Barefoot approach/ belay shoes

Hey,

Since my old and slippery vivobarefoot trainers got ruined in a recent trip to a very wet crag. I’m looking for a new pair of mostly belay shoes.

Approaches are very mild here, some slippery rocks but generally just a walk to the crag.

So i’m looking for some barefoot(ish) shoes with a wide toe-box, zero drop, beneath the ankle and easy to get on and of.

so far i’ve found 3 that seem to mostly tick the boxes:

Vivobarefoot Primus Trail III All Weather FG

Altra Lone Peak 8

XERO SHOES TerraFlex II

Unfortunately it’s impossible to know (and to find) how they will actually perform on wet and slick rock. So i’m hoping to get some experiences/ tips and/or advice.

Many thanks! 

I've got a pair of lone peaks (maybe 5?) and I'm a big fan. Haven't taken them in many slippery rocks persay, but they're my go to for pretty much any hike on a trail. Haven't had any problems on lots of rocks, snow, etc. I know they changed some stuff with the different iterations, but probably not too much. Pretty unfamiliar with the others, so take that as you will

If you don't mind the funky look, there are vibram five fingers with mega grip soles, there are other options like the Softstar Switchback. 

Mega grip performs great and is just regular approach shoe rubber. 

I'm in a similar boat since my old Merrell trail gloves are dying. The next shoes I'm considering are the Vivobarefoot Primus Trail III and the VFF model seb mentioned. The VFF have better rubber but the Primus is more normal. Unfortunately I'm going to have to play roulette with sizing since you can't try them on anywhere. 

I have worn altra lone peaks and they are not remotely barefoot/minimalist. The are 0 drop and have a wide toe box but the stack height is very big. If you are used to barefoot/minimalist shoes, I would not recommend. 

Lone Peaks are a thru-hiker favorite. I have over 3000 miles of thru hiking and tons of miles of day hikes/trail running on various version of the Lone Peaks over the past few years. They are minimalist in the sense that they are wide and 0 drop but they still have a stack around 20mm? I’ve found they perform well up to 4th class scrambling and perform adequately in slick/wet conditions. Definitely do not replace any actual approach shoe with sticky rubber in terms of traction. But I wore them on the High Sierra Route and I liked them a lot for that. 

I also have a pair of Xero Trail Mesas that are a few years old now. They are my favorite barefoot/minimalist shoe. I’ve found that many barefoot shoe brands are still too narrow. Merell‘s and Vevo squish my foot, especially my midfoot. Why make a minimalist shoe that does have space for your foot??? I don‘t get it. The Xeros will pack down pretty well and have decent traction as well. I wear Xeros as my everyday shoe and for shorter days. Definitely done some scrambling in them but a bit slicker than the Altras. But they will perform great for your needs.  I’m not a fan of Xeros laces though. I keep meaning to replace mine as they always seem to come untied. 

I’d say why not get them both if finances allow? I like the Altra’s for longer days and and to get my sore feet a break. 

My barefoots for light approaches are Merrell vapor glove 5's. Supplies are limited. 

I don't like all the cushion or rock plates on some barefoot shoes these days.

I resoled a pair a Merrill trail gloves I got on sale with sticky dot rubber and they are amazing.

Anything with Vibram Megagrip or Idrogrip will probably be sufficient for “slippery rocks”.

For your use, you might prefer Bedrock sandals / clogs over full lace up shoes.

TX2 Leather Evo has a relatively wide toe box and a low, but non-zero drop.

Karl Henize wrote:

Anything with Vibram Megagrip or Idrogrip will probably be sufficient for “slippery rocks”.

For what your use, you might prefer Bedrock sandals / clogs over full lace up shoes.

TX2 leather has a relatively wide toe box and a low, but non-zero drop.

TX2 has an 8mm drop. That’s on the higher side of mid. 

I find these make great approach shoes and have excellent traction on wet rock when used in the "sport" mode.

Ryan D wrote:

TX2 has an 8mm drop. That’s on the higher side of mid. 

I think most people who generally prefer zero drop shoes will find it to be tolerable.  I normally run around in Vibram Fivefingers, and I find that the 8mm drop doesn’t bother me.

I'm on my 3rd pair of Xero Trail Mesa's. I use them for everything and wear them every day (if I'm wearing shoes). Never had an issue as an approach shoe and they climb fine, about equal to Chuck Taylor's. I agree with the comment above about the laces coming untied. They do not last as long as advertised but they have stood by the warranty ( I've only bought one pair, the other two were free) but they have been making the warranty less generous than it used to be. It started off as free replacement if the soles got less than 5,000 miles, now I think it's 50% off, which tells me there must have been a lot of people that didn't make it to 5K and they were giving away too many shoes.

M L wrote:

I resoled a pair a Merrill trail gloves I got on sale with sticky dot rubber and they are amazing.

Where (or maybe I should say "when") did you get the sticky dot rubber? 

Heyzeus wrote:

Where (or maybe I should say "when") did you get the sticky dot rubber? 

Rubber Room. They were hesitant but came out perfect 

I used to love the Merrell bare access 2 and 3 for super light walk on/off shoes. Climbed ok in a pinch too. Then Merrell lost the biner loop and made the sole material all cheap and slippery for the 4 and later and ruined them.

Would love suggestions for an equivalent.

John Pitcairn wrote:

I used to love the Merrell bare access 2 and 3 for super light walk on/off shoes. Climbed ok in a pinch too. Then Merrell lost the biner loop and made the sole material all cheap and slippery for the 4 and later and ruined them.

Would love suggestions for an equivalent.

I always used flip flops but now would maybe use my Xero Trail Mesa, which I think are actually lighter (unless it's those really cheap flip flops), but they don't have a biner loop. Looks like they have other models with the loop, or try their sandals. The Cloud is super light.