But they’re really worth it. I’ve always hated most shoes and spent as much time as possible in non-public locations barefoot, because even wides still put a lot of pressure on my small toes and feel constraining. Wearing the sports for a couple light runs almost instantly allowed my toes to stretch back to their appropriate length. If I’d thought to take a before and after it would probably be a half an inch longer in the little toe because it’s not compressed.
I pretty quickly followed those up with the V-Aqua, which will be my main hiking shoes in the summer. They’re really light (though the sole is slightly beefier), dry quickly, have drainage holes so if I step in a river they won’t stay full of water, and the grip is excellent. They’re an adjustment to put on the first couple of times, and they recommend easing into use to avoid too much stress on stabilizer muscles you might not use with heavy boots, but I don’t plan on going back. I’ll likely be adding the insulated V-Trek for winter hiking and be good to go.
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