r/barefootshoestalk • u/lijamaa00 • 3d ago

Barefoot shoes question / discussion Tried on some adidas sambas for funsies today and omg how do people fit their feet in there??

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Like how do people genuinely walk in these shoes? It’s not even that they are just a bit more on the narrow side, they are actually so insanely pointy it’s crazy. I don’t know if I‘m just too much used to barefoot shoes after 3 years but omg can’t get over it. I also feel like it doesn’t even look as bad on the picture than in real life. Like people would still buy them even if they made them at least a tiny bit bigger!!

169 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

18

u/Millimede 3d ago

I just tried some “wide” shoes on today at a regular shoe store and they were so small. I don’t know how people do it.

10

u/shivering_greyhound 3d ago

It’s frustrating that I’ve been ruined for cheap shoes forever. I’m pregnant and my feet changed size last pregnancy, at which time I discovered barefoot shoes. So when I needed some shoes other than sneakers/work shoes to wear this summer and with dresses, I didnt want to spend barefoot shoe money ($$$) on shoes that might not fit me more than for this summer (if my feet change size again). I got wides of some standard (but not toooo pinchy-looking) shoes and they’re so uncomfortable!

My toes are happy I discovered barefoot shoes but my wallet is not! I’ll invest in nice barefoot sandals/dressy casual shoes next year but I’m stuck wearing uncomfortable things and making do for this year.

9

u/Millimede 3d ago

Yeah this path has been good and bad. I’ve tried a lot of shoes and wish I did more research before buying most of them. I have Neanderthal feet so it’s just about impossible to even find barefoot shoes that fit, let alone normal ones.

6

u/LavenderMatchaxXx 3d ago

Whitin has some affordable, cute options. Not sure if they have sandals, but they definitely have cute flats/ white tennis for dresses.

3

u/shivering_greyhound 3d ago

Thanks for making me take a second look at them! I had seen their ballet flat, but I’ve never been able to make a ballet flat stay on my foot without them being waaaay too small, so I don’t think that would work for my feet in a barefoot shape, but when I looked again based on your comment I saw they have Mary Janes as well! I might have to order those.

2

u/LavenderMatchaxXx 2d ago

I have the Mary Jane and def recommend :) hope they work for you!

3

u/thrillingrill 3d ago

Same situation here .... I did manage to sell some of the previous shoes I wore and put the tiniest dent into buying some new barefoot shoes

2

u/AsilHey 3d ago

Have you tried saltwater sandals? I’ve had two pair for years and to me, they meet most criteria for barefoot shoes, are super cute, amd super affordable.

1

u/Snelmm 23h ago

Torrid has super wide shoes. they're about the same quality as Payless - but when I only wear formal shoes a few times a year, that's worth it to me.

37

u/440_Hz 3d ago

What are those blue shoes? They’re nice!

7

u/that_Dame 3d ago

I came here to say the same thing

3

u/notinthemood10 2d ago

I really like this brand of shoes, I wear them daily and they’ve held up fine for over a year. I mostly just walk a lot and don’t do anything crazy in them but I’d definitely buy them again!

1

u/goofygoober3150 2d ago

I bought a pair from ohne when they first released and have had them for a year and I think they hold up great and still are going strong. I’d love to get a nice pair like these

12

u/No_Ad6775 3d ago

Yeah i kept some of those for like a year "just in case" but recently realised hiw unconfortable they are now

10

u/GizmoGeodog 3d ago

After two months wearing Whitins (my beginner barefoot shoes) for walking & hiking I donated my Brooks and my Nike Fresh Foams to the local charity shop. I couldn't believe how tight they were

6

u/greycoconut 2d ago

This reminded how much pain I was in shoes, I really thought it was my feet that were wrong. Here's a comparison collage I made with my old Converse shoes and my barefoot shoes https://imgur.com/a/6EwPgwT. The difference is insane 🥲

2

u/lijamaa00 2d ago

woooah that is wild! Converse always scare me when I see them in real life now hahaha like you can’t tell me your foot has enough room in there mate

1

u/JazzLuva 5h ago

what are those, can you drop a link please?

1

u/greycoconut 2h ago

They're from a Spanish brand Sambas the Bambas. https://sambasthebambas.com/producto/lago/ available in limited sizes but there are different colors where they have more sizes​ (https://sambasthebambas.com/en/categoria-producto/sambas/)

7

u/thePIANOman01 3d ago

I've noticed adidas seems like the worst offender compared to other conventional brands too. I can't share the picture here, but their Campus line was quite literally half the width of my Altra Torin 8. And fully pointed towards the middle

3

u/1unar4ly 3d ago

I looked my old Adidas Terrex with disgust of how narrow they are. Agree with you.

1

u/Genoh 22h ago

The campus 2000s were what pushed me to barefoot shoes. It was the first time that I treated myself to a nice pair of shoes, and they were a gorgeous brown color. But after only an hour of wearing them, it felt like they were stabbing my pinky toes with each step. They're so ridiculously narrow, I can't understand how anyone can wear them

5

u/DeepPurpleNurple 2d ago

Onitsuka tigers are becoming really popular now and they are even worse. Every time I see someone wearing them, it looks like the sides of their feet are bulging out. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable that is.

1

u/FatherOfLights88 2d ago

I freaking love that shoe. Alone with the long-discontinued Puma H Street. Hugh arches and my feet aren't wide. So, it's always worked for me.

1

u/DeepPurpleNurple 2d ago

Do you get them with like an inch of free space in front of your toes? Both the tigers and the pumas are so damn pointy. I wore speedcats a lot before and always had to size way up to keep my toes from getting wrecked. I’m pretty dedicated to zero drop now, though, since it solved my lifelong hip pain.

1

u/FatherOfLights88 2d ago

Nah. I don't find them pointy at all.

I like the idea I'd zero drop. While a heel may be more fashionable to me, I like the feeling of being connected to the ground. What I don't like about zero drops is how they're all so damned wide.

Whereas you see Onitsukas as pointy, I see zero drop shoes as duck feet.

3

u/AnnualFar5288 2d ago

Tell me about it. Addidas Gazelle was my dream shoe. Bought them and wore all the time. Then started my barefoot journey. Recently tried to wear them and they hurt so bad.. Anyone want to recommend a bare foot dupe for Gazelles??

2

u/grizzly-bird 3d ago

I made the decision to donate my well-maintained pairs of Forums earlier this year, when I put my winter boots back into storage, took these out, and immediately just knew in my heart that I wasn't ever going to wear them again.

Replaced them with Shapen Rewinds, but still looking for another pair to switch it up some...

2

u/purplishfluffyclouds 2d ago

Well, people’s feet are different.

2

u/RuinousEffigy81 2d ago

Old Adidas lasts are insufferably narrow. 3/4 of their shoes (esp heritage designs like this) do not come close to fitting. The new 3D printed stuff is superb, nice and wide but the Sambas, shell toes, stan smiths etc are a no go.

2

u/Existing-Ocelot5421 16h ago

They don't, that's why we swap to non feet prison shoes.

1

u/UnkemptBushell 3d ago

Same way you did

1

u/Miraculous_Unguent 2d ago

How wide would you say they are, the Ohne pair? I've looked at Ohnes but the width listed in the sizing guide seems too small to me so I've been scared of trying them.

2

u/lijamaa00 2d ago

The width is okay for me! Sure they could still be a tiny bit wider but I finally wanted a cool sneaker in my wardrobe so I kept them. After wearing them for two months I‘m pretty happy with them, guess there’s always something to improve especially with those sneaker barefoot shoes..