Five Finger Flow

Five Finger Flow

~ Leesa

Picture taken from www.vibramfivefingers.com

Strange looking?  Yes!  Comfortable?  Oh, Definitely!   These have to be the most comfortable things I have yet to wear on my feet.  I love going barefoot, and do way more than I probably should.  I’ve been blessed in that I’ve never cut my feet, or stepped on a rusty nail.  I do have rough feet though, and know that some of it is because they have ‘toughened’ up from going barefoot.  I think I may have found the solution though.  The Five Finger Flows are from the Five Finger ever expanding selection of shoes.

When I first opened the box, I couldn’t help but laugh – they look sort of silly.  Grey with a greenish mottled type print, and all those individual toes.  Actually, there were only 5 toes… good thing, since that’s all I have on each foot.   Right one on first, and it fit great, feels even better.   Toes can still wiggle and flex.   Left foot, not so easy.  I broke my 4th toe on that foot years ago, and it is crooked.  It took a bit to hold it separate and get one of my toes in each of the toe sections on the Flow.   I almost gave up, because I couldn’t reach in to hold my toes separate and I couldn’t move the crooked toe on its own.  I was finally able to maneuver the toes on the shoe over my toes.  I worried that it would rub on the crooked part of my toe, and cause a blister or discomfort.  Turns out, it held my toe in the correct position, and was very comfortable.

I decided to wear them out kayaking the next morning.  Same manuevering to get my toes in side, but at least I knew the trick.  Much quicker this time.   Off to the lake to try them in the water.  On the drive over, I discovered something – I could feel the clutch in my car through my shoes.  I know that sounds silly, but I wish I had a pair for my kids when they were learning to drive, I bet they would have mastered the clutch much more quickly.  Next kid gets a pair!

At the lake, I set the kayak in the water, threw in my gear, and climbed in.  I was in about 12” of water as I got in.   I paddled out a bit, and remembered I was supposed to be concentrating on how the shoes worked in the water.  I’d say they worked great.  My feet stayed dry, and I didn’t have to dance over the rocks.  In other words, I didn’t have to think about my feet at all.  As the water gets colder, that will be even more important.   I have a few kayaking trips planned in October and November in Maine and Ohio, and will get plenty of use.    I’m curious to see how well they do as the water and air gets colder.