I was thinking of hitting up that mystery bay spot in mandurah considering WA winds tomorrow being offshore most of the day and was worried about the crabs, but then I remembered my Vibram Five Fingers and now I can kite without a worry!
Just thought I'd share the word, they are a freaky little pair of shoes yet they are amazing and I use them for all kinds of things, surfing, rock climbing, cliff jumping, rock fishing, running, parkour etc...
There is now an Australian website for them, recently there was a counterfeit page with fraudulent offers available, this one is legit. This isn't shameless self promotion, just sharing the love.
barefootinc.com.au/
I tried them and they are awesome. Better than surf booties from other brands.
I would un-ashamabley pimp the store that sold them if I knew one.
I had a friend who lent me some.
40 bucks on ebay from China
99 bucks from Sydney
condoms for your feet " giving protection whilst still retaining incredible feel"
Seriously tho will they handle walking on a spikey coral reef?
They have handled Granite, Limestone, Coral, Onyx and Hematite cliffs so I'd say yeah. Don't go to the stores to get them though, get them sized up there then buy them off ebay for $60 cheaper.
(I have cliff dived off Blackwall reach, walked over the mussels and rocks, then scaled the cliffs back to the top )
$180.00 lot of money for foot condoms
Globe Trekker in Brisbane is about the same price as the web site.
I can't help thinking that these things are the new Power Balance.
They are outrageously expensive. They make all sorts of dodgey claims. You can't try them out anywhere. Certain parts of the design are all wrong for the claimed purpose (ie. a low ankle booties close snugly around the ankle to keep the sand and shells out and you can tuck the leg of the wettie in to avoid flushin.)
I would love to try them out but I can't help feeling I am being scammed.
Do you also use them for base jumping? lol
Might also take this opportunity to remind you about forum etiquette regarding mentioning/advertising secret or semi secret spots on the net ie. Don't do it!!
Surely you can chat about your favorite pair of socks without all the prior details?
BE WARNED!! wear them fulltime you can never go back to another type of shoe without pain. I have been wearing these fulltime for a year now.
I love them and am going to get a few more. I want the treksport for kiting.
Hehehe. I dont think anyone realllllly noticed that besides you Default, And no, I go BASE jumping barefoot.
Obviously none of you guys work in construction, or do these things come out in a steel toe version?
They're not designed for that purpose Sir. I work in Public Service yet wear Steel Toed Blundstones...
I Imagine you could go into one of the stores listed as a supplier on the website, go into said store, feign genuine interest in the shoes, get them sized up, say you're going to get the funds from an ATM then go buy the same size on eBay...
I don't fit perfectly into my pair, but they are that comfortable that it really doesnt matter.
Sounds like a great product for a shop to stock. Lucky people don't do the same with kite gear or we wouldn't have any shops
can you buy these anywhere around the exmouth area, ha, ha
hey turtle hope things all good up your way in paradise
hey slicer dicer which model do you use? I am thinking of getting the KSO
Has anyone bought them from ebay in china?
Are they genuine?
This are actually made and designed in Italy (the five fingers name is called so because in italian the word for fingers is the same as toes).
China did actually have a faux site that routed funds through the Agricultural Bank of China for the shoes.
You can purchase them for around $90+ postage from Newcastle on eBay. I have the KSO and they're still going strong.
If anyone in WA would like to see them or see how they work PM me and ill show ya at pinnas or Citys.
the crabs are harmless in the estuary, you should try dealing with a cobbler sting on your ass crack! now that doesnt tickle
i got el cheapo booties, they aren't comfy but they protect my feet.
be fked if I'm paying more than $15 for that.
looked into it and apparently almost every five fingers you can get on line are copies. no idea if they are as good as the genuine ones but they dont allow anyone to sell online. even the $99 ones from sydney are fake. unless the retailer is listed on the website as a distributor (and they only sell them in shops not on line) then they are fakes.
If you are keen for fakes then you may as well get the cheapest ones form china rather than pay twice the price for fakes from australia.
We've been using them for the last three months kiting off the catamaran on Caribbean reefs and they're great. Don't be put off when you first try them on - it took me hours the first time - but the next day I got the hang of it in minutes. Highly recommended.
The KSO are poor surf shoes if you have to walk across a sandy beach or through a shore break.
They don't seal snugly around your ankle and sand splashes into them. The heel cups around your foot so you can't easily rinse the sand out.
The soles are fairly thick and stiff with articulation points under your toes. I can feel a bit of an edge under my big toe joint where the flex point merges into the harder part under the ball of the foot. It's not uncomfortable, just noticable.
The stability on the foot is pretty good and grip is fine (so far. I have only kited in them on a strapped twint tip)
Because of the sand splashing I would rate them 3-4 out of 10 (being generous) as a surfshoe. I rank my Neil Pryde low ankle booties an 8.
The Flow look like a better model for surfing. Even those ones look a bit dodgey. You really need a little height in the ankle and a draw string bungy to close them snug around your ankle.
Like these
vs
