to maximise ground feel
- Created in collaboration with wilderness experts from Wild Human and the Independent Adventurer
- Women’s Outdoor Shoes
- The Michelin ESC Sole, offers extreme traction using high performance rubber and aggressive off trail lug design to maximise ground feel
- Created in collaboration with wilderness experts from Wild Human and the Independent Adventurer
- Women's Outdoor Shoes
Vivo Barefoot Tracker Forest Esc Women’s Walking Boots – Reviews
By far the most expensive shoes I ever owned and by far the most comfortable and safe ones too!
First off – those shoes are awesome. I live in a rural place and walk a lot through wet grass on slopes and in forested areas on hillsides and steep gravel roads.Those shoes are super comfortable and the sole does what I hoped it would – it keeps me safe even on the most slippery grounds. They are completely water proof once correctly latched up. I treated the leather with neatsfoot oil which they seem to like.They are expensive and are the most expensive shoes I ever owned. They look very durable, sturdy and high quality though and like they are very well worth the investment.The sizing is something to be aware of: I got two other Vivobarefoot shoes before those. My normal US size is around 9.5-10. Those other VBs shoes are 10.5 and they were a bit too small unless I removed the inner sole which came with them. So for those here I ordered size 11 which is tiny bit too large. I added nice comfortable insoles (“Orthofeet”) which sit on top of the insole which came with the shoes – and that does the trick. This way they fit perfectly and it feels like walking on clouds..
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2022
Excellent
I’ve had these for a couple months. They are comfortable, but the ankle should be a little snugger (Vivo Barefoot, take note!). I wear them with Oboz insoles, and it is a match made in heaven. The Michelin rubber sole on these is dynamite. So comfortable on concrete, it somehow cushions well, even though there is basically no foam-y midsole like there is in other shoes. I am pretty much a convert now to this style of shoe, and I just ordered the Magna Forest Esc, which has the same Michelin sole but a different upper.Back to this shoe: I wish that there was more room where the pinky toe is. I find that with quite a few Vivo Barefoot style shoes, the front of the shoe is kind of moon shaped, and it crowds the pinky toe and the 4th toe, at least for me. Vivo Barefoot, please take note and perhaps make the shape of the front slightly different, maybe slightly more like a box, even though esthetically that might be less pleasing. As for sizing, I am womens 10.5 usually, 10 was too tight, I got the 11, and it was great.These are warm enough to use at around freezing or a bit below. The insole I use is Oboz THERMAL insole, so that helps with freezing temperatures. At 32 degrees F, I am fine with just cotton socks and this awesome thermal insole, and these awesome boots, which are cozy. My toes don’t even get cold, I think because there is double leather or something where the toebox of the boot is, cozy and nice. If it’s any colder than around 30 F, I would wear wool socks, and sometimes I wear wool socks even if it’s above that. The boots are breathable, so no problem so far with overheating. I live in Boston. Haven’t tried them in warmer temperatures, just this winter. Haven’t tried them in extreme cold either, because we don’t have too much of that here.Great quality. Great water resistance. Can wear them in snow. I would use gaiters if it’s deep snow, though, just to protect yourself and make sure snow doesn’t get in the boots. I have added some more water resistant oil after a couple months use, but they come already treated, and they have good water resistance right out of the box. Lining is nice, it’s some kind of mesh-like thing.I did have to add a heel cushion sticker, because of the shape of my heels, but you might not have to. The stickers are like a couple bucks at CVS anyway, no biggie.Easy to lace.5 stars because the sole is awesome and comfortable, the boot is excellent quality, durable, good-looking, I feel like could rely on the boot in multiple environments, but as you read in my review I have a few small nitpicks.
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2022
I usually wear an 8 in Vivo Barefoot and had to return for a 7.5
LOVE my two pairs of Vivo Barefoot (runners and hikers) and won’t wear anything else. Just a heads up that I think these particular boots run large.
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2022
Order 1/2 size up
Love these boots, rugged but still give me the benefits of a barefoot hiker.
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2022
LIMITED USE in Wet Weather Hiking
The media could not be loaded. Okay, the positives first:1. ComfortThese are comfortable boots, with generous toe box size and flexibility. They don’t feel oppressively hot even in humid weather, and they’re stylish enough to wear as just boots. The leather molds to your foot and feels sturdy.2. WaterproofingFantastic at keeping out water. With the tongue gusset, I could confidently step into puddles and my feet would remain warm and dry. When they did get wet, the circumstances were extreme enough that I don’t hold that against them. When stuffed with newspaper and dried outside, they dried up quickly.Now onto the not-so-good news. I took these on the Appalachian Trail in early summer, where there are plenty of streams, thunderstorms, and (very importantly) wet rocks.1. Dangerously SlipperyThere’s no better way to put it: these shoes don’t grip well. This is dangerously true in general, and especially over any wet surface like rocks. Time and again, I’d have a firm foothold, put weight on it, and have these boots skid out from under me.This obviously puts hikers at serious risk for ligament and tendon tears at minimum, death at maximum. I learned quite quickly never to trust these boots on a descent, and descended even regular “stairstep” descents on rocks very slowly, which really cut into the time it took to hike a distance, pulling me down below two miles an hour in some cases. On the video above, I basically had to descend that rockfall on my butt, scooting down waterslide-style because I knew I’d plunge down if I trusted these shoes.Bottom line: Next time, I’m taking Altras.For the record, I tried multiple times to reach Vivobarefoot customer service by phone and email and got no response. No one picked up the phone after 10-15 minutes on hold (several times) and no one responded to email.TL;dr. Don’t buy these shoes if you need them to grip rocky surfaces. Dangerous.
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2022
- The Michelin ESC Sole, offers extreme traction using high performance rubber and aggressive off trail lug design to maximise ground feel
- Created in collaboration with wilderness experts from Wild Human and the Independent Adventurer
- Women's Outdoor Shoes
- The Michelin ESC Sole, offers extreme traction using high performance rubber and aggressive off trail lug design to maximise ground feel
- Created in collaboration with wilderness experts from Wild Human and the Independent Adventurer
- Women's Outdoor Shoes
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