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All Barefoot, Minimalist and Anatomic shoes, including these, are all based off of the U.S. Military boots Dr. Munson developed that make us mimic how we naturally step when barefoot. In 1912, Dr. Munson, a relative of mine, claimed they corrected almost 100% of all foot problems in the military. Hundreds of millions of boots were formed on that Munson last, just like our Barefoot Slip On Shoes are. Ours are just you actually walking barefoot on top of our thick solid leather sole.
2. A Wide Toe Box is a bunion killer because it gives the foot room to naturally spread out, up to half an inch, when we put all of our weight on each individual foot. My second toe used to be longer than my big toe because the shoes I always wore had narrow toe boxes, but it corrected and shortened back to normal by wearing my wide-toe box Munson boots.
4. Minimal or No Padding because that weakens arches too. It makes the foot muscles and nerve endings soft and studies show that it magnifies shock and impact up through the knee and to the hips. It takes a bit to toughen up foot muscles and nerve endings if all you wear is cushy shoes, but you get used to it and don’t think anything of it shortly.
8. Grounding Shoes - Not all barefoot shoes are grounding shoes like ours are. Our natural leather sole is thick enough to protect the feet when shoveling in the garden, but thin enough to allow electrons to pass through and help with circulation and inflammation throughout the body, and to help with sleep. Rubber or synthetic soles don’t let anything pass into the body.
If you don’t know about the science of Grounding yet, you’re going to thank me for this. Watch the Earthing Movie on YouTube to learn why it has become so mainstream so quickly in the medical world. It’s not just a peyote-smoking hippie theory anymore.
My 15 years of foot pain, achilles tendon, knee, and hip pain were finally gone because my arch and foot muscles were strengthened, and my toes were straightened by wearing a pair of Munson boots every day for 4 months. But I couldn’t wear these boots with shorts, so I needed something that would keep my feet strong and aligned, but something convenient I could just slip on.
In cooler weather, I used my Barefoot Sheepskin Slippers for running to the store or out to the chicken coop because they kept my feet strong, but when the hot Texas weather came, I needed slip on shoes to work in the yard and to wear around town that didn’t make my feet sweat. I even wear them to church sometimes.
Most Barefoot, Minimalist, Anatomic or Munson shoes are shaped AROUND the natural anatomical form of the foot muscles and bones, so they let the foot function, flex, and exercise the way it does when you walk barefoot (biomechanically). Not all brands do this, but barefoot shoes should be characterized by:
1. A Straight Inner Line along the inside of the foot so the shoe shape doesn’t bend and stretch the big toe in toward the second toe. That always weakens the arch, which is the root cause of most foot, knee, hip and back pain, bunions, ingrown toenails, corns, etc.
3. ABSOLUTELY NO Arch Support because arch support holds the arch in one place and doesn’t let the arches get exercise by extending and contracting all day like they were designed to do. Arch support inserts make you think you have healthy arches, but keep or make the arches weak from non-use.
5. Low or No Heel because if it’s too high, then it affects front-to-back alignment of the knees, hips, and lower back. That’s why women who wear high heels all the time have back and hip problems. Our Munson boots are only 20mm high, and they fixed my problems.
6. Flexible Toe so the toe muscles stay strong with exercise. If the toes aren’t allowed to flex, then they get weak.
7. Low or No Toe Spring so the toe of the shoe bends up enough to keep from stubbing your toe on things, but keeps your toes from being in a constant state of over-extension, which stretches the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the foot and weakens them.
I couldn’t wear the same flip flops with arch support that made my arches lazy or the slip-on or regular shoes that forced my big toes to bend in and stretch, which also weakened my arches. Shoes like those were the reason my feet got weak and damaged in the first place.
If you have soft, lazy, and weak feet from always wearing cushy shoes, you’ll need to ease into wearing any barefoot or minimalist shoes. They take a little getting used to. I walked 3 days straight around Guadalajara the first three days I owned these, and my feet started hurting. I put my normal Munson boots back on and then wore the barefoot shoes again the next day. I did that for several days, and everything is good now.
All of the barefoot shoes I could find either looked really dumb and “Special”, and I didn’t want to look “Special” too. I didn’t want my friends asking me, “How long did the doctor say you have to wear those?”
And if they didn’t look dumb, they just looked generic and boring, slapped when you walked in them or were made out of some cheap low low-durability, non-breathable, stinky synthetic fabric. I certainly didn’t want my highly absorbent feet sitting in a warm and moist chemical sauna all day. BTW, bacteria grow on synthetics and that’s what stinks.
I designed these not to sweat. Our high-quality leather breathes, and the Slip On Shoes were formed on the Munson last, just like our boots, so they are snug in the heel for control and roomy in the toe box for airflow. You’ll actually feel the leather coming in at the side of the arch for a bit of support, and that lets the side of the waist separate from the foot to let fresh air in with each step.
Our shoes are 100% natural. The sole is leather, the upper is leather an the lining is leather. And since leather is anti-bacterial, they will always smell like leather.
I leave my hands free easy on - easy off slip on leather barefoot shoes by the door to slip on and go. The back edge of the sole helps to kick them off without bending down. So far, I’ve used them a lot for cold floors, hot pavement, mud, shoveling, yard work, the store, church, Texas Rangers baseball games and traveling around Africa and Italy. If I didn’t love them I wouldn’t wear them almost every single day.
Walking barefooted was something I did all the time. Even when I work out in my garage. The only time I wore shoes is when I go out in public. When I got these slip ons I wanted to break them in and I wore socks with them. I will say they were quite tight. I have also one flint stones feet or if you ever played street fighter and saw Ryu or Ken’s feet you will know what I mean. I almost returned these too because I was treating them like sneaker shoes instead of treating them for what they were created for. kept pressing on to break them in. I am glad to say they are very comfortable and I have received compliments even. My wife even took to them. Give it time and break them in little by little. You will not regret it. Walking barefooted has so many strengthening advantages. Do take care to consult with your medical provider for your specific needs though. Overall A plus plus and beyond.
I bought these shoes the day they were launched. After I bought them I watched Dave’s video explaining how they were designed and how they are supposed to be worn. He explained how much it took for him to get used to them. So, going in, I had an idea of things that I should expected. I took them with me for a Trip to SJ, PR. They worked like a charm. Now, style wise, I don’t think they are stylish enough to be worn with shorts… for my taste they would be a better fit with jeans. For shorts probably I will be wearing the mules (which I also bought).
I have many Saddleback/Love41 bags, so I was intrigued to receive the email about this new line of shoes. I hate wearing socks, so a barefoot shoe is definitely my thing! I was so excited to try these! I called Saddleback to ask about sizing since I thought they were men's shoes & I might have to size down. They arrived & were too big, so I exchanged for a smaller size & the new ones fit perfectly! Another review here mentioned the clickity-clack of the shoes sounding like a teacher in the hallway. Well...I'm a teacher & can't stand loud shoes! I took them to a cobbler today to see if he could add rubber to the bottoms to quiet them down. The old cobbler recommended adding leather to the bottoms instead of rubber, which sounded great to me. Well, this cobbler could not stop talking about these shoes! He must've told me 5 or 6 times while I was there dropping them off that these were great shoes & would last me a lifetime! When I returned to pick up the shoes, he probably told me 5 or 6 times how great they were! He spoke English as a 2nd language so when I asked him to tell me why he thought they would last a long time, he laughed & kept saying, "they will last a long, long time! Great shoe!" After knowing how my bags have held up, I have a feeling that the old cobbler is right & that these shoes will last me a good long while! Looking forward to seeing other styles of shoes that Dave might come up with!
Very relaxing to wear. Really easy for quick drive out for groceries. You feel the relaxing difference Note it’s actual sizes so no need to add 1 size
These are comfortable, well made and exactly what you expect from SBL. I look forward to future versions and an expanded footwear line! Two things I'd like to see adjusted: More colors, and a slightly softer sole. These are a great veg tan sole and have the clickity clackity sound of a teacher walking down the hallway.
