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New Vibram 5 finger booties
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 4:48 pm    Post subject: New Vibram 5 finger booties Reply with quote

Fit's like a glove compared to my O'Neil booties, much narrower. Apparently my feet are long and narrow with low arch as the strap is nearly maxed out.
These fit best if your big toe is not prominent of the other toes, which is not my case but still the fit is the tightest yet of any booties.
We shall see if they suck in sand, that was the problem with low cut 5 fingers.



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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 6:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

is this the product ?

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-Maiori-Mens.htm?activity=watersport

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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 6:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's the one, $90 Shocked from Zappo's free shipping & returns.
I think they are a new model.
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 5:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well they sucked in a lot of sand but the snugness of the fit is the tightest yet.
I got going and I stuck my front foot in the foot strap and it sunk in loosely all the way to the ankle. The old O'Neil psychofreak booties were the narrowest of several brands I tried on but there was still a lot of slop side to side in the bootie. These things are probably nearly an inch narrower, I'm going to have to adjust my Core Contour foot straps.



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Sailboarder



Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 656

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 7:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I use lighter ones, the Signa. I love them apart from the fact that I loose the heel in high speed crashes. Maybe the shape of my heel, or simply the fact that they are cut super low. I add an extra cord in the pull loops and this gets rid of the problem. It's also made of mesh, sand seems to get in and out by itself...

Do you think the heel will stay in place if you eventually crash like superman?
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 9:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i guess that if these work more efficient , they could be worth the cost, being a person who has almost NO limited on how i treat myself i see 90smackers a hi footwear.

the longevity of these ?

i looked at running 5 toes, and even used were very pricy

appreciate an update/review from owners ?

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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 3:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I discovered after I used them the first time there is another strap around the heel which hopefully should help keep it on but I never had an issue with the other model 5 fingers coming loose.
They are about 3/4 height, if they were full height with a strap around the top of the ankle I doubt any sand would get in, then they would be perfect, that is the case with the O'Neil's.
For me the fact they don't fill up with water and wear like clown shoes is significant.
For durability I would not expect them to last as long as regular booties, they are thinner neoprene and my other five fingers had the sole separate from the rest of the shoe after a year or so of average use.
The sole is thicker than the 3/2 O'Neil's which I could feel as I walked across the dirt and gravel parking lot.
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capetonian



Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 1196
Location: Florida

PostPosted: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How impenetrable is the Vibram sole? Could a sea urchin penetrate it?
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Fri Jun 13, 2014 2:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well in all seriousness I think vana will penetrate just about anything.
The sole is about the same as on my previous 5 fingers, on those I had it penetrate but it was slowed down considerably just barely poking thru and not into my skin.
Compared to my 3/2 O'Neil's the sole on the 5 fingers is a harder material, you can really tell when you walk across a dirt gravel parking lot.
The thing with booties is on the thinner 1 mil booties the fit can be much tighter, your toes can be right to the front but the soles are so thin there is no real protection from the reef. I needed to go to the 3/2's to get the thicker sole but you can't have them fitting really tight or the toes hurt.
These are different, they are thinner and fit much tighter but the sole is thicker and harder, they just need to make some with Kevlar belts or something. Kevlar belts and higher in the ankle with a strap to seal it and keep the sand out.
There are two kinds of feet determined by your ethnic origins, one kind has the big toe sticking past the others and another has all the toes more even in length, the 5 fingers are designed for a more even length toes, this means if you are like me with a really long big toe the 5 fingers need to be sized a bit larger to accommodate that big toe and all the other little toes will be a bit looser. The fit is not perfect but it's as close as you can get.
They come in those weird euro sizes, I had to try several sizes to get it right.
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Arrgh



Joined: 05 May 1998
Posts: 864
Location: Rio

PostPosted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I highly recommend the KSO for warm water, however they were the most popular model so naturally they have been discontinued. But if you have a medium-largish foot you might be able to find a pair at a good discount. Or if you are a guy with skis where your feet should be, go with women's sizes as they run much narrower.
Downsides: they make your feet wider in the footstraps; you have to tighten the shoe strap after getting your feet wet or you will step right out of them because the nylon uppers stretch when wet.
Upsides: cushy heel; super comfortable--and this from a guy who hates split toe booties; AMAZING grip (razor siping, baby!)
Sizing is strictly by length, except for the narrow women's/wide men's thing. Use the size chart on this website:
http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/shop/product_Vibram-Five-Fingers-Men-s-KSO_10093449_10208_10000001_-1_
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