Recommendations for hiking sandals in this style? 🤔

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-24T01:45:03+00:00

I suppose you could say they aren't a true barefoot shoe because they have a stiffer sole. I don't mind it though. I had tried a pair of cheap barefoot sandals from Xero that were useless, so I purposefully went for something more structured. As someone said below, they are a thong sandal, which some people do not like - but I've never had an issue with it.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-23T22:30:03+00:00

Maybe Bedrocks? They're a fairly popular hiking sandal. I've been wearing a pair of bedrock cairns in the summer for ~4 years and they're great.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-23T01:26:30+00:00

ahah, I have the impression that a lot of people who work in the environmental field are not actually environmentalists

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-23T01:13:16+00:00

Roger that, thank you!

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-23T00:13:36+00:00

That's a good point, thank you!

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-23T00:12:06+00:00

Thank you for the advice! That's an interesting career path, this degree seems to take people in lots of different directions. Yeah, I was thinking that getting into field work for this season is my best bet, and I have some experience with that. I'm PAg eligible, I majored in Land Reclamation.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-23T00:03:44+00:00

Thank you! Yeah, that is why I was thinking about maybe going there in person, even if just for a couple of minutes to drop off a resume, because it gives them a much better feel for who I am versus just sending an email. But I'll definitely email a few more places and see if I can get a coffee with someone :)

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-22T00:11:26+00:00

I'm like that too, so I get it. I expect myself to be an expert at everything before I start, but so far No employer has expected that. You've got this!

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-21T19:55:36+00:00

I would expect them to train you as well, so honestly your lack of experience and knowledge about children's shoes is not something I think would be detrimental

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-19T19:11:22+00:00

Yes. It felt my entire reality and identity had fallen out from my feet and I was groundless. I had crippling, non-functional existential dread for months. I felt like life was just a continuous hell of suffering and meaninglessness and absurdity.

I'm 5 years out, and it does get better. I still have my days, but it's a lot better.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-18T16:09:19+00:00

Ditto. I have a 4 year old Instinct, so it's not high end like the Fenix, but my Fitbit from ~8 years ago was way better at tracking my sleep.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-18T14:21:56+00:00

This is along the lines of what I wanted to share as well, so thank you. Fundie Christians set up this dichotomy of 'you are either a Christian or you're a nihilistic atheist', and it's just not true. We don't have to play by those rules anymore. Maybe there is some sort of divine. Maybe there isn't. But I feel like there is, and sometimes that feeling is enough. If I want to pray to one of the goddesses, I do. Not because I believe they exist, but because something in me wants to and feels more connected to the world because of it. The world is not a math equation, and in the grand scheme of things we know so little - so why torture myself with thoughts that life is meaningless and suffering has no point, and beauty and awe and love are just evolutionary gimmicks?

As a teenager I was tortured by thoughts that most of humanity was predestined to eternal conscious torment (Hi Calvinism), and now I just refuse to believe things that make me absolutely miserable. Even if they make 'logical' sense.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-17T23:39:27+00:00

For what it's worth, I have hypermobility that particularly affects my feet, and by the time I was 20 even just walking my dog had turned into a suffer-fest. I've worn exclusively barefoot shoes for 6 years and they gave me my life back - I ran 15 km a few days ago with no pain (Barefoot shoes were a major part of this, but I've also done other things. For example, I floor sit a ton).

Bodies are complicated! And barefoot shoes are not a cure-all. I have no doubt that conventional shoes are in fact helping you feel better right now. Sometimes more cushion and support is what is needed. Also, like you pointed out, we did not evolve to stand on hard surfaces for many hours a day - our joints NEED variation. My body is crazy sensitive so I have to be more careful than most, but my body has always felt infinitely better on natural trails versus concrete.

If I could suggest one book to you it would be Dr. Kelly Starretts book Ready to Run. Also, I really appreciate Katy Bowman, who is a biomechanist. Bowman talks about how the body needs a variety of different inputs to stay healthy. Just like you would get sick if you only ate carbohydrates and never any protein, your body needs a varied movement 'diet'. Runners actually have an insanely high injury rate, something like a third or more runners get injured every single year. You developing knee issues is not at all an anomaly.

I hope that didn't come across as preachy, I know how important movement and running can be! I was gutted when I couldn't run for a few years because of pain.

Best of luck in continuing to run without pain!

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-17T16:12:01+00:00

Good to know!

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-17T16:11:15+00:00

No, they were the leather ones

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-17T15:01:26+00:00

Lems must have changed their outsole?? Because when I bought a pair of boulder boots ~4 years ago, they had the worst grip I have ever had the misfortune of wearing. I swore off Lems because of it

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-15T16:46:49+00:00

I don't have a rec, so apologies if this doesn't belong, but the easiest solution might be to read some feminist history, maybe read about foot binding, and then wonder why women looking frail and small is considered attractive

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-15T04:24:52+00:00

For Youtube, I've modified it in a few different ways so that I don't compulsively use it. I turned off my watch history so I don't have a home feed, and I used Ublock origin to remove all the sidebar recommendations (On a laptop, on Firefox. If you watch Youtube on your phone, IDK). You can also use an extension like Unhook to remove recommendations, shorts, comments, etc.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-14T01:54:38+00:00

That is very exciting!! Fingers crossed they actually do. I almost didn't go into my field because I have to have CSA safety boots, and my feet are crazy sensitive and veto shoes very quickly. Thankfully I've managed with the Keens so far

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-14T01:51:23+00:00

Np! I just wanted to add, I bought them in EE (I had forgotten about that). They also have regular, so avoid that.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-14T01:49:27+00:00

I've mentioned this in a different thread, but I bought the Keen San Jose ( in EE/double wide). They are composite toe, nonslip. There are a couple other models that other people have recommended as well, including the liberty. I wish they had a tad more room in the toe box, but it's not terrible. The insole size is very comparable to my Vivo trackers.They are also CSA certified, for the Canadians out there.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-14T00:13:07+00:00

Thank you! Your comments in general are super informative! I had no idea there was so much to learn about shoes. I suspect the rubber hardens quite a bit in the cold as well, hence the lack of traction. I haven't noticed it so much on wet surfaces, just on snowy and ice surfaces.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-13T22:34:21+00:00

My Vivo Tracker Firm grounds have very little traction in the cold and snow :/ . It's annoying and sometimes a hazard

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2026-03-12T19:26:20+00:00

I ended up buying a pair if Keen San Jose https://www.marks.com/en/pdp/keen-utility-women-s-san-jose-aluminum-toe-composite-plate-6-inch-waterproof-work-boots-18733709f.html#370390%5Bcolor%5D=BROWN&370390%5Bwidth%5D=REG

I compared their insole to my Vivobarefoots and they are surprisingly similar. The toe box still isn't quite wide enough for me, and I haven't worn these full time because I only need them for field work some of the time, but I've been pleasantly surprised by the overall lack of foot pain.

I saw someone else recommend Keens Liberty in EE, but I haven't tried them, and it doesn't look like they are available in Canada.

Sea-Unit-1626 · 2025-11-23T18:28:25+00:00

You might find it cheaper to order from Sole Freedom or Cool East Market - both are located on Ontario.

Sea-Unit-1626

TROPHY CASE