Vibram FiveFingers KSO Multisport Water Shoes
The FiveFingers were a genuine phenomenon and this review caught them at the peak of it. What happened next is worth recording honestly.
The barefoot claims did not survive scrutiny. Vibram settled a US class action in 2014 over health claims it could not substantiate about strengthening muscles and reducing injury, and agreed to stop making them. The shoes are still sold; the marketing around them is much more modest.
What the research settled on since: minimal shoes are not better or worse in general, they are different. Running in them shifts load from the knee to the calf, Achilles and foot, which suits some people and injures others. The injuries came overwhelmingly from transitioning too fast, and the advice now is weeks to months of very gradual adaptation rather than a switch.
Where they are genuinely good, which is what this review was about: water. As a water shoe for rafting, kayaking, river crossings and rocky beaches, a thin grippy sole with toes is excellent. It drains, dries fast, grips wet rock, and protects the sole of your foot from what you cannot see. That use case never depended on any barefoot claim.
What they are bad at: carrying a loaded pack over distance, cold, and anywhere with thorns or sharp scree.
Practical notes: they must fit the individual toes, which means trying them on; they smell, because there is no sock absorbing anything, so rinse and dry them properly; and toe socks exist and help considerably.
The honest summary: a good specialist water shoe that was briefly sold as a health intervention. Buy them for the water.
Part of the guide to boots, shoes and sandals.