Let me preface this by saying I am utterly bummed at the moment. As I wrote here and here, I LOVE my Vibram Five Finger KSO’s. They have changed my way of thinking when it comes to footwear, period. They are allowing me to walk and hike distances that previously caused major arch pain and misery.
This last weekend, about two months into my VFF adventures, I went on a hike above timberline. There was no trail, so I trudged through alpine grass for 90% of the hike. I got flower tops stuck between my toes, I used my full foot to maneuver through the terrain and I thought nothing of it. Being up above treeline and in almost barefoot state was a great experience. I contemplated future similar hikes and could not imagine ever doing a hike like this in shoes or boots again.
Needless to say, on my way down the hill I started to feel ‘more’ then expected in between my toes. I thought nothing of it until I took my VFF’s off at the truck.
NO! Say it isn’t so!?!
On both shoes the inside fabric on the big toe wore through!! (looks a little extra dirty in the pic because I used a piece of duct tape for a hike the second day to prevent the hole from getting worse).
I would say I have put between 30-35 miles on the shoes..tops. I do not wear them around town, I am barefoot at home, so they have just been for crossfit and hiking for the last couple months.
The tops show no wear….
….the fabric between the other toes is just dusty….
…and as you can see on the sole there are no wear issues there either.
BAH.
So I am filling out the return form today and shipping them off to Vibram to see if this damage is covered under the 90 day warranty. I am also looking at the treks and sport treks to see if maybe the fabric between the toes there is more durable. I do not have the funds at the moment to buy another pair, so I sure hope these are covered.
Since the damage is limited to JUST inside the big toe on one side, I almost think this is caused from the big toe cloth mesh rubbing the rubber sole of the second toe. I was on a lot of uneven surfaces for the hike, so there is a good chance there was more movement then usual. I did do some walking on rocks, but that was very limited and I would expect more damage on the other side if that was the case. Plus I have been hiking rocky trails every week before this with no signs of wear.
I seriously cannot recall a time I have been more bummed about damage to an article of clothing/footwear! I am dreading my next crossfit class in shoes and actually having trouble thinking about my hike planned later this week. This seems completely silly, but it is how I feel….crazy.
Oh Five Fingers, what have you done to me!?!?
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Oh no, that is really sad
I hope Vibram replaces them for you.
Before I got my VFFs–it was actually what spurred me to purchase them–I worked out a few time in bare/sock feet at CrossFit. As long as the WOD didn’t involve running (or anything outside) it was fine. And going barefoot was what convinced me that a lot of the balance problems I was having during lifts were due to my cushy running shoes. It’s definitely a stop-gap measure, but maybe you can manage by going barefoot until you get a new pair of VFFs :S
I am probably stuck with shoes at my Crossfit gym unfortunately. Its actually located in a barn so we do a lot of work outside (in the stalls sometimes…lol), and its mostly gravel and sand.
Oh, just had a thought, maybe I will go hunt up some under 10 dollar water shoes to hold me over!!
Erin,
Oh then yeah, barefoot wouldn’t work
In a pinch, I have used flat dress-casual shoes to work out in, something I didn’t care about getting scuffed or dirty as they were nearing end-of-life anyway. They worked better than runners since they has little “cushioning”. Water shoes would definitely work as well–as long as they don’t slip off while you’re running :S
Thats crazy that yours are that damaged. I actually shipped mine back to them yesterday! I have owned mine for about 100 days but there are holes at the end of 3 toes. I called and the lady said I could ship them back for an exchange
I will miss them but its nice to have a new pair!
Hey I just found your site through Primal Toad. I really like it. I have added you to my links!
Thanks for stopping by!!
i’m on my third pair of vibrams this year and, just like the previous two, holes are appearing between the toes. every pair has had less than 100 miles put on them. granted, most of those miles are from running rugged trails here in the southwest but i still expect more from a shoe that currently costs about $100. majorly bummed. i’ve been a huge proponent of the shoe but the glow is fading…
Did you ever receive your replacements? I have a similar problem though slightly smaller wholes between the toes. They appeared on the second day of wearing them… Unfortunately in Germany there is no direct warranty service as for the US. So I called my reseller and was dismissed. I just contacted Vibram directly hoping they will propose another solution like a replacement.
I did receive them, Vibram was very quick and did not ask any questions. I do know that I probably pushed the ability of the shoes too far, but they did not question it and just sent me another pair. Maybe if you cover shipping costs they will be able to help you out!!
I still wear mine to hike, but if I go climb a mtn again I will just have to come up with something else. I think the combination of rough tundra grass, gravel, and tumbled rocks that were baseball size so your foot wrapped around them just caused too much contact with the cloth between the toes. I have looked at all the vibram models and they ALL seem to have that stretchy thin cloth between the toes, even the leather versions.
Good Luck!
Hi! I found this post searching for others who have had the problem you are describing. I’m curious to see how your other pair has held up? My first pair, the Bikila’s, fell apart with less than 100 trail, not rugged, miles on them. I wasn’t much of a runner at the time, so they were out of warranty when I noticed holes between ALL the toes. The store I bought them at stood behind them and replaced them with the Trail KSO’s. Alas, same problem, bad enough that I have to tape some of my toes so that the rubber that rubbed the holes doesn’t rub a hole in my skin. Super bummed, guess I’ll be trying the Merrell Pace, or NB Minimus….