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Vivobarefoot are a UK company. If you live in the UK and want that barefoot feel during the winter months these probably work well. If you live in Alaska your definition of winter and winter boots will be different so you might want to consider something else.

Yeah going to need to compromise a bit to get a true winter boot, zero drop and a wide toe box are more important to me than being as close to the ground as possible anyways.

Would be interesting to compare these barefoot boots to traditional made native American Indian moccasins meant for these harsh American winters.

The rice test is not the best test for comparing these boots if you don’t plug the top opening. The Sorel has such a big opening, It has to loose way more heat by the top than the Vivo. Therefore, you are not measuring the efficiency of the insulation.

"Temperature loss: Vivo -40, Non Winter Vivo -60, Sorel -50" What´s the point of doing a test in the beginning and then later at the end of the review ignoring the results of it?

With any cold weather shoes/boots just size up so you can fit larger rag wool socks and another wool felt insole or similar and there you go. Make sure the fit isn't tight at all, almost too loose and don't tie the laces tight. One aspect of cold weather footwear that is overlooked is flexibility. The looser and more flexible the boot the more your whole foot has to work when you move, this pumps the blood to the extremities and throughout the foot much more effectively. I love the "Bunny Boots" and they are great, but if I need to walk on trails in cold (-10F or colder) I will always go for a mukluk style soft boot. So with that flexibility in mind, I expect these Vivos to be much warmer than another stiffer boot with equal insulation.

I have a few pairs of Vivo’s shoes/boots. I like their approach a lot. One thing I keep in mind is that they are primarily made for the UK market where winters are cool and wet. Temperatures don’t normally go far below freezing. I’m near Buffalo NY which isn’t that cold by Northern USA standards, but still notably colder than the UK. At 15 degrees F (-10c) they start to have trouble keeping up with the cold. It’s fine if you are moving but you get cold if you start standing around. Anything below -5F (-20c) is where you want a warmer shoe, especially if you are going to be inactive. In short I would say they are a good winter shoe for activities and running errands. But don’t throw out your clunkers.

I live in Finland and have a pair of Vivo Fulham. They have the winter insole and no other lining if i remember right. Wool socks and I've been fine while more than -20 outside. Just don't stand still for too long.

Proper socks and felt or wool insoles are more important than a thick outsole. I've used the Tracker II FG, Tracker Decon FG2 and Scott boots in Winter with no problems, and those shoes have less insulation than the new Tracker Winter.

One overlooked point from a barefoot enthusiast, my tolerance to cold in my feet has improved immensely. I live in SLC, UT and hike in the snow multiple times a week in Vivo's noninsulated Tracker Forest ESC boots (without thermal insole too) with no warmth issues (with medium weight wool hiking socks). Being active in 25-35 F weather is not a problem. The only time I've had cold feet is sitting around camping in 15-20 F, which is to be expected and it's not what these boots are designed for. Plus, I could still function. My feet weren't numb from the cold. If someone switched from traditional winter boots to these, they'd likely be cold. But as a barefoot footwear only person who hikes in sandals at 40 degrees, I'd find these insulated boots too warm for most of my use and I know multiple other "extreme" bareftooters who feel the same. There is also a decent market of barefoot insoles of varying thicknesses made of wool and fluffy sheepskin to keep warm.

I've been wearing the Vivo Tracker II with just wool socks for the past few winters in Michigan, they're fine as long as you're not standing still in the snow for awhile. Most winter boots are designed to keep you warm at freezing temps when youre not moving, but who's doing that? Hunters and ice fisherman? Theres really very few activities where you need the amount of insulation many boots provide. These look like they'd be sufficient for winter hiking, snow shoveling, winter sports, anything active.

I live in Minneapolis without a car. So I walk a lot, all year. I also have crazy wide feet, and wear a lot of barefoot shoes and boots. [Not Vivo, they're too narrow for me.] My #1 rule for winter gear - was it designed and made in a cold winter place? I don't know where the Vivo winter boots were designed, but Vietnam is not known for cold, icy winters ... Rule #2 - what makes a good winter boot depends on **your** winter. The boot I need is not the same winter boot as one needed by someone in, say, Missouri. I need a lot more insulation to deal with waiting for my morning commuter bus at 6:45 a.m. in -15°F. The Vivo boots look good for a "warmer" cold winter area. Rule #3 - I find traction is as important, or more important than insulation. I can deal with cold feet, but if my boots don't grip the ice, I could end up in the hospital with a busted hip. I have no idea of how the Vivos perform, Weston didn't test this. For me personally, I wear my barefoot fashion boots as far into the winter as I can. When it's too cold and icy, I switch to my very not barefoot Merrills, which have both excellent insulation and great traction. If necessary, I'll tuck a pair of fashion shoes into my laptop bag for the office.

People run outside in the cold with just a t-shirt and shorts because the exercise keeps them warm, the same applies to your feet. The bunny boot is made for extreme circumstances that the average person doesn't need at all.

My zero-drop winter solution: quality wool socks, altama maritime assault boots, and neos overshoes. This (or the non zero-drop variation using breathable trail-runners) has worked well through several winters outdoors in Utah & Colorado. While not really 'boots' I'm a big believer in my altama's I'd love to see a video on them.

My feet are just as warm in a barefoot boot as they are in my custom-made army boots by Altberg UK in a G fitting these are just as wide as bare foot boots. I think it's because in the arm boot, your feet don't mould, change shape, or fall to the ground. Your feet do not move and generate very little heat; they are dead. In a barefoot boot, the feet are continuously moving, and this keeps them warm. Keep making a fist with your hand in a glove; it will be warmer than keeping your hand still at the same temperature. You can always stick wool or felt in it if you need it. I just bought good Marino wool ski socks. I heavy-wax my non-waterproof Barefoot boots. They work just fine, and I would do the same to these. They won't look as pretty, but I don't purchase them to look good.

I really think you should check out the tracker forest ESC’s. Raw hide leather with a wild deep lug Michelin outsole that’s stitched as well

Hi, great video; thank you! I've tried Feelmax, Xeros, Altra, and finally I paid the big bucks for these Vivobarefoot winter Trackers, I live in northern New Hampshire and I snow shoe almost every day and these were a life changer for me; the first barefoot boot that I could go out and be warm on really cold days with my arctic dogs! I did buy a wool insole from Amazon that's really helped, I do need to wear men's Vivobarefoot shoes because woman's are not wide enough for me. I have a circulation problem in my left foot from a 5 metatarsal break in 2011 and I really loved these boots! Vivobarefoot has become my favorite show brand in the last year; I loved Joe Nimbles before they made the change from light slim boots to blown up steroid boots, I have gotten and love the Vivobarefoot Tracker SG, the Primus 3 SG, their Desert boots .. Anyway, great video, thank you! One last thing about these boots, they were very waterproof when I used them trail running in slush, and they don't squeeze my feet when I use my MSR snowshoes. And they're great looking, the quality is phenomenal!

I have a pair of these vivo barefoot qint boots and I added a felted wool insoles and it's been great in northern New Hampshire for trail running and hiking, I absolutely love them!!

In Austria we have Boots called Waldviertler. I have the model called Wilderer. They feature a stitchdown construction in with a barefoot style (reminds me of the Jim Greens African Ranger Barefoot). The Wilderer model have sheepskin on the inside for insulation. I love them.

Didn't expect a Shining thumbnail AND a Knocked Loose hat!

I'm more intrigue about that thermal insole than the actual boot.

The easiest thing they should have done is what you said: WaterProof the boot. Without much insulation, keeping the feet dry is critical.

Recently switched to barefoot shoes & bought these for discgolfing as it is quite difficult to do athletics while wearing big winter boots. Did well so far but it's only been 25 out. We will see when it's in the negatives if they hold up!

Can't say anything about these Vivos but I have a pair of Froddo's "Barefoot TEX Laces Wool" winter barefoot boots and they've been excellent! I live in Finland and it's currently -20C (-4F) and I've stayed warm in the boots walking in the snow for 2h. Then again, I have not had the need to stand still in them outside for extended periods of time, and perhaps for that they would be not the ideal shoe. But if you stay at least some what active I can vouch that some barefoot boots make great snow shoes and work in very cold weather!

I have been using Vivobarefoots for years now - trail boots and light sneakers and so on. They are good. Based on experience with Vivo's trekking boots, I guess these winter models are comfortable for down to at least -5 Celsius. Below that you might need something heavier, depending on if you wear wool socks or how much you walk and so on. But come on, @RoseAnvil, "bunny boots" are completely different genre, that is an utterly silly comparison. These arctic boots would be horrible to walk around in a most cities in temperate climate zone.

I own some wildlings winter low cut boots. They're lined with wool and I added a leather insole to them and wear them with Marino wool socks when it's cold, they're really good but they are cotton/wool so I put a wax on them once in a while

Hey rose anvil, I appreciate all yalls videos! Always a something interesting and informative. I just took a trip up to Alaska, and was looking at mukluks. The brand that came up quite a bit and received much praise was Steger. They have multiple boot styles. I figure cutting up some of their boots, and or doing a comparison of some traditionally made mukluks might be interesting.

I bought these in November. I've used them through this winter that has been the coldest in the last 25 years here in Finland. From 0 to -30 celsius these are surprisingly warm. Just a thin merino wool sock and these are truly enough to keep my feet warm. Of course you need to be moving but no one would be standing still in these freezing temps. The waterproofness is kinda redundant because these are too warm to use over 0 celsius. When everything is frozen there's no way these are getting wet from the outside anyway.

Hope this means you guys are making barefoot winter boots that are out of this world good

I'd argue that the best winter zero drop boot is a pair of traditional Mukluks, similiar to Steger Mukluks

so i have the vivo tracker FGs and probably my biggest complaint about them is that they are too warm to be a good hiking boot. They also have the water proof lining and the reflective insole and since waterproof membranes don't actually brreath the way they are advertised i found that my feet ended up cooking and were soaked with sweat if i ever wore them on any kind of warm hike. that being said i wore them to hokkaido on a snowboard trip (the snowiest place on earth) with a pair of wool socks and other than the fact they could have been higher they crushed. I would wager these are plenty warm, I'd say the biggest weakness would be snow going in the top, which could be solved by boot gaitors

A winter boot's function is to protect your feet from winter elements during outdoor activity. This boot does that. It is a boot to wear in winter for periods outdoors. It is not a survivalist boot for LIVING outdoors, just transversing the outdoors traveling from one shelter to another. The other use for this boot is physical training outdoors. One done not want a tundra rated boot for physical training. This boot is a winter boot for its intended purpose. Yes it is a bit of a gimmick, but still very much a winter boot, just not a survivalist boot.

In my experience, Vivo's thermal insoles perform well. I've hiked in -20-degree weather (not windchill, actual temperature), and they've generally performed well. However, take that insole out, and you feel everything underneath. It gets really cold quick. In this instance, I was wearing an outdated Primus Trek (2018) shoe that wasn't designed for winter and, indeed, not for -20-degree weather, so take that with a grain of salt. Moral of the story: those thermal insoles function very well and include the rest of the thermal insulating materials they've put into this boot, and I think it'll do well. I have a pair arriving in a week, and I'll give them an excellent multi-day trekking test up in the Fitzsimmons Range!

I live in Houghton, Michigan and own a pair of Vivo Tracker Decon Lows as my dailys and they've been remarkable when it comes to winter hiking/walking. As long as its not super wet they work great.

Their thermal insoles are also using Outlast fabric as the topper, which further works to stop heat-loss. Also, I really like how you pointed out that it lost less heat than the Sorel boot, but you just chose to fully ignore that result and say that it's not a winter boot.

Silica can take many forms and the most likely use of silica in these insoles is silica gel, the same product which is used to absorb moisture from items when in their packaging. This would probably also provide some cushioning.

The Xero Shoes Denver is a fantastic winter boot. I’ve been wearing them for a few years now. They’re not good snow boots, at least the canvas/leather ones. I don’t have the full leather denvers. Just got the Xero Shoes Alpine for snow, just waiting for snow.

Great information and reveal. Happy New Year Rose Anvil Fam!!!!

I’ve been pretty happy with the Jim Greens so far this winter. They are a different approach than the Vivo’s though.

best barefoot style winter boot are native alaskan or inuit mukluks.

I can vouch for that insole. I wear the tracker II elk hunting and have been down in the single digits, no problems.

Great review! I've been wearing Vivobarefoot shoes and boots for 12+ years, I have the first version of this winter boot that came out in about 2019-2020. That version leaves a lot to be desired. This newer version reviewed here is promising. But like some many of Vivo's offerings, they miss the mark on many things. The most basic being the amount of insulation. It's a joke that they call these "winter" boots. They may be warmer than a completely uninsulated boot, but these are no where near warm enough for truly cold snowy winter conditions.

Im a farmer, construction worker. Been bare foot shoe for years. These are th3 most comfy boots i ever wore. I have had a pair of these vivos for 4 months. In the pnw they made 4 months before leather broke down around rubber, shoe laces , and shoe lace clips broke off. I still like em. But i need 2 pairs to let them relax. 😢

Winter warmth is always more about socks. I can wear soaked leather boots in -20, but with solid wool socks it doesn’t matter.

Nice test! Also I noticed your KL hat, sick!

2 things, I saw a couple of other people complain about the rice test, one more issue I see with the rice test is the sorrel has much more thermal mass than the vivo, it's like trying to cool down a cup of tea with an ice cube. The bigger the cup the more ice you'll need so the sorrel being a much bigger boot may account for the unexpected results you got. Secondly, I'm a huge advocate for barefoot shoes I wear them almost exclusively and I was searching for a good pair of winter boots, criteria being waterproof, wool lined, and reasonably inexpensive. I found these BeLenka brand winter boots (that's the name of the model) they're significantly cheaper than the vivo and I got them on sale making them about half the price and I think they're a slightly better product but it's hard to tell without cutting in half. I have noticed that they do need a reflective insulation layer under the insole to be truly winter ready. Thanks for helping highlight the barefoot movement, I think a lot of people could benefit from having a less restrictive shoe 99% of the time.

I have these boots in obsidian, I love them. feet didn't get cold in norway, or in the snow. Very comfortable and are less harsh on concrete compared to the Decon fg2

I usually wear the Lems waterproof chelsea boot to work on the farm but when it started getting cold I went back to the Blundstone winter chelsea.

*_Southern man will wear that all fall and winter long, I want a pair for myself..._*

Great content as always…TY @roseanvil for the videos in 2023 they have been entertaining and in the same way educational (specially all the history you always covers ether to the company or the product). But as a fan from Europe it would be cool if u could do a European month/special edition to cover some European brands (and I’m not talking about doc martens 😜). Stay safe and a happy new year 🎊

I've been using my trecker ii for 2 years now. I remove the soul in the spring and add it during the winter, I waterproof them with some mink oil and wear merino wool socks year round mud, snow or slush I my feet never got cold if it got really bad I wear leg gators with them. The moral of the story stop wearing cotton or synthetic socks and wear wool

I've seen barefoot shoes/boots more lately in my social media feeds. Thank you for your informative video! Very cool!

I don't trust them as I had two pairs from Vivo, with one being a newer gent 6 years ago and they just aren't warm enough. If you're walking or standing long enough in below 40 degree weather your feet will get very very cold. As well theyre too expensive for me to take the risk again. This boot looks cool though. Great review!

You're forgetting that the width and flexibility gives you better blood circulation which vastly increases heat and that you can also use a thick wool insole and thick wool socks if you need more heat retention.

Bring Back Wool !!!

I bought a pair of Xero Alpine boots this year for the Canadian (Montreal) winter, and honestly I am very impressed. Shovelling my car out of knee deep, heavy snow and my feet were dry, and mostly warm. If i buried by feet completely I could feel a bit of cold seeping in very lightly. But the same thing in shoes and I was cold instantly. Just walking down the street, or walking in the park my feet felt great, perfectly warm. How they fare in -30 temperatures is yet to be seen, but they have done great up until about -15 so far. Waterproofing is great too. No problems with slush or those nasty icy landmine puddles that form near curbs. Overall, great boots for tooling around in the city. Would I want to take them on a winter hike up out in the bush? Probably not. Great city boot though.

Tbh waterproof membranes are generally quite good for keeping your feet warm as long as the outside of the shoe is dry. They generally reduce actual "breathability" in terms of airflow but allow moisture to escape. I think you've possibly neglected this effect in your assessment. That said I've been on snowy walks in my Tracker Forest ESCs, they don't have a membrane but they keep my feet warm. They do wet through after a few hours in snow though, definitely not one for an arctic expedition.

Finally a barefoot for winter! My feet dont get cold so I dont care. My regular tenis shoes have holes in the soul and I walk 2 or more hours in snow regularly. And I prefer them cuz the toe box is wide and they dont make my feet sweat so I am ok with the horrible holes and absolute lack of warmth but seeing this chanel. I have been looking for such a boot and glad to see this review hope you do more brands types. Thanks.

I got a pair of Lems and they hit the balance of natural shape and barefoot feet with enough of a sole to insulate from the ground.

The sole uses very little contact points to the ground, that will make help the heat loss.

Anything can be a winter boot though with a good pair of socks

Nice video! It is impressive that those boots seem to be better insulated than the Sorels and that test indicates that the Vivos Are a winter boots.

Great video. I also watched your video about the Bearfoot Bruin and it was super informative. I would LOVE to see you cut the Vivo Tracker textile FG2 in half. I am trying to find a barefoot style tactical boot for work and I've basically narrowed it down to those 2 boots (will take advice if anyone else has some). These boots must be black for my work to allow them (and cover the cost). Thanks!

That's just one of many barefoot winter boots. The Belenka Winter for example should be warmer. You can just get a nice wool insole and some thick socks and you'll be good to go. The Romans used to march in the mountains for weeks in sandals with wool socks.. Plus the extra width and flexibility are VERY important for keeping warm feet. Traditional hiking boots restrict bloodflow. Barefoot boots don't.

I am a big fan of Vivo and when I win a lottery I will buy all of their lineup 🤑 As much as a lof their shoes make total sense, they need to stop being so extreme with some scenarios. This is one of them. People buy minimalistic shoes because of zero drop and fit, meaning place for all of the five toes to spread. Every thinking person who lives in cold climate will understand that the proper winter shoe will loose some of its flexibility and many people will be fine with that sacrifice. Especially that there is no competition in terms of comfort and most winter shoes I tried are stiff.

Subscribed just for the Knocked Loose cap

Winter in sw Arizona doesn't get too cold, so I switch from my xero prio to my vans sk8-hi. I took the vans insoles out and put in a cheap Dr Scholl gel insole for a tiny bit of cushion.

The Alpine by Xero shoes seems to be the best barefoot winter boot so far, even if it doesn't look as cool as Vivo's

At 270 dollars, you really should have addressed that these are not resoleable

Love these barefoot shoe videos

All I want is a sewn construction boot in a barefoot last. Is that too much to ask? I have a custom pair of jim green baobabs in their "barefoot" style. But their barefoot last is basically just an extra wide sole. The construction of the boots is actually pretty great, but my heel tends to float a bit in them. I want something that locks my heel and ankle in but gives me room to splay my toes while also being a sewn boot. Why can't anyone get on board with that?

Smartwool socks pair really well with these.

That fresh Knocked Loose merch 👌

I have 2 winter boots from them and they are really good. Different models have different feature. Also when you eat properly your body makes alot of heat through protein thermal genisis. Also when you eat fat. My feet be sweating in them when im not in the cold. They are snow boots i promise.

Dope hat

Did you buy the new Gobi Boot? Hands down the best ultra lightweight everyday leather boot. I live in Delaware, our winters haven’t been as cold as it was in the 1990s, so the Gobi Boot doubles as my winter boot. I just throw in the vivo insulated insoles for those really cold nights.

knocked loose ♥️

With the insulation sole really works! My feet were always cold very quickly even in the most expensive and best winter boots! Since I wear winter barefoot boots with these special soles and merino wool socks, sometimes even my feet sweat! 😅😄 But the main reason is that in barefoot shoes the feet can work much more, so the muscles can work much more, so the blood circulation is much better! This keeps our feet warm and insulates the winter soles!!!!!!!!!!😉🤓😁✌️

I’m not going to get that over my Jim Green barefoot African Ranger. They are just slapping a name on essentially the same stuff.

I want these, love the other Trackers I have. Would be nice if they were fully wool lined.

I have the forest magna esc, It was pretty good in -10c and stayed dry

Please do a video of William Lennon's B5 boots with hobnails.

Definitely check out the Belenka winter boots.

Soo true, barefoot/minimalist footwear enthusiasts heed my warning. These “winter” hiking shoes are no good for backpacking or camping, or just being out in the outdoors for anything more than a short day hike. They keep you warm while moving and hiking and you can prolly summit a decently tall mountain with micro spikes in mild winter conditions. But if you are camping or backpacking in winter then these are no good unless you have a fire to warm your frozen toes. I recently took a backpacking trip in sub freezing temperatures (18F-26F) and these are no good below freezing. There is no insulation but even worse is the thin outsole and mid sole. I wish vivo would make a true winter hiking boot and not get their panties in a knot over having a thicker 1-2 inch more insulating outsole, im good with anatomical foot shape shoes, wide toe box and just zero drop. As soon as you stop moving your feet are gonna start getting awfuly cold within 10 mins. Biggest mistake of my trip was bringing these (or any other barefoot “winter” boot) and not something more insulating like the keen revel which my friend had on during our trip and he was chilling, he could have literally prolly stood still for hours before his feet would get seriously cold. I had to pop in the tent to warm my toes up which took like a good 25 mins, not fun. Long story short, these suck for outdoors in winter below freezing, they’re okay for city use unless you plan to be motionless in the streets, and traditional insulated hiking boots are way better; only pros were lightweight, good ankle mobility, maneuverability, dexterity, but thats pretty much it. I prolly would have been fine if we were just hiking and summiting one of the mountains but then again i think its better to err on the side of caution and dont use these on trail if weather is expected to hit below 32F. Shit can get real out in the backcountry during winter, gotta plan for unforseen circumstances.

Look up a sand battery. The silica retains heat

I was just hoping you would be doing some barefoot shoes! I returned my vivo gobi's because they weren't as flexible as I wanted. I got a pair of shapen urbaneers and really like them. Haven't used them below freezing but they are much warmer than I expected

That hat is sick Weston! I did not know you were into metal! That last Knocked Loose EP a couple years ago blew me away.

Would love to see the new Impala boot from Freet.

I have a pair of vivo winter boots im taking to Colorado in March & i hope they keep my toes warm and dry 😅

i really hope you do the custom colors for your wallets during January

But will they hold up in a Knocked Loose pit?

Id be curious to see how the xero alpine boots hold up to testing. I think they utilize similar philosophy as these in trying to make a winter boot.

Mate I'd love for you to one day sneak into your gisnt backlog some popular/notable military boots. Its a minefield and crap shoot and so many lads burn so much cash not knowing what they're getting and i think even a couple to let people know what to look for would be amazing

@rose anvil, could you come up with a ‘barefoot’ winter boot urself. IMO ur Jim Green African Ranger, with similar lining and insole of the boot in this review would do it! Maybe a dedicated removable insulation (sock)liner and insole would be even better?! Let us know what you think! Thx

Be Lenka boots are where it's at

Love the reviews and the hat.

I don’t realize most winter boots used the thermal reflective layer stuff and not fabric.

xero shoes made a winter boot as well. it is the Alpine model.

Anything by Refrigiwear would be interesting to me. The brand makes great for freezers.