I have long been a fan of Freet, with their range of versatile and practical footwear set at the lower end of the barefoot footwear price range. I’ve enjoyed following their growth and development from their quirky 4+1 shoes, to their more conventional casual shoes, walking boots, running shoes, and most recently their kids’ range.

What the brand has been lacking is a smarter, more mainstream style of barefoot shoe. Vivobarefoot has offered smart barefoot shoes for a while, but I suspect that their price puts them out of reach of many. Freet’s new range includes the Elgon. A real leather, smart-casual shoe that comes in black or light brown, and at a lower price than most Vivos.

Some people may have been under the impression that Freet is a virtuously vegan brand, as I think all of their previous footwear has been so. Those people may feel betrayed and may baulk at the idea of Freet using leather, but in this present age of antiplastic, leather shoes are enjoying being the sustainable choice.

And Freet have done it very well. These Elegons look great. I’ve never been one for choosing smart footwear if I can help it; I wear what’s practical, functional, and comfortable. The Elgons are all of those things, plus smart (relatively, for me). Suddenly my same old jeans and trousers are looking smart with a pair of Elgons beneath them, and I am beginning to feel like I should be upgrading my t-shirt and hoodie to a shirt and v-neck combo.

True to Freet’s ethos, the Elgon is flat to the floor, with a wide toe box. They’re as minimalist any other Freet shoe, and you get a true feel for what’s underfoot. The insole is removable, so you can go with just the 4mm of sole underfoot, or you can add a few millimetres of cushion if that’s your thing, or you can use it to add a few millimetres of insulation in the colder months too.

One word of caution though; when wet, the soles slip easily on shiny tiled floors, so please slow down when you walk wet-footed into a shop, station concourse, or a polished tile showroom.

The leather is soft and supple, flawless, and the shoes feel very comfortable. They are well constructed and the lack of visible signs of fatigue after just over a month of continuous daily wear is encouraging.

Size-wise, I have previously been advised by Freet to go a size up from my ‘normal’ shoe size, and regular Freet wearers will have been told the same. These Elgons come up larger than other Freets, so I have a pair in my actual shoe size. While they are a good fit generally, the slightly larger of my feet is snug, and in thick winter socks I suspect it will be on the tighter side of snug. I’d suggest either going for your normal size and maintaining a thin sock year-round, or going for a single EU size up from normal and give yourself room to bulk-up the sock.

Freet has once again nailed it. The Elgon is a great addition to the range, offering barefoot shoes to those who don’t want the quirkiness of big-toe segregation or who don’t want to be in trainers all the time. Well done Freet for bringing leather barefoot shoes to the more accessible end of the market.

made it up to the summit of Snowdon in my mudees, and they were so very comfortable. Not even a hint of a blister, my feet were perfectly warm, never cold, never too hot, in a mixture of warm sunshine and freezing ice and snow. My feet were very happy! Magdalene

‘Great to feel the ground; great to trek in and also just to wear all day’ Glen

Charles completed the Round Rotherham 50m Ultra in his Connect2 s:

‘Set out with a target time of sub 12 hours, did 9:52. Very very pleased, and very very tired’.

Congratulations from all at Freet!

We got this message from Fee C, who has found our Leap 4+1 has made a real positive difference to her foot problems:

Hello. I just wanted to let you how much of a difference your shoes have made to my feet because honestly I’m amazed. I bought the leap 4+1 initially just because I hate lifting in shoes, but I loved them so much they have become the only shoes I wear.
I am an ex ballet dancer which had given me chronic foot problems including particularly bad hallux valgus, which I controlled with spacers etc before but to little effect.
After a month in my Freets you can see the marked difference below! I wish I had a better before photo but I hated my feet haha.
Thank you so much!
Fee C

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3csz4bd

Georgia Jackson came 18th in her category for GB in the World Championships Aquathlon in Pontevedra, NW Spain. Many congratulations!

William Sichel, our Ambassador, has just completed the North Coast 500 mile run, in under 9 days, wearing Freet Responds the whole way. He runs for CLAN Cancer Support and has raised over £17,000 so far –  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/william-sichel

Raul Fernandez, professional drummer since 1995, loves wearing his Connect 2 ‘drumshoes’ on the job. Watch him perform here …

Belinda trialled a pair of Mudees and sent us this report:

‘Would I be disappointed? – after all, this is THE product I’d been waiting to be released.
As a reasonably recent convertee to the barefoot way of life I had been loathed to give up my sturdy, supportive,weatherproof walking boots- they are after all what most people rely on for longer walks.
Test week 1 – South West Coast Path in balmy sunshine.
Verdict. The barefoot experience I was used to but from a fantastic looking brown boot- even with shorts! Superbly comfortable, ‘snuggling’ to the ankle, giving support and holding the foot back on those downhills yet still allowing the freedom of movement. Incredibly grippy on all those hills, even the loose gravely surfaces. 7 days walking- 15 ish miles per day, no wearing in and my mudees were the most comfortable boot I’ve ever had.

Test week 2 – Rain, rain, rain ‘Up North’.
Verdict. Grip brilliant- I just love the way your feet relax and mould to the terrain giving you confidence and surefootedness ( is that even a word ?) like no other. BUT.. will they be weatherproof? I hadn’t cleaned or treated them in any way since taking them out of the box. Despite paddling through various streams, wet grass and muddy puddles my feet were always dry at the end of the day- pretty good for a boot that is described as ‘weatherproof’. Hubby was wearing boots from another ( more expensive) company and sadly had wet feet.

All in all a fairly perfect barefoot boot, and good looking enough to wear around town too- well worth waiting for. Just about to order two pairs in black – one for me and one to keep hubby’s feet dry.’