I've been reading up quite a lot about the benefits of a no heel drop - minimalist running style and thought I would first incorporate it into my hiking regiment. I was at first wary thinking there may be a learning curve or high risk of injury if you were clueless. I can gladly report I have hiked 20 miles yesterday with a sub 25 pound pack and do not have the slightest soreness or even blister, more amazing because I did not even wear socks! Needless to say, I love these shoes.

Though these are not essentially barefoot shoes - they have a 4mm heel drop, I figured they would be a good entry level barefoot shoe. They fit like a glove and are true to size. I do not wear socks and ordered my exact size, no problems. They seem plenty durable for a 6oz shoe. The breathability is great. I cannot comment yet on how fast they dry, hopefully very fast - there is plenty of mesh.

If they last 6 months I will be satisfied with the price tag. I will even buy the winter version. Though I will have probably graduated to the zeros by then. Eventually I will switch out all my footwear to this style.

Update: Since posting this review I have begun using these shoes for their intended pupose - trail running. The past few weeks I've been going out on runs of 7 miles or less and I can report that my above comments about lack of soreness is just gibberish. My calfs and quads are burning (in a good way). I do continue to wear the shoes sans socks and have not experienced a single blister thus far and no foot/knee pain to speak of! I can't wait until these fall apart (hopefully not too soon) so I can go for a run in the Zeroes! They also dry very fast, but they bring the funk...

Update: Shoes are great on groomed trails otherwise durability is sub-par.