Vibram 5 Fingers And Why They Stink

  Since I've known my husband he has had trouble finding shoes that are both comfortable and durable.  While an average person goes through maybe two pairs of shoes in a few years, he goes through two pairs of shoes in about four months.  He is extremely wide footed and, as I have heard from his mother, shoe shopping has always been a hassle for him ever since he was very little.  When I first met him (back in 2005) he had a pair of sneakers from Dave & Barry's and a pair of sandals.  His sneakers quickly wore out and after a while he went exclusively to sandals.  Unless he absolutely needed closed toe shoes (which he wore for an interview and at one funeral), he was always in either sandals or nothing at all.  He even made the dress code for he and his groomsmen at our wedding shorts and sandals (which was actually quite handsome).  

  Before he became dedicated to the barefoot lifestyle, mh had been seeking minimalist shoes.  When he first learned about the Vibram 5 Fingers he was extremely excited to own a pair.  He went to Hudson Trail Outfitters and tried on a pair and, as we were just starting out in our first apartment back then, saved up for them.  He loved them.  They were shoes that actually fit his abnormally wide feet and (according to him) they felt like the closest thing to being barefoot while still wearing shoes.  He literally wore them until they fell apart, despite the various times I attempted to perform surgery on them to patch them up.  

  Here's my problem with the Vibram 5 Fingers:  they STINK!  They are the smelliest shoes I've ever encountered.  My husband learned about how to properly care for the shoes, washed them regularly, and put powder in them to keep them dry during his wear and they never lost their stench.  We read that the smell was due to a bacterial build-up and we tried a few methods to remedy the problem, but nothing ever helped.  Now that my husband is a barefooter his feet haven't smelled (except for normal and minimal foot stink).  I thank heaven that he finally did away with the Vibrams just because of their foul odor.  Whenever I am upset about how the world reacts to my husband being barefoot just about everywhere, and all the strange things we deal with as a result, I remember that unholy smell and thank my lucky stars that he'd rather be barefoot than in those garbage scented foot gloves!

  After my husband finally conceded to the fact that the 5 Fingers were no longer welcome in our home, he began to seek other solutions.  For years he'd been dying for a pair of moccasins he saw at a Renaissance Faire.  They are leather with sheep's skin interior and completely custom made to fit your foot.  They, however, were roughly $600.  So, instead, he researched leather minimalist shoes and found a company called Soft Star Moccasins.  They are also custom fit, but unlike the Catskill's moccasins sold at the Ren Faire, they are made by measurement as opposed to using a mold of your foot for a completely true fit.  They do, however, provide a soft and natural feel.  And you can get them in just about any color you want.  Mh's favorite color is red, so naturally he went with a bright red accented with a dark brown.  The majority of people (in this country, at least) don't wear moccasins, so he would still get funny looks when he wore them (nothing compared to the stares he gets from his barefeet, however).  And to be honest, they look like cartoon shoes.  These are what he carries when he takes "an emergency pair of shoes" with him.  

  A couple years ago I saved up some money and made a hefty deposit to the Catskill's vendor at the Renaissance Faire.  My husband got a mold made of his foot and his boots were ordered.  Little by little we made payments of $10 or $20, with a 3 year estimate of ultimately paying them off.  But on his first father's day, my mom paid the balance of what we still owed and within 2 months he recieved his completely custom made knee high leather boots.  He wears his boots when he goes camping, or on days when it is exceptionally cold out (I think it was 12 degrees the last time he wore them).  He is trying to go barefoot just about everywhere, but he does get good use out of his boots.  Plus, he can wear them to work, as they aren't out of the norm when pants are covering the leg part.  The Catskill Moccasins are said to last for well over 20 years.  

  Just recently, mh read about paper shoes.  He was lucky enough to receive a code for a free pair of sandals made from billboard paper.  We'll see how they work out.  In addition to these, he is also working on a homemade pair of sandals constructed out of a thin welcome matt (purchased at IKEA) and nylon or silken rope.  As with the paper sandals, I'll let you know how they turn out.

  For a barefoot man, my husband seems to own quite a few pairs of shoes.  He generally tries to remain foot-naked most of the time, but when he needs to wear shoes, he has two good pair of moccasins and will soon have two pairs of minimal sandals.  And never again will he have a pair of stinky toe shoes!