Fila Skele-Toes 2.0 Review

     I've always been interested in the concept of barefoot running.  Of wearing a shoe with minimal support & padding, and altering your stride to work with the natural design of your body.  Most running shoes basically try to do the reverse of this, augmenting your body as much as possible.  They attempt to provide extra impact absorption, more rebound, reduce (or increase) pronation.  That's all well and good, but if you're really after some mechanical advantage why not take a bicycle?  Or go one step further and jump on a motorcycle?  I like the idea of running because it's just you that's doing all the work.
     There's a whole debate about whether "barefoot" running is likely to mean you're less prone to injuries as it's more natural and we've evolved over millions of years to get around without shoes.  I'm not sure I really buy into that, as a lot of our environment is no longer natural, but if it's true then I'll just take it as an added bonus.  I'm more interested in it because I like the thought of running with as little aid as practical.
     Because of this I've always been interested in the Vibram FiveFingers.  Here in Australia though, their availability hasn't been that great, and they definitely seem like something you'd want to try on before buying.  They're also reasonably expensive for something which I've regarded as a bit of a curiosity and novelty.  Then a couple of weeks ago in a catalogue I saw Fila Skele-Toes on sale, for all of $50.  I ducked into a store and tried a pair on to make sure they fit reasonably well.  (My toes aren't perhaps the most normal shape, and one foot is close to a half-size larger than the other.)  They did, and I walked out with a pair within a couple of minutes of trying them on.

Skele-Toes 2.0 (10km done and already holed.)

     I've worn them quite a few times now, mostly for some light hiking or trail running if you want to be generous about my athletic prowess.  I've got to say, I really really like them.  The first time I went out in them I found myself jumping from rock to rock just for the fun of it.  They really do provide a novel tactile experience around the feet.  You get a much more sure-footed feeling due to the extra feedback that you get over even the lightest of hiking boots.

     I definitely move around in them with a different stride as well, I seem to give my calves much more of a workout when I go for a hike in the skele-toes than my regular boots.  Part of this is definitely due to a conscious effort on my part to forefoot strike, but it really does become natural fairly quickly.

     It's certainly not all roses though.  The material of the sole is quite a bit more rigid than I expected it to be.  For instance, when I wiggle my toes in the shoes the upper material layer stretches and my toes lift off the sole.  I expected the shoes to be much more glove-like.

     The fit for me isn't ideal either, however it's only due to a poor strapping/closure system.  There's one strap which extends over the top of foot, along the outside edge and then over the heel.  It's held at both ends with velcro (or hook-and-loop closures, I don't recall seeing a brand anywhere) but the positioning of them only allows for minimal adjustment.  When I've got the strap tensioned up to where I like it on my smaller foot (I've got a little less than half a size difference between my left and right feet) the velcro is only attaching along a length of ~2cm at each end of the strap.  This isn't really enough to hold it firm and it tends to work loose.  Because of the construction, with the upper part of the shoe being all fairly stretchy, the shoes are actually pretty stable even with the strap loose - but they can start to rub a little above my heel if I don't stop to tighten the strap.

     I also managed to get a couple of small holes on the little toe pocket during my first hike, which was pretty annoying.  It looks like the material from the top surface has pulled away a little from the sole, maybe something to do with the way it's glued together.  However I've worn them a fair bit since then, and put them through the washing machine, and the holes haven't gotten any larger so they're not too much of a problem - they've never let any stones or anything in.

     The material of the sole is also scuffing up at a fairly high rate.  I.e. I don't expect the shoes to necessarily last all that long.  That kind of just meets with my expectations though, a flimsy shoe (which if you want to be negative about it, is all these are) is never going to be all that durable.

     Overall I'm very happy with them, but because of the few little niggles that they have I'll probably still be considering trying a pair of Vibram FiveFingers instead when it's time to replace my Skele-Toes.