WHITIN Men’s Minimalist Trail Runner Shoes

Can’t comment on durability but the fit is good – I take a size 13 in a normal shoes and these are the same size. They’re even more comfortable once they’ve been worn for a bit and stretch out a tad.

As comfortable as my old Altra Lone Peaks, one-fourth the price, as well as hopefully an unchanging model for years to come. Replaced my old (depleted) stock of New Balance Minimus 10v1 — the shoes aren’t directly comparable, but as someone with a strong preference for those now-discontinued runners, these sufficed.

Ran a half-marathon on a forest trail with no training in months and no break-in time for the shoes. No blisters. Lack of cushioning means the rocks and roots are noticeable, but I prefer that (teaches mindfulness about where to land the foot).

Have since also used for yard work, basketball, walks, and everyday wear. Not exceedingly stylish, but neither am I.

Too soon to speak to durability, but the price point and performance have me unworried as long as I can get six months of heavy use on asphalt, concrete, dirt, and grass.

The velcro is nice, especially for running. Easier to get a perfect fit without too much pressure on the top bones of my feet.

Will probably stockpile half a dozen pairs once this pair proves to last six months at my activity level and environment.

Paired with toe socks, this lightweight hiking shoe provides wonderful stability and grip on trails with rocks, dust, roots, pebbles, mud, streams… At a third of the price of FiveFingers, these shoes are a stunning value. And very comfortable as well!

While I had low expectations, I was blown away by how functional and comfortable these shoes are. The minimalist design is augmented by what appears to be a strange outline of your toes at the front end. Yet there is no conforming toe shape in the sole. So what gives? This unique design shines when you are hiking on a steep decline — when you usually find your toes painfully jammed to the front wall of the toe box. Not with these! Your toes (if you are barefoot or wearing toe socks) find a comfortable spot in those little carveouts for your toesies! Genius!

The soles provide both amazing grip on all manner of slippery terrain: dusty uphills, gravelly downhills, wet rocks in streams, muddy patches. As an avid hiker on a wide spectrum of trails for more than 50 years, I don’t ever recall feeling so confident in my shoes/boots, or so comfortable. While these are very lightweight, the soles are tough. I could ‘sense’ roots and rocks and stones but had ZERO pain or discomfort traversing them.

I have ordered more pairs and more versions of this shoe. I am eager to try more Whitin minimalist shoes with their wide toe boxes. There is a dizzying variety of Whitin shoes here. And the product descriptions are confusingly similar so differentiating them is a challenge. But! If you are a serious hiker, give these shoes a try! Expect your feet and body to thank you!

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Too many shoes squash my toes so they are not comfortable to wear for more than a few hours. These shoes are comfortable for my toes all day. They don’t have as much padding on the sole as some shoes, so they are not great for standing all day, but they are good if you are more active on your feet. The sole is pretty flexible, I can definitely feel the shape of the surfaces I am walking on through the shoe. I don’t run much, just plan to use these for everyday shoes, but these are lightweight and feel like they would be great for running.

I have been wearing these shoes for a month. On the whole I have been fairly impressed by them, especially for their price, but I have had several fairly large issues with them.

I purchased the bright orange/red color in size 8, which is slightly smaller than I normally wear (normally an 8.5 with ~10 inch long feet), and they fit very well. I wear the shoes without insoles. I use them primarily for a variety of high wear activities, including tennis (2-3 times a week), disc golf (2-3 times a week), and golf (1ish time per week).

I have absolutely love the elastic + velcro system in place of traditional laces (be careful ordering as some “colors” do not have this system). I noticed small signs of poor quality when I first received the shoes, including loose threads on the velcro strap, but no major flaws.

The shoes are ridiculously comfortable, some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. The bright orange color was a bit glaring but has since been toned down by normal wear. One of my biggest problems with the shoes is that their color has been leaking into my socks. I wear greyish socks, and every pair which I have worn consistently with these shoes has developed a pinkish tint as a result of the shoe color leaking/rubbing off on them.

I like the thickness of the soles. I wear them with no insoles, and I think they provide the perfect balance between ground feel and protection. They have also exhibited minimal wear over the last month despite the relatively vigorous activities I use them for.

The most recent issue I have had with the shoes is that the fabric layer on the bottom of the shoe (where your foot meets the bottom of the shoe) tore. When putting the shoe on, my toe slides into the rip in the fabric and makes contact with the rubber sole of the shoe. I am considering cutting the fabric out of the shoe. This would probably not be an issue if the shoes were worn with insoles.

The look of the shoes is pretty slick, although the toe divisions on the front of the shoe raises some eyebrows (“Are those toe shoes?”).

On the whole, I have mixed feelings about these shoes. They are extremely comfortable and cheap, and they meet all of my expectations for minimalist shoes. They have worn inconsistently, with the sole surviving well but the fabric inside of the shoe failing. The coloring rubbing off on socks is concerning and inconvenient.