User Opinions

How customers and testers  think about the Paleos^®

Rob Tilba Tilba Australia

The shoes arrived! They are a terrific fit so I thank you very much for the size advice. It is winter here now, no snow but rain, but I am even enjoying the new sensation. I have not worn shoes except when working. My last home was on an Island in Sydney harbour and I constantly had wet and cut feet, the Paleos would have been perfect there.

My real home is now on 35 acres and I have two rainforests, I have been caught many times walking bare footed too far away from my houses to get shoes. Now I will be able to walk safely around, I don't expect them to keep out leaches though! And the only snake I have seen in years is my diamond python Fangez and he is in his terrarium, so leaches and snakes asside they will be fantastic on the farm..

I am trying to think of something that has made me so delighted as these shoes and I am struggling- maybe the heated car seats or my first iPad or 3d TV. They are a unique and beautifully executed design and concept. Your company deserves huge success.

Fond regards Rob (Australia NSW)


Erwin North-Germany

Slalom in reverse!

After two long days of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, my 3Km running course, which is usually compacted and trampled flat, was a little changed! It had become a mosaic of small puddles, muddy sections and dry areas. This meant that the feel was completely different from the usual dry, hard surface, now it had many different aspects to be sensing.

Wearing Paleos, you'll look for the muddy puddles and places to go, because it feels so pleasant. With ordinary shoes you would run slalom style to avoid the puddles and muddy spots, but with Paleos one runs the slalom other way to avoid the dry spots! Your feet don't get tired as fast as they do on a hard surface and I also had no burning under the heels.

The last leg of the run is lined with grassy fields. Inspired by the feeling of walking on the soft spots I ran through the middle of the meadow. Why haven't I thought of it before? So far I was always running in the seam area between gravel and grass. Sometimes you are so focused on the route that you don't even get the idea to run off the track. But of course the it's much more pleasant to run through the meadow than in the side area - you just never learn!

Once home I used the cleaning suggestions from Jörg's video and washed the Paleos by hand in the sink. This cleaning option is more practical for me than using the washing machine, because then I have the Paleos always ready for use in my backpack (if they are not on the feet or drying!)

Erwin


Nice post by LeeAnne from Massachusetts USA

I'm a twenty something year old in college in Massachusetts. I like walking around in the woods in the park near my school campus. The other day was the first day I had an abundance of free time PLUS the weather was gorgeous.

I put my Paleos Barefoots on and took my new dog out to the park and we walked, jogged, played in the river, splashed through the streams and in general had oodles of fun. We spent 3 hours together in the bright sunshine and the whole time I was enjoying the feeling of wandering around in the forest without shoes. But of course I had shoes on! It was a spectacular sensation.

I'll admit I was worried that the shoes were not going to be comfortable, but man was I wrong. I had no trouble at all forgetting that I was wearing them. I am so happy I bought these shoes. My puppy and I got wet and muddy; we chased after frogs and ducks; we went home exhausted, but it was our best day together. And the joy of feeling like I was barefoot added to the day and made the whole experience one awesome adventure. LeeAnne


By Paul from Hawaii USA

We've just received some feedback from Paul. He is one of the raffle winners and lives in Hawaii:

Got my Paleos a couple of weeks ago, took them on a hike today. Went up the Koolau Mountain Range here in Hawaii, about 6 miles there and back with about 1100 ft. elevation gained. Hiked/ran over hard and soft dirt, mud, roots, climbed over trees, ran through brush, climbed down slick drops with a rope, all wearing my Paleos. They didn't disappoint. It was very interesting to feel the chain links "bite" into the soft dirt and mud, I felt very secure in my footing. It was wonderful to feel all the terrain so closely without it hurting, there were a couple of spots where I stepped on a particularly sharp rock or edged tree root and it hurt a little, but nothing too different from doing it in a pair of vibrams.

Also, they are SUPER quiet. I could barely hear my footsteps at all, even when I was running. When I was walking I saw a lot more wildlife than I normally do on that trail. I am thinking about maybe wearing them with a couple of pairs of trail socks to go hunting (Half joking). After the hike my feet hurt a little, more of muscle soreness than anything. It was a good feeling. I was muddy, sweaty, and gross, so it was awesome to be able to just spray them with a hose and hang them up on my clothesline for a bit. I would recommend the Paleos to anyone who loves the outdoors, because they can handle all kinds of natural terrain with NO problem, and you may end up seeing more wildlife because they're so quiet.

Overall it was a wonderful experience! Paul


Timothy Pennsilvania USA

So it finally warmed up enough for me to give my Pronativs a run. I took them disc golfing with me yesterday. It was around 45 F or roughly 7 C. It was bright and sunny. A good day to be out. I had no idea what to expect from the shoes except that it would be different from anything I had ever worn before. I put them on in a concrete parking lot with the liner socks. As I played through my round, a few hours in total I noticed quite a few things about these shoes.

First I was simply amazed at the amount of sensation that I got through these shoes, both for good and ill. On the good side it was fantastic to feel every blade of grass, all the dirt and sand and leaves. It was absolutely electric. I have always enjoyed being barefoot and these shoes seemed to be the closest to a true barefoot experience as I can get without losing any hope of protection for my feet from the various hazards that can be found. ON the downside of the amount of sensation that I got through these, it hurt quite a bit when I would step on a stone or stick wrong and get a sharp edge into the bottom of my foot. It felt exactly as it does when I do it barefoot actually. I know these shoes are meant to prevent damage, not pain. It just caught me off guard because all of my other shoes have thick soles and so offer at least some reduction in pain from sharp objects. It is worth noting that even though it hurt that there was NO damage to my feet, not even a little. SO the shoes protected me perfectly.

I had the chance to experience a wide variety of terrain with these. I walked up hill, down hill, around hills, and through streams. The shoes handled all of the terrain quite well. Though I noticed that there will need to be quite some adjustment to figure out how to really walk in these. I am an avid hiker and I am used to walking certain ways and know that on certain terrains. I know that for any situation there are certain ways to place my feet for optimal traction and stability. This knowledge works very well when using backpacking boots but not quite so well with the Paleos. The paleos demand different techniques so I will need to adjust.

For the first time out I really loved the shoes and I am look forward to my next outing.


By Marco from the UK

Last Sunday the 14th it was finally above +10 degrees Celsius so time to take the Anterra's out for a follow up test. Running in the Anterra's.

I walked to my local field in trainers and changed on the footpath into the Anterra's, with liner socks. It had rained a few of the days before so the ground was still quite wet and in places very muddy. One of the first things then after putting them on is that you do not have to worry about soiling your precious running shoes. You can just walk / run through the puddles and mud and not worry about the dirt. Also because you do not actively have to look where you are walking / running, your eyes are not towards the ground 50% of the time thus i noticed i can stand up straighter focussing on the way ahead. This better posture again improves running.

From grass to path to mud to climbing hills and through the woods, what can i say. The slogan should be: 'the "shoes" that make you smile!'.
It really is like running barefoot but with that added protection.

When running they do gather dirt & mud but they still feel light and your feet still feel all the sensations of nature. I did not get cold feet as i kept moving and landing on the ball of the feet in them is no problem with the steel rings either.

They offer great protection so i do not have to worry where i thread and offer better grip in the mud than barefoot. Although when they collect a lot of mud they do start to slip more on slippery slopes. The liner socks helped a bit with padding the fastening around the achilles heel but apart from that i did not really notice them and next time i will try without as i am as yet unconvinced of their use.

Still very impressed with these "shoes" and now that the weather is improving i will take them out more and more.

In fact on the way back i opted to keep them on instead of changing into my trainers and walked through the grass and over tarmac past the shops to home. That got some interesting stares of people i must say. Especially on this hard surface the feet feel like they get massaged and they tingled nicely when i got home.

The day after i really felt i had given my feet a workout as for the first time in months they feel like they have been used as they should have. Tired but good!

I have taken quite a few short videos of running on different soil types and will now edit these together and post within the next two weeks!

"happy feet" Marco


Review by Christopher from New Zealand

It always seems when you want to get out in nature, you have two options, getting your shoes damp and muddy, or risking cuts and injury in bare feet.  I saw these shoes and knew straight away that this was what I had been looking for a third option.

What these are, is a tool which enables you to walk comfortably anywhere bare feet is more suitable than a shoe, but without fear of getting cut or getting puncture injuries.  In saying that, they have some surprising additional benefits and limitations which I will explain further.

I received my shoes within about a week, in a silver metal box with some instructions. I was very careful with the sizing (Jorg was most helpful in this regard) and followed the instructions exactly. My heart skipped a beat as I manouvered them onto my feet, as I thought they were too small. I gave them a firm tug and I was rewarded with the most exact fit I've ever had in a pair of footwear, most fortunate in a pair of metal shoes!

Like a piece of jewellery, they're cool to the touch, then warm up and become unnoticeable. The first thing I did, was walk outside, on to the long grass. I laughed, this was too easy. I instantly started looking for a bigger challenge. There's steep muddy hill, which I've always had trouble with in shoes on my property. I walked up it with PERFECT grip, the paleos act like a tank track, they are an interface between your feet and the ground, pushing into it and offering huge amounts of lateral grip in the muddiest surfaces.

Of course, this wasn't hard enough, so I looked for something else, I tried bark, gravel, mud, sand. Have a look in the Gallery photos, I think I tried just about every surface known to man!

So after all this I've come up with some main advantages and some limitations of this product which I hope will be informative to you.

The main advantages:

► Will protect your feet from just about any surface which would other puncture or cut you.
► You could literally walk on razor blades if you wanted to.
► Offers tank track like grip on any nonpolished surface, even slime covered rocks and
► muddy hillsides!
► Stops your feet getting sweaty,  especially in humid forest environments.
► Allows you a far greater sense of the ground you are standing on, increasing your safety.
► Very durable, provided you don't use them on concrete. Would probably last a decade
► if used only on natural surfaces. It's metal after all!
► You don't have to worry about getting them dirty, they clean up very very quickly.
► It's a real feeling of freedom, and in a way it makes me get out in nature more often.
► I really like transitioning from mud to clean water and watching them go from covered
► in mud to sparkling again!
► They look great, and people are always very curious about them.
► You get to FEEL the surface you're walking on, for example mud feels fantastic, especially
► when you don't have to worry about what's hiding underneath.
► The customer service and support is excellent! They are extremely happy to help and give
► advice, and very prompt.

Limitations: 

► If you're expecting a trainer shoe, then you will be in for a surprise. There is no padding
► unless you use a neoprene sock, so you cannot run on a surface that you wouldn't expect
► you bare feet to run on. You can and will get a bruise if you start jumping on small rocks!
► If you want to walk through wet muddy surfaces, it pays to have a little bit of water around
► to give them a quick rinse. They tend to be comfortable while dirty and wet, but as they dry
► obviously the dirt and mud can start to become abrasive. A quick shake in a puddle or a
► stream and they're literally as good as new (try that with a boot or sneaker!)
► If you have delicate feet I would imagine you'd want to take it easy to begin with.
► Basically if you're someone who doesn't do a lot of walking, you're going to have to take time
► to get used to the lack of padding, and perhaps some rubbing around the usual areas
► (like you do in any normal shoe) I think I'm quite lucky, I already have very tough feet.
► I usually walk 20km at a time, so my feet don't even notice the Paleos.
► If you are an avid hiker/walker you will likely have no problem whatsoever.

I cannot recommend this product enough, it seems like a crazy idea at first, but I don't think I could live without them now! Christopher from New Zealand


Siggi wrote to us from Iceland

I had been waiting for over month for the new shoes to arrive and finally on the morning of 24th of December Santa brought a Christmas present my way - Paleos!

My first impression was that they look more like an armor than something that would be comfy to run in but then I picked them up. The feel of them is completely different than I what I had expected, it was soft and smooth and the metal felt almost warm in my. Very quickly I got the grasp of the level of workmanship in the Paleos it reminds more of the old sagas of the dwarfs smiths than anything that I would normally see in a shoe.

Finally after much wait and almost every hiccup possible I got to go for a run in them. Being who I am I picked the worst time possible to try this. It was one of the first days after a big snowstorm and a nasty freeze. The temperature had risen to +5°C and the snow and ice was melting. I put on a 1mm neoprene sock under the Paleos for cold protection and it was needed.

First thing is the shoes are just pure fun. It was a strange mixture of feeling protected and forgetting you had them on. I took them on short 5k run through the valley near my home. Running in the dirt you can quickly feel that that is what they are made for. I took them through everything that I could think off, dirt, sand, snow, ice and water (The river had flowed over the banks and filled up over the trail so I was forced to run around 100m in 20cm deep water. I was very happy I had the neoprene socks there.

But where they really shined was on ice. They performed there beyond any hopes I had for them. I ran on ice that had a layer of water on it and it was like I was running on dirt field. I ran up hill covered in hard ice and I was steady like a rock. At no time did I ever feel like I was about to slip or slide in them.

Just don’t stop to long when standing on in it. When returning home I stopped on a sidewalk covered in ice while waiting for the light to turn green and I could feel that they got stuck ☺
 

Sourya with DELINDAs in India

The DELINDAs are at home everywhere. Only Australia, they have not seen yet. Sourya from INDIA now has a pair too and - as you can see - enjoyed unpacking a lot. She was so kind to send some photos. That's what she told us about her first impression:

Wow, the PaleoParefoots^® are really surprising! Amazing work Jörg Peitzker and Uschi Peitzker ;-) They fit very well. And they give a nice massage to the feet too! More photos and feedback soon ;-). Your Delindas are a great discovery! And I love the massage at the bottom of my feet ;-)


Constantin from Bavaria Germany

I've had the privilege of testing a range of different GoSt Barefoot models and generations. I was always stunned by the quality and the feel of the fabric: Indestructible, yet pleasing to the skin. A true high-tech material. The best thing about the Paleos^® is the combination of a fully natural barefoot feeling, the protection from anything that can happen on the road (not even broken glass) and how the shoe fits snugly around the foot.

I've walked across many different surfaces and the consistent impression is that of being able to completely sense the underground including structure, wetness, temperature and texture. In addition, you get so much peace of mind to forget about watching your step and instead enjoy the feeling of the sensation.

That said, the Paleos^® are great for outdoor hiking, trailrunning, walking and climbing, but they're probably not the best choice for long distance running on street, concrete, or other hard surfaces. The reason is simply that their biggest advantage (sensation) can be distracting if the focus is on running long distances such as a 10k or a marathon.

Another great thing about the Paleos^® is their almost therapeutic ability to massage your feet on the go: The unique texture of the fabric acts as a micro-massage element on every step that activates blood circulation on the soles and leaves you with warm, relaxed and great feeling feet after every tour!


Freira (Spain) and her comment

Hi, before ordering the DELINDAs to this comparatively high price I have wrestled quite long with myself. But they are worth every penny and other high quality running shoes start beyond the 150, - € too! Additionaly, when you realize that you cannot wear them down in a lifetime they even are inexpensive. Especially if you mainly wear them in the nature, other shoes already get unusable tens of times.

Anyway, I'm very enthusiastic and enjoy each walk with them. BTW, the same way can feel amazing differently (depending on weather) each time. And while others have to go around mud and puddles I can walk straight through it. A very unique product that I will enjoy for a long time.

Thank you very much - Freira from Spain


Katrin from Halle Germany



Just in time, the Delindas have arrived for my vacation. First I tested the fit of my brand new shiny barefoots on the carpet in my flat. After some time I barely could feel them at my feet, so I'm assuming that they fit well. Yesterday I started my first try out with DELINDA at the beaches of Florida. I strolled a bit farer away from the beach and walked along the sea on dunes and it was just great.

First thing I noticed: usually it is too hot for the feet to walk on the the sand. But with Delindas it is very good to endure and one still could feel the fine sand. Just great.
Let's see where I will do my next test, but from on now they will be with me at the beach always and in any case.I look foreward, to test them in the woods and on meadows in the Halle (German Town) too;).


Friederike from Munich Germany

The DELINDAs have arrived, and this afternoon I tried them for a while. My feet are not very used in barefoot running, so I started using them very careful. But they feel great on the feet, by my estimation fit well and I have tried not to lace them too tightly. The real outdoor tests are yet to come. Bavarian different substrates are planned (we are soon in the mountains) to be tested. After wearing them today, my feet feel massaged well, warm and pleasantly.



At the weekend, we went for a barefoot path experience to Austria and visited the so-called "witch water". The DELINDAS were with us and I must say, they have given much fun on this way to me. Previously I just have been a couple of times on playgrounds, and this was the first long hike with the family and friends, and I loved it. The comfort is great and they sheltered against the worst stones, what I perceived as very pleasant, because like I said before, I'm not a real experienced barefoot runner. The latter may quite change yet;). Sand and meadows felt particularly pleasant. Since the path was very versatile regarding soils,  I could prove DELINDAs services even on cork, pinecone and creeks, as you can see on the pictures.


Thoughts by Heimo from Austria

I had the DELINDA last weekend about an hour - out of curiosity. The weather was slightly cooler and I enjoyed the oportunity, to test the barefoots intensively.

First: The current model fits me perfectly. Nothing presses, scrubs, or too loose, and I like that a lot. I was on asphalt than on gravel, grass and forest floor on the way, I went into the mud with it and the (river) water, on tree trunks and all I could find. I found all stop with the shoes and slipped nowhere (oh yes, even during driving back in my car I was wearing them and it felt great).

I think the DELINDA now simply is brilliant. The new locking system can be adjusted continuously, and is thus considerably better than the M-prototype. Of course  I already knew the barefoot feeling on soils from my last test. Compared to the model DELINDA no difference. Also the design is great!   That view the DELINDAs are intended primarily as a women's model, I can not share: The new lacing on the instep can be set up perfectly, and looks not as "female" from. When I wear long pants to, you can not see the lacing system anyway. When a passerby asked me about these "shoes", to him they look unusual anyway - no matter whether they were designed "female" or "male".

Best of all I liked the way they work on gravel. Because that's always been a sticking point. Purely barefoot's is not doing really well, and with other shoes you just really feel that you are still wearing shoes, no matter how "light" they are designed. What I also like: The speed with which I can put them on and off. This goes the same speed as with socks, even with this, the new lacing system is clearly an advantage. To make the test complete: I have showed the DELINDAS to my girlfriend too. She was skeptical at first (that`s how my girlfriend sometimes is...) but when I then showed how they look "dressed" she also said, that do not look "feminine". I even would suggest to offer this model as "unisex".

Conclusion: I think that DELINDA now is perfect and I can not find any worthy of improvement.
 

Still not convinced?

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