When I was recently given the opportunity to check out a new pair of VivoBarefoot Gobi II boots, I jumped at the idea to give them a workout. To be honest, I had not heard much about the VivoBarefoot brand in the past, but I have always been a self-proclaimed “shoe guy”; from running shoes to oxfords, I have always enjoyed the feeling of slipping on a pair of new shoes for the first time and I was game to give the Gobi II’s a shot. As soon as I opened up the VivoBarefoot Gobi II box, I was immediately impressed by the Gobi II boot. Upon initial inspection these are some great looking, well-crafted boots. The Hopewell leather had that awesome leather scent and the tobacco color immediately gave this shoe a ton of character. Additionally, VivoBarefoot boasts that these boots include their patented puncture resistant soles, which is always a plus when in the outdoors. At first glance, these boots looked to be perfect for everything from camping, to a casual Friday at the office, to a night out sharing a couple of beers with the guys. These boots appear to have the build quality and styling to easily satisfy all of those situations. I knew my upcoming trip to the beautiful San Juan Mountains, in and around Telluride, would be a great place to give these boots a proper evaluation.
Before wearing out the first time, I did some research on the VivoBarefoot brand. I had a hunch from the brand name that these would be a minimalist designed shoe and this is definitely the case with this boot. These shoes are designed to let your feet do the work and feel the earth below. In my opinion, these boots have much better styling cues than I have seen in some other footwear that is designed around the minimalist footwear lifestyle. Upon slipping my feet into these shoes, I definitely could feel the difference between a typical shoe with an elevated heel and this boot which has zero drop, meaning no elevation in the heel. I have had some prior experience in some ‘zero drop’ athletic shoes so this feeling was not totally new to me.
With that said, after a couple of days in town with the Gobi II’s on, these shoes were quickly becoming a favorite of mine.
My first experience in these shoes was in the town of Telluride on the streets doing some trekking in and out of many of the shops (the tradeoff for getting my girlfriend to camp with me, later in the week). First impressions are that these shoes are comfortable, provide all of the support needed, and as I mentioned before, they look amazing. Keep in mind that I recommend trying out a minimalist style shoe with ‘zero drop’ before going all out and buying a pair because there is a bit of transition time if you are used to really supportive, super cushioned athletic shoes or boots. With that said, after a couple of days in town with the Gobi II’s on, these shoes were quickly becoming a favorite of mine.
Later in the week, I was able to log several miles of exploring in and around the San Juan Mountains in the Gobi II’s. From the craggy rock to the muddy trails, these boots proved themselves to be super comfortable and all I could ask for in a lightweight boot. One of the great features of these boots while being used in the outdoors is their patented puncture resistant sole. I never worried about shale or a sharp branch breaching the Gobi II’s. Although these boots are not a technical hiking shoe that I would attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail in, my experience is that these shoes offering plenty of comfort and support for a few days in the mountains camping with family and friends. The Gobi II’s are plenty capable of handling that assignment. I ended up my week of testing with a pair of slightly muddy, perfectly broken-in pair of boots that never let me down and if anything, surprised me with their versatility. My overall assessment on the VivoBarefoot Gobi II is that these boots will be coming with me on my camping trips for years to come. In addition, you will find me sporting this boot out for dinner and to the movies. In my opinion, the Gobi II is a really a “Swiss Army Knife” type shoe. It isn’t specifically designed to do one thing great, but it sure does a lot of things well and did I mention the Gobi II looks great!
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