This review of the TrekSport was sent in by Jeff who currently resides in Hong Kong. Thanks Jeff for your great review and images of the Vibram FiveFingers TrekSport. You can find more information on the FiveFingers TrekSport here.
Hi BarefootRunningShoes.org, here’s a review of the TrekSport I wanted to write to you for a while and finally got the opportunity. I first saw the Five Finger shoes when I was traveling in the UK and I fell in love with them. They were exactly what I needed. I just kept thinking about the different sports and activities I could use them. I was debating between the KSO and the Treks and finally decided to pick up the TrekSport when i had the chance. I’m involved in basketball, weight lifting, martial arts and dodge ball (you heard right, dodgeball!).
The sport that I thought the TrekSports would be perfect for was dodge ball. It just seemed perfect for it and i know by using the FiveFingers I would have an edge over all the other weaklings that I play. I’m already one of the top players but i wanted to grow slowly into “legend” status.
The pictures I sent in were actually on the dodgeball court where I kick major ass and leave my opponents in pain. Anyway, time to get serious and talk about what I think of the Vibram TrekSport Shoes. I just wanted to lay out a couple points about them that really stand out:
- They have cool soles that allow for a good grip, even while running. I noticed the KSO’s didn’t have the rigid bottoms so even though the TrekSport allows you to follow natural foot movement, it still would absorb a lot of the shock when you are running and jumping around.
- I tried on a couple other versions of FiveFinger Shoes like the KSO and the Bikilas and i definitely felt that this version of the FiveFingers shoes has the best fit for me.
- I don’t know how popular they are the U.S. (do you see people on the streets daily with them?) but i haven’t seen them too much here in Hong Kong. I was the hot talk of the town (at least on my dodge ball team) when they saw me sport these sexy babies. So I like the unique look of the TrekSports as well. I saw some of the older Vibram FiveFingers shoes and to be honest I wouldn’t be caught dead in them! But these looked really cool.
- The Strap on the TrekSports made for a great fit. All i had to do was slip them on, tighten them and I was ready to go. It looked hard to get on at first but now that I’ve been using them regularly I can put them on faster than I put on my regular running shoes. Especially since I don’t have to tie any shoe laces to do so.
- I’m not a barefoot runner so I can’t really compare these shoes to running barefoot but they are very comfortable when moving quickly from side to side. I also have jogged and walked on the pavement (usually on my way home) with the TrekSports and they are great.
- I’ve heard that they are not as close to minimalist shoes or “barefoot running shoes” as many other shoes but they are very comfortable to me. i can see that with the extra padding it could be less minimalist. Lets just say I wouldn’t wear these shoes when doing martial arts or yoga.
Well there it is, my short and sweet Vibram FiveFingers TrekSport review. I hope you post it. Good job on listing all the other cool barefoot style shoes. I really want to check out more of them to find out which one’s the best fit for me but i don’t even think that many of them ship them here. If you can send me a list of shoes featured on your site that are located in Hong Kong that would be great. I’d definitely do more barefoot running shoe reviews!
– Jeff