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Featured in this article

Best All-Around Barefoot ShoeXero Shoes Prio Shoe

$100 REI (Men's)

Best Barefoot Running ShoeMerrell Vapor Glove 6

$100 $85 (15% off) Amazon

Best Barefoot SandalsXero Shoes Z-Trail

$80 REI (Mens)

The Best All-Weather Running ShoeVivobarefoot Primus Trail III All Weather FG

$170 Vivobarefoot (Men's)

You were born barefoot, and in a perfect world you'd stay that way. You'd stroll through the fields like a hobbit, barefoot, toes splayed, foot flexing and stretching naturally. Unfortunately, the minute you hit the pavement in the city, you'd be one sad hobbit. That's where barefoot shoes come in.

The best barefoot shoes have wide toe boxes, minimal soles, and plenty of flex to let your feet stretch, roll, and bend the way nature intended, but without exposing your bare sole to the perils of modern cities. They're as close as you can get to achieving that barefoot sensation without running afoul of “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service” signs.

The best barefoot footwear is … your bare feet. There is no need to run out and buy your first pair of barefoot shoes just to get started. Instead, start by walking around barefoot. See if a nearby park has some small stretch of grass you can explore barefoot. Don't walk far—10 paces is enough—but as you walk, pay attention to your feet. Focus on how much of your foot is actually in contact with the ground. If you're like most people, this can be a mind-blowing experience.

Be sure to also check out WIRED’s guides to the Best Merino Wool, Best Rain Jackets, Best Daypacks, Best Backpacking Tents, and all the rest of WIRED's outdoor coverage.

Updated April 2026: We've completely revamped our guide with a new top pick, as well as some new shoes like Vivobarefoot's Tracker Leather AT and the Xero Prio. We've removed a few sold-out shoes and also updated prices and links throughout.

- Best All-Around Barefoot Shoe

Courtesy of Xero Shoes

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Xero Shoes

Prio Shoe

$100 REI (Men's)

$100 REI (Women's)

Xero's Prio is my favorite casual barefoot sneaker. It's equally at home as a running and fitness shoe, and as a good old-fashioned, well, shoe. Remember when you were kids and you just had one pair of shoes and you did everything in them? This is that shoe. Fit is subjective of course, but these fit me perfectly. The toe box is wide enough that my toes can splay out nicely, and the heel cup is snug, with no slipping around. The ground feel is great too, enough feedback to feel barefoot, but you're not going to wince when you hit a sharp stone.

The 5.5-mm rubber sole here is the same sole you'll find in Xero's Z-Trek sandal (which, perhaps not coincidentally, is my favorite sandal). The rubber is quite dense and thick enough to protect you from thorns and sharp stones, but still has plenty of flex and give to it. There's a removable 3-mm insole that brings the total stack height to about 9-mm, but you can leave it out if you want to go with just the outer sole. Either way, these are light. My size 11 Prios weigh 9.3 ounces, which is light on your feet and light in your bag when you're traveling.

The Prio has been a staple for Xero for several years now, and there are a few variations, like the Prio Suede ($120), which I love. It's essentially the same but with a suede upper that gives it a little bit more premium feel (it is marginally heavier though). There's also the Prio Neo ($120), but it's really a very different shoe, with lighter materials, less stitching (more welded seams), and a narrower fit.

- Best Barefoot Running Shoe

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

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Merrell

Vapor Glove 6

$100 $85 (15% off) Amazon

$110 Zappos

The Vapor Glove was the first barefoot shoe I ever tried, almost a decade ago now, and many generations later it's still a great shoe for barefoot running. These make a good intro to barefoot running because they're still fairly shoelike (you don't have to go straight to Micah True-style homemade huaraches), but with a wide toe box and tight heel cup. They have zero drop (the heel is the same height as the forefoot) and minimal padding (14-mm stack height), putting them firmly in the barefoot shoe camp. It's a solid, comfortable shoe that will fit a wide range of feet and stand up to all the abrasion and other abuse of trail running.

My only problem is that Merrell feels the need to update the Vapor Glove constantly. I have the new Vapor Glove 7, and this summer I'm back to recommending these, especially for newcomers who want to run barefoot. The one thing I don't like about these shoes is that they only last me

Best Barefoot Shoes for Running or Walking (2026) | WIRED