IGX

nafod wrote:

Terry B. wrote:

Turdacious wrote:

baffled wrote:

nafod wrote:I wear them without socks, of course

Yup. After maybe three or four runs you can smell me coming down the road/trail/aisle at the grocery store/stairs etc.

They suck with shoes though.

I found that by putting on socks when wearing them around people, that the vibram stank is not a problem.

We actually conducted a smell test yesterday and concluded that the Minimus Roads are the only shoe that smells worse than my VFFs.

I wore mine in the rain on a humid day, and then had to pack them in a plastic bag for the trip back from South Africa where they fermented for a good 48 hours. Sweet mother of jesus they stink now, permanently it seems. Seem OK when they dry out, but the slightest sweat activates the stench. Took them on a trip, wore then on a run, and it funked out my whole hotel room.

Really, any kind of moisture sets them off. I haven't worn socks in forever but actually wear them with my Zeros because they help keep them dry - if I wear them in the morning, there is no way to hide them in my office building other than in a plastic bad which, as noted, does fun things.

Can you douse them in baking soda? Maybe wet em up a bit then cover them with baking soda and let them sit for a day or more.

UPDATE: These shoes aren't made very well. The fabric portion on mine has already ripped.

Call NB customer service. They are usually really helpful about getting replacements.

Will do, that's a good idea. I have a pair of NBs that are still in decent shape after 5 years and these have begun ripping after 5 weeks.

Ed Zachary wrote:Can you douse them in gasoline? Maybe wet em up a bit then cover them with more gas and let them sit for a day or so and then light those fuckers up?

Shit EZ E, good idea!

Crust Bucket wrote: Shit EZ E, good idea!

I'm not just the IGX fashion guru, I'm a master de-smellifier as well.

I'm thinking cat urine. Can't hurt, might help.

Is everyone who owns a pair of these still happy with them? Thinking about picking up a pair of the Minimus Trails. I have some innov-8 minimal trail shoes and frees but I want something with a wider toe-box that lets my feet spread out naturally.

Mickey O'neil wrote:Is everyone who owns a pair of these still happy with them? Thinking about picking up a pair of the Minimus Trails. I have some innov-8 minimal trail shoes and frees but I want something with a wider toe-box that lets my feet spread out naturally.

I dig the hell out of mine. They are great for gym workouts too. And their stench attracts families of Norwegians looking for the lutefisk.

I've trained in a pair for 2+ years now,,same pair, they are wearing out, and they aren't good for heavy sled drags and pushes.

They don't stink if you wear socks.

The second version of these people don't seem to like as well. Bit the third is ok.

Light drags and pushes are ok, but if you have to bulldog something to get it going, you will rip the soles off

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:I've trained in a pair for 2+ years now,,same pair, they are wearing out, and they aren't good for heavy sled drags and pushes.

They don't stink if you wear socks.

The second version of these people don't seem to like as well. Bit the third is ok.

Light drags and pushes are ok, but if you have to bulldog something to get it going, you will rip the soles off

I'm out. I need a tough barefoot or near barefoot shoe I can do multiple stages of stupid shit.

Ed Zachary wrote:

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:I've trained in a pair for 2+ years now,,same pair, they are wearing out, and they aren't good for heavy sled drags and pushes.

They don't stink if you wear socks.

The second version of these people don't seem to like as well. Bit the third is ok.

Light drags and pushes are ok, but if you have to bulldog something to get it going, you will rip the soles off

I'm out. I need a tough barefoot or near barefoot shoe I can do multiple stages of stupid shit.

Goofy as they are, go with the five fingers. Soles are much tougher than ones you find in the shoes. Great in the water too. There are also square toed barefoot shoes for maximum fabulousness.

Vff are good in the water, but I have seen 3 people,rip them open pushpins a heavy prowler...I think the all leather Merrell barefoot shoes, tough glove maybe, are the toughest barefoot shoes

I really like the VFF lace ups but the Merrells look rugged.

Shafpocalypse Now wrote: They don't stink if you wear socks.

I wore them on a long mud run that soaked them through and through and included a finishing swim in a pond. After letting them dry in the breezy sun they smelled fine, so they are cleanable.

Ed Zachary wrote:Merrells look rugged.

Never thought I'd see the word 'rugged' associated with Merrell. Rugged perhaps for urban hipster campout.

BabaLoo wrote:

Ed Zachary wrote:Merrells look rugged.

Never thought I'd see the word 'rugged' associated with Merrell. Rugged perhaps for urban hipster campout.

And would you suggest? Wooden soled leather knee boots with spikes on the toes? Wtf.

Yes some hipsters wear them, though I see them more with loafers sans socks more often than not. Merrells are not bad in terms of durability for things like moderate hiking, outdoor training, yard work, or trail running. Not to mention just walking around.

If a shoe is comfortable and offers you what you want in terms of function and appearance then you are fucking idiot for not liking it because some cocksucker in high dollar hobo clothes and a trust fund thinks they are cool.

Enjoy your rugged, lugged, goat leather, spiked toed clog boots or whatever the fuck you think is manly.

Dunn wrote:

BabaLoo wrote:

Ed Zachary wrote:Merrells look rugged.

Never thought I'd see the word 'rugged' associated with Merrell. Rugged perhaps for urban hipster campout.

And would you suggest? Wooden soled leather knee boots with spikes on the toes? Wtf.

Yes some hipsters wear them, though I see them more with loafers sans socks more often than not. Merrells are not bad in terms of durability for things like moderate hiking, outdoor training, yard work, or trail running. Not to mention just walking around.

If a shoe is comfortable and offers you what you want in terms of function and appearance then you are fucking idiot for not liking it because some cocksucker in high dollar hobo clothes and a trust fund thinks they are cool.

Enjoy your rugged, lugged, goat leather, spiked toed clog boots or whatever the fuck you think is manly.

You're hilarious. I don't apologize for hurting your feelings about a damn shoe. My experience with Merrells is they are NOT a durable shoe/boot. Merrell = Chinese made crap.

Edit: next time I post I'll make sure to put on a disclaimer just for you "please take interweb forum postings very seriously"

I had a pair of Merrell vibram soled trail shoes. Loved them, until the mileage got up to over 5. Then my achilles and arch began to hurt so bad I thought I was on the verge of tearing something. Looked at the site again and found a version recommended for both long distances and/or beginners (me). Had a bit more heel support. I switched and immediately had relief. I wore these on my Tough Mudder, and they worked great, but smell so bad now, I have retired them.

I have two pairs of new balance minimus, one running, one crosstraining, that I use for hiking/walking/running/throwing. I love them. I use them for every day walking about, running on trails, and throwing. I feel like my ankles and arches are stronger now than they've ever been. I used to have a lot of ankle instability (high arches) and I usually walk around the house barefoot (and outside quite a lot), but using these shoes for every day walking about has made a huge positive difference in the instability. They do stink occasionally, even with socks, because I am just a gross sweaty person, but I put them through the wash and all is good. Also, those carbon shoe odor absorbers are incredible.

The Merrell road glove is the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn, but I haven't tried the NB yet.

I think that I have been through four pair of the NB Minimus Zero Road in their current incarnation and like them quite a lot. I picked up the last pair in stock in the country or would have a few more. However, I recently wore the NB Minumus Trail for a rather technical race and thought they sucked - I was slipping all over the place and they didn't do as well on the road portions as I would have liked. If you are concerned about the stench, the trail would be fine - the road has soft material that they included for people to wear without socks and that soaks up the odor - I talked to the NB rep that I get mine through and she said they were aware of the issue. However, for some reason, the last few pairs haven't been as bad. I do make sure they dry out before storing them and rarely wear the same shoe more than two or three days per week so that could be part of it - the carbon odor absorbers previously mentioned are in my cabinet at home and in the office

I have torn the hell out of VFF - went through a new SeeYa in four days (replaced by the company). For a decent general purpose shoe, I like the NB MR20 - I picked up a pair to try out and have been wearing them for a lot of general things - if I were to pack a single shoe, this may be it at the moment. My son has the Merrell barefoot and they are in fantastic condition despite being put through a ton of crap. I wouldn't hesitate to try a pair out.

For some reason, the Trail on concrete is slippery as fuck, especially wet concrete

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:For some reason, the Trail on concrete is slippery as fuck, especially wet concrete

From my experience slippery on pretty much everything but packed dirt.