Barefoot and happy
A friend of mine made these for me. They're the perfect level of insulation, without socks, for runs in the teens and twenties. I haven't yet put them through the test of a really wet cold run. I intend to rub in some water repellent before that.
As for the feel, they're the first thing I've tried that's better than FiveFingers. I'm sure there's some tradeoff in durability, we shall see how much. But I would not be surprised if I could get through a whole winter in a pair of these. The hide is pretty tough stuff, and I run pretty softly.
The first couple runs have already taken me on pavement, sidewalk, rocky trail, ice, wood chips, and frozen mud. Felt great on all of those.
The pattern is available here.
Thank you for sharing Ed. I'd be interested to see how they hold up on sidewalk/road/pavement before I take the plunge. Please let us know your experience as you progress with them.
Creator of RunForth | @robraux | shodless.com
Imminent Catastrophe
MTA: On hard-packed snow or ice, anyway.
"Able to function despite imminent catastrophe"
"To obtain the air that angels breathe you must come to Tahoe"--Mark Twain
"The most common question from potential entrants is 'I do not know if I can do this' to which I usually answer, 'that's the whole point'.--Paul Charteris, Tarawera Ultramarathon RD.
√ Javelina Jundred Jalloween 2015
Cruel Jewel 50 mile May 2016
Western States 100 June 2016
Traction has not been a problem so far, and I have run on ice and packed snow. It may be more of an issue in really wet conditions, we shall see.