Fila Men's Skele-Toes Bay Slip-On Shoe Review

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With 13 wide feet, I have always struggled to find a decent fit in the shoe department. However, I have just fallen in love with this shoe!!! I love walking around barefoot and have seen scores of people hiking around in the vibram 5 finger shoes (I am an avid hiker/backpacker), yet, whenever I have tried on the vibrams, the toe shoes never fit. This was mostly because of the little toe. My little toe is not long and doesn't really get into its own space on the vibrams and likes to come out. They fact that the Filas don't have a fifth toe, Hooray!! Also, I think it provides a little extra protection for that delicate little toe for anyone.

I felt compelled to write this review because last weekend I put them to a major test, I took them with me backpacking and gave them a multi-mile trial. I was in the mountains and had 32lbs of gear on my back. These things were flawless! My feet loved them! After several hours in them, my feet hurt less than they would have if were wearing my favorite well worn in hiking boots. Although the soles on these are a bit heavier than those of the Vibrams, this was an advantage. With trails littered with sharp rocks and tree roots, the soles on these were perfect to protect my feet from a serious poking, yet allow them that total freedom of movement. They also have a heavier section of rubber and leather (or leather type material, idk) on that little double toe pocket. This was a big help when it came to accidentally kicking rocks (something I do all the time), I didn't hurt any of the little guys.

No one shoe will ever be the shoe for everyone, but I recommend you give these guys a try, because if the shoe fits, you will love them!!

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After wearing vibrams for the last 5 yrs, wanted to replace. The newer versions just did not fit my 10.5 extra wide foot at all. So I looked around, found some local stores that carried other brands of toe shoes, and lo n behold found these. Simply put AWESOME. Much better construction than vibrams and truly fit my foot like a glove. I am happy again.

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Shoes provide extra agility on the trail and protection against rocks while still keeping the almost barefoot feeling. Used these to wade through the a river with a very rocky bed and they worked like a charm. I also appreciate the protection on my little toes.. combing the 2 smaller toes is a nice feature! Bought these at academy for 49.99.. cant say enough good things!!

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After trying out the more expensive Bikila LS Shoe Men's by Vibram Fivefingers, which is subject to the same fundamental flaw which I will detail, I figured I would try out the less hip and more economical (half as expensive) fila alternative.

In contrast to Vibram's bikila, these shoes have a thicker sole, I'd say about twice as thick. This is vastly superior if you need the extra cushion to run on a track that is littered with small jagged rocks. Accordingly, their weight is about twice that of Vibram's bikila. The little fastening mechanism is also a major plus, as you don't have to stop on occasion to tie those pesky shoelaces mid-run.

Now on to the fatal flaw: If you run on a regular basis (I run 4 miles a day) be prepared for the fabric to rip on the inside of your big toe. The sole seemed to hold up pretty well, with a little more wear around the big toe area, but because there is a bias for your big toe to shift to the inside of your foot, there is extra pressure pulling the glued fabric from the rubber sole. The obvious fix is to "cup" the big toe on the inside with the rubber sole all the way until it is level with the outside. The ultimate result is that my big to is exposed to the ground and two of my injinji Performance Micro Toesocks were torn at the big toe. It'd be vastly less annoying if these socks didn't come at $12 a pop.

After a mere two months use, these toe shoes have let me down. If you use them casually, I suppose they will last you a bit longer but with enough use will inevitably tear. I will abstain from buying any more toe shoes from any manufacturer until this design flaw is fixed!

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I have been a runner for a dozen years, switching to minimalist/barefoot shoes about 2.5 years ago. I run upwards of 55 mpw and run almost every day. My first minimalist shoe was the Merrell Trail Glove and I loved it until it fell apart just 200 miles into it's life. Then I went for the Vibram KSO and it didn't make it that far and also rubbed blisters every time that I tried to wear it barefoot. Then I found the Fila's right after they came on the market and have owned several pairs, alternating three different pair for my daily runs. They fit so well that I rarely have a hot spot anywhere and then usually after running so long (90 min.) that they have become sweat-saturated. They have been the most comfortable and long-lasting of all the minimalist shoes I've had and I have never had to wear socks with them. If you want light weight shoes and want to run with barefoot mechanics, I highly recommend these.