Having been blown away by the life-perspective-changing book Born To Run, I went from being curious about the buzz surrounding barefoot running to wanting to be a part of it. At the time, the shoe most talked about was the Vibram Fivefinger, which did not appeal to me at all because of the way it separates your toes and looks like it would stink to holy hell (which apparently is the case).

Around that time when I searched for minimalist/barefoot-style footwear, I came across a manufacturer who seemed to have the perfect update to the huarache-style footwear discussed in the book: Xero Shoes. I reached out to the company owners Steven and Lena to get some of their sandals and have been a huge fan ever since, watching their company and product lines evolve over time.

Xero Shoes started out with a DIY lineup, which allowed you to craft your own custom footwear, combining a variety of cool sole colors and laces. They are still available, but later they launched a ready-to-wear line of huaraches, making their products more accessible to those who were not ready to build their own shoes.

From those first steps, Xero Shoes have widened their footprint to include everything from hiking shoes to casual office shoes to a new closed-toe box running shoe. All these shoes maintain the barefoot sensation I love, while offering some needed compromises to environmental and style factors.

One quality new option afoot (haha) is the new Xero Shoes Prio. Here is a peek at the ones I bought:

Before buying these Prios, I have long been a fan of the New Balance Minimus. While I love my Xero Shoes sandals, when in doubt about the conditions or terrain, I tended to revert to my Minimus shoes. For example, out come my Minimuses (sp?) when it is cold, when I am uncertain about the terrain I will be covering or when I know the terrain conditions are not a good fit (huaraches are tough to use when running up angles (especially sideways), when there is scree or things like excessive tree roots, or there is hazardous garbage or plants).One advantage of the Prio is the fact that it is zero drop as opposed to 4mm with the New Balance.

Xero Shoes appeared on ABC's Shark Tank in 2013. Not only that, but my feet made a cameo!

See the photo in the middle in the back? Yep those are my official lower extremities on national TV on his kayak with the Colorado River in the background. You can also see these same magical shoes in action in this video:

The shoes in the video are the Xero 4mm DIY huaraches--my favorites. By following this link or the others below, you can order your own straight from the manufacturer in Boulder, Colorado.

In terms of travel, you cannot beat adding Xero Shoes to your pack. They are super lightweight and take up no room, yet give you a great variety of activity options: water sports, running or a day at the beach. One benefit of running in huaraches is that you don't end up having to cart around a bunch of dirty socks!

 

BTW, looking for the perfect travel pillow to help get you to your next destination in comfort? Check out my new post, reviewing all the best travel pillow options for serious travelers.

 

For more on travel, check out my best-selling book "Vacation Boy: Does This Count as a Career?" which offers a fun fresh look at international travel. Details can be found at www.VacationBoyStories.com.