VibramMen's FiveFingers V-Alpha Trail Shoe

Preface/Experience with FiveFingers:My first experience with FiveFingers was in 2011 where I purchased my very first pair at a Wild Country in my home town. I had been getting into running and my generic Pumas had fallen apart and were destroying my feet. I had decided it’s time to do research and get more serious about my footwear. Winter Break was around the corner and I was going to use every day for running, rain, sleet, ice or snow be damned. I purchased a pair of 46 EU Bikilas. I ran every day, several miles, in all weather, took them to the gym regularly and even took them to a Spartan Race. Almost none of these were the intended purpose except use on perfectly flat paved roads and indoor gym use. I abused them and tossed them in the washer every few days. After around a year of the abuse they finally gave up the ghost, the toe seams started to fray. For whatever reason, I never got another pair since I wanted to focus on mud races and found shoes that were better for gym use but FiveFingers were always special to me. Since then I’ve stuck with minimal footwear of all kinds.Suffice to say, over a decade later I wanted to get serious about regular outdoor running again. Winter was coming soon and I wanted to recreate the feeling and circumstances I felt a decade ago when I was a running machine, crushing miles in the worst weather. I purchased two shoes, V-Trek Insulated and V-Alphas. Only on the absolute worst days, I used the insulated shoes but most days, even in cold weather with light snow I used my Alphas. I’ve worn them almost every day since the end of October, when I acquired them.Overall Experience with Alphas:The craziest part is I’ve ran 0 miles in these! All miles I’ve put in these, were from walking my dogs once or twice (usually twice) a day for a handful of miles each time. I rarely went off the beaten path, mostly walked a paved constitution trail or on the road, and occasionally in the grass and mud. Sometimes, I cut the grass in these as well, since they’re so easy to put on and comfortable. As of a week or two into April, I noticed these shoes were already extremely worn out (see pics). I never thought to check them until I thought I felt cold air and water on my bare toes. It came as a shock to me to see I’ve completely worn through the bottom on some of the toe compartments! I’ve lost a considerable amount of tread and with it, a lot of the grip potential.I’ve washed these ONCE in a washing machine since getting them, and air dried them with a shoe dryer 2-3 times. In my opinion this is not good durability and not what I recall FiveFingers being in the past. It could be nostalgia goggles but I’m fairly certain these shoes are of significantly lower build quality and/or they used inferior material. They wouldn’t have even come close to holding up to the punishment I put on my old velcro-strapped Bikilas. I’ve barely worn my V-Trek Insulated shoes, so I cannot compare the quality yet but it makes me wonder how long they’d actually last. I won’t know until this year’s fall and winter months hit.Positives:Despite this I still enjoyed these a lot. They’re extremely light, minimalist and very smooth and soft against the skin. I think I almost enjoyed feeling this material against my skin more than the soft insulation of the V Treks, even when going out in the cold. These are about as minimal as you can get while still having the material needed for basic protection and grip in all conditions. These are mostly intended to be for lighter trail use/lousy weather-effected surfaces. The Treks/Trail models have a chunkier, deeper and more aggressive tread to actually dig into heavier trail conditions where you need to bite into soft, giving surfaces. However, you’ll feel it a lot on paved surfaces which is not enjoyable after a while.I chose the Alphas because most of my concern was running on a paved trail but being ready for possible wet, muddy or snow covered surfaces. Rather than having a super aggressive tread they utilize something called mega grip which has proven EXCEPTIONAL. The wetter the surface, the more these stick to it. I tried to stand still and shift my feet across the ground and it was very difficult, that’s how tactile the sole is. It does have a unique tread but it’s again, more light-duty, just there to make them usable for off-road conditions if need be. I loved the cinch laces and never had an issue, there’s usually a lot of slack so I just pull them off to the side, they never got in the way and never detached from the velcro. These were extremely breathable and kept my feet mostly dry and never had any raw or high friction areas on my feet. VASTLY better initial fit and feel than my old Bikilas. They also provided some decent protection against small rocks, mulch chips and the occasional sharp stick debris. I found that I really enjoyed the super thin and lightweight build. Think…tacky gloves for the feet. These embody the FiveFinger philosophy very well. Overall, I felt they’re the best all-rounder in the FiveFinger arsenal, especially if you know you won’t always have ideal conditions.Final Verdict:I won’t be buying these again despite the positives. I simply cannot accept the durability for the price. The fact I’m still tempted to buy another pair, should be a testament to the positives of this shoe! I still like FiveFingers enough to give them another chance but if I have another instance like this, I may just stick to Xero Shoes. I found that their minimalist shoes have decent durability, but their sandals (except the Z-Trail EVs) have the same early wear and durability issues, (only lasted a single summer), these Alphas had. So, maybe I have a very heavy/aggressive step at 6’0 and 177 pounds? For now, I’ll give the benefit of the doubt. Just be forewarned if you want to buy these! I think I’ll test the KSO EVOs next. I genuinely hope Vibrams sees this review and listens to the criticisms, they still have a very special place in my heart and I’d like to stay loyal to their FiveFingers.

Let me start out by saying, I have in no way been compensated to give this review. It may feel like it by the time you get to the end, but it is my own 100% candid opinion.I've been wearing my Vibram V-Alpha Hiking Shoes for a week now. I feel qualified to talk fit and function.First, let me give you a short back story:I have had an increasingly difficult time finding shoes that, at least, don't torture my feet. I've been angry at the sadists that design shoes for many decades. No matter how soft the shoes are to walk in, they all squeeze the big toe and the 2 smallest toes into a rounded point. The 2 longest toes were always standing on the 2 smallest which had turned sideways to try to accomodate the shoes. Turning sideways also meant they tried to contribute to my balance by pushing on the ground sideways, rather than down as they are designed to do. It eventually got to the point that my feet ached and burned even when I was barefoot.I broke my smallest toe on the left foot about 3 months ago. In trying to find a comfortable way to deal with it, I found that putting cotton between the broken toe and the one next to it when taped together gave me a measure of comfort. I looked for toe socks because the cotton balls kept moving away, causing the broken toe to rub on its neighbor. I've been wearing toe socks ever since.While searching for more pairs of toe socks, the Vibram V-Alphas turned up. I was intrigued, thinking if the socks were comfortable, the shoes should be at least as comfortable. I ordered a pair. I wear a size 10 in normal shoes so I ordered in size 10.5 to 11 because the page says they run a bit small. The pair was too small pressing my 5 of my toes against the inner end of the toe in the shoe. I could see the quality of the construction so I ordered another pair (from AreaTrends) the next size up (11-11.5). The fit of this pair was ideal. I sent the smaller pair back. The seller was very good about it.I realize now that I hadn't measured my feet in a long time. Following the size chart in the detailed section (the section written by Vibram), I find that had I measured the length of my left foot (heel to the longest toe), I'd have chosed the correct fit the first time.These shoes are incredible! For the first time in so long that I can't remember my feet don't hurt in shoes! My poor abused smaller toes have there own space to protect them from their mean older brothers. In fact, they are more comfortable inside these shoes than barefoot!The info section of the page suggests that some people could have a hard time adjusting. I was fortunate, since I was spending as much time as possible barefoot already, no adjustment period was necessary.Now that I've been wearing them for a week, I'm finding my smaller toes are getting stronger and turning back upright. They are starting to press down to set my balance, instead of sideways. I never thought my feet would be pain free again, yet they are now.I really wish I'd have found these a long time ago. It is a shame that they aren't available in shoe stores. It sure would make getting the correct sizing easier. ;)I will never again wear stylish shoes. I will be buying more of these shoes in different styles since they are the only shoe I'll ever put my feet in again. When winter gets here, Vibram also make an insulated shoe.Thank you AreaTrends and Vibram for making my feet very, very happy!

Very comfortable for everyday use

These shoes are perfect for what I do. The bare foot minimalist experience is a life changer if you are into physical activities.The grip on the shoes are amazing! The shoes are light. It's like a glove on your foot with protection for your skin. I have other pairs of vibrams. I love all of their shoes. This particular pair is very appropriate for what I do. I do alot if HITT workouts. I love to have my entire foot engaged in what I'm doing. Vibrams do it for me and have always done it for me.Get the shoe! You will NEVER go back to traditional tennis shoes.

Super comfortable and great for climbing

Unfortunately I had to send them back as I required a bigger size 10.5 Uk but they didn't have, extremely gutted as they were beautifully made. I hope their customer service sees this and contacts me back with a bigger size as I would buy again.

Barefoot is my thing and I’ve tried them all. Yes merrell gloves are awesome but these blow away even my 375 miles of trails in my former five finger v-trails. They are very comfortable, great sensory feedback but at the same time an element of protection, well done Vibram. The only downside, my girlfriend keeps referring to me as her avatar as the best way to disprove the blue colour is indeed avatar-blue.

Sent back as too large

Fairly comfortable, and even protected me from stubbing my toes a couple times. I wear them around the house, sometimes all day. Wouldn’t wear them out on anything rough though. They’re a little too minimal for that.