Cliff Judge

I had a pair of KSOs and liked them a lot, but they proved to be insufficiently puppy proof.

So then I got a pair of the KSO Treks - with the leather uppers. Insanely durable shoes. I've had them for over a year, put them through the wash regularly, hiked up Mitsumine san and Nantai san with them while in Japan last year, and I have done plenty of much more pedestrian hiking around Maryland, and the things just keep going. Normal shoes, I am lucky to get 6 months out of because I overpronate and that causes the soles to wear unevenly.

I care very little about whether or not people think they look weird. I've got no dress code at my job and I am not otherwise interested in passing as normal. But I have got to say one thing about minimalist footwear: it is shocking how assertively your feet smell when wearing them. Even when wearing those five-toed injinjin socks underneath the KSO Treks they are still quite piquant.

I tried out another brand recently - ZEMGear, they make tabi with thin but reasonably durable soles. Not as durable as Vibrams or other leading brands, but much lighter and cheaper - on the order of $40 a pair.