Ibex

They were comfortable straight away without have to break them in. I am very pleased with them

These boots are the absolute best! I own several different brands of barefoot shoes and these are by far the best. They are made of great quality materials with obvious pride in craftmanship. I've been wearing these for a few weeks now and no longer have interest in my other shoes. Plenty of room for the toes even with correct toes on. Love the flexibility and simple look and wearing these has greatly decreased my chronic foot pain. My favorite shoes ever, I highly recommend and will be buying more shoes from Freet!

Fantastic shoe. I ordered 40 though really I should wear a 39, because I wanted to be able to wear two pairs of thick socks. The fit is quite good when I'm wearing two pairs. I can also add a pair of toe spacers between the two pairs (toe socks; spacers; conventional socks over the top of the spacers). And I have really wide feet! It's amazing to me that these fit so great on my squarish, 23.5 cm long, 10 cm wide feet. I also like the gusseted tongue. I live in the US Pacific Northwest, and it's rainy, muddy, snowy and icy here in the winter (and spring too). I haven't experienced any water intrusion at all while hiking in these Ibex. I did treat the leather with a wax/oil combo before first wear, and I continue to renew this treatment every time I clean the boots, so that helps. Loads of miles in these (getting near 200 miles) and I still see no signs of wear on the soles. Nice lugs hold well in snow, slush and mud. The only condition where they don't hold so well is sheer flat ice, but I think only microspikes help there. Great shoe, and I hope to wear these for years to come. Bravo Freet!

The wearing to death of a pair of Freet Ibex: aka Land's End to Cape Wrath
It's not often you get the chance to know exactly how far a pair of boots have travelled, so here is a very long review covering a journey I undertook with my Freet Ibex from March - June 2022. I bought them about 2 weeks before setting off so they were virtually brand new at mile 0. For context I'd been exclusively wearing barefoot trainers for about 2 years prior to this. I've put the same review on my own website with photos (couldn't see a way to add them here) http://www.stripeyhat.co.uk/pages/resources/freetibexreview.html

Week 1, 50 miles: We (my Ibex and I) set off along the Cornish coast path. My toes are dry cosy and warm with plenty of wriggle room. The boots feel reassuringly chunky (in comparison to barefoot trainers) and well made but the ground feel is still good. My ankles are less happy and after a few days the very top rim of the boot seems to be cutting into my skin, causing a thin line of bruising and swelling where the leather of the outer boot meets the liner. I undo the laces and buy some dish cloths for padding and soldier on but it is tough. Near the end of the week, with the leather showing no sign of softening, I remember that on my last boots I'd used a different style of lacing to get round a similar issue (so maybe the point of this story is that my ankles are oddly shaped, rather than there being anything wrong with the shoes!). If anyone has a similar issue the magic trick is to lace the top two cleats the wrong way round. So go up to the top one first, then back down to the second. Your laces with look crossed and the top rim of the boot will sit a little looser.
Week 2, 130 miles: Storms pass through and there is plenty of mud to slip and slide and squelch around in but the feet remain dry and my ankle bruises are healing. On one beautiful sunny morning I pull out the dish cloths, lace them up fully (via the method described above) and never look back. Later on the same day I get my right foot wrapped in a bramble and go flying. The thorns cut three scores into the leather of the boot, one of which is quite deep. This is a chance to reflect that, because the leather is fairly thin soft and flexible and everything that you want for a barefoot feel, it's never going to be as hardwearing and tough as a 'normal” boot.
Week 3, 225 miles: I turn inland and have one full day on tarmac for which I have brought with me a pair of the 6mm ortholite insoles which I'm pleased to report work very well. You still get decent ground feel but they noticeably soften the combination of a heavy rucksack and a solid road.
Week 4, 315 miles: Nearing Bristol I spend a few days walking through long grassy fields soaked in condensation and finally dampness makes its way in. Dampness is then quickly followed by soddeness, but it's been nearly a month of daily use with a few weeks of constant mud and ultimately I'm impressed the waterproofing has lasted this long. At the end of the week I have a few rest days with the chance to get the boots properly clean and dry and re-waxed.
Week 5, 440 miles: Up the Brecon Beacons I encounter my first mountainous terrain including frosty mornings and a small amount of snow. Happily the feet are warm and comfy throughout.
Week 6, 565 miles: The bogs of central Wales are officially too much for the boots. I have several days of saturated feet, followed by a night in a bothy where I do some (in hindsight) overly aggressive drying by the fire and manage to roast the leather somewhat. The following day those old bramble scores have deepened and the boots feel distinctly crispy… I cross the Aranau (900m summits) and am pleased to report that the grip remains good. This next point is not specific to the Ibex but since starting to wear barefoot shoes I've found that my balance on difficult mountainous paths has noticeably improved, particularly on the descent where the zero-drop makes a big difference and I'm able to walk much faster and more confidently.
Week 7, 665 miles: I rack up some very long days on canal paths. The Ortholite insoles are back in and proving their worth once again, though a few days of lumpy and hard baked mud are tough on the soles. Most of the ground is dry but I do find that whenever I'm in wet grass the water is starting to seep in much more easily than before.
Week 8, 700 miles: Up the Pennine Way it now rains pretty solidly for 2 weeks and the ground alternates between hard tracks and deep bogs. Both are tough with my soles becoming bruised even with the extra insoles, and the boots pretty much constantly damp. The edge of the sole is starting to separate very slightly from the leather at the toe of the left boot and water is coming in quite freely here, as it is also on the right where the leather is cracked.
Week 9, 780 miles: I have a very sad moment sitting on top of Cross Fell where I realise that what started as a bramble scratch, and then became a wel...

These are the best shoes I've ever had! I've have had my share of feet problems, the worst being a toe issue the last two winters , which I've sought medical help for without much success. A podiatrist recommended "wide shoes " as my toe was getting squeezed by my regular sneakers. After a lot of research I found the Ibex Freet shoes. I've never really thought about barefoot shoes or been particularly interested in shoes to be honest, so I had no specific expectations besides my toe healing properly. I can't express how great these shoes are turning out for me, both in terms of my specific problem, but also in other ways I didn't expect. I was honestly a little worried about the lack of arch support after years of wearing regular shoes. As I'm new to barefoot shoes I did some research as to what to expect. But after some initial "odd" new feeling when walking, I feel more and more steady every day I use the shoes, more steady than ever before. It's hard to explain as I wasn't feeling particularity unsteady before. I think the "zero drop" thing is the reason I feel so grounded and just "right" on my feet right now. Surprisingly my back and hips hurt much less than normally (I stand a lot at work...). I think this too has to do with the "zero drop" feature. I had no transition period from regular shoes as I needed space and protection for my injured toe asap, so I'm being extra careful and listening to my body, resting when I'm tired etc. I do stretches and daily exercises to strengthen my feet and legs. My calf muscles hurt sometimes in this initial period, but it passes with some stretches and self massage. I'm still quite new to this. For me wearing barefoot shoes means I have to take a little extra care of my feet, as they're not a "crutch" as regular shoes can be. Personally this is a good thing, I feel I'm getting stronger and more deliberate in my walking and standing. The proper toe box width has improved my circulation dramatically, no more dead-cold feet in chilly weather! Quality wise I'm delighted with the quality of the leather. Living in Ireland I can say they are waterproof :), at least they have performed excellently in the last days of constant heavy rain. I wax them as recommended which gives them a nice, little darker surface. They sole has a good, solid grip on the surface. My only suggestion for improvement is to provide a choice to buy a warmer shoe insert of natural material for the Ibex. I spend time in pretty cold & damp conditions and I wanted a soft & warm thin insert, but all the inserts I could find in the market for my size were obviously too narrow. So I bought a very large (EU size 47) natural wool insert and cut it to fit my size EU 38 (EU 47 was the only size which had the needed width!). This felt a bit tricky. I would definitely have preferred buying a fitting natural leather/wool insert from Freet, made specifically for my Ibex. Since it's a shoe fit for colder conditions, it could be handy add-on for some people, especially for those who don't like wearing very thick socks. But that's about all I have to suggest. Otherwise this is a fantastic shoe and I'm very grateful and happy about having found it. Excellent customer service and speedy delivery (to Ireland at least).