Option "Multi-Paws" for Paleos®

Blog Option Multi-Paws ENSince the summer 2013, we’ve worked on the "urban" versions of the PaleoBarefoots® (Series Paleos®CLASSIC and Paleos®URBAN - "Shoes" for all terrain and conditions, also the city, buildings and at home) with an incredible sole concept! Nothing is more flexible and slip-resistant than paws combined with chain mail! During our testing, we came to amazing insights that will benefit the existing series ULTRA and CLASSIC!

Nothing is more flexible and more slip-resistant than paws combined with chain mail!

As a reminder

As is well known, the application of the pure chainmail version Paleos®ULTRA and CLASSIC was limited to purely natural conditions on land and in water. Besides the high safety, the scale-like stainless steel chain mail offers amazing grip properties on natural soils. Other minimalist footwear and even bare feet can barely keep up where Paleos® excel. There's hardly a better way to enjoy pure barefoot feel on natural surfaces, safer and more relaxing than with Paleos®!

Why, then, "Multi-Paws"?

Well, if you move away from naturally rough ground and you step onto smooth polished surfaces such as marble, parquet, tiles, etc. the PaleoBarefoots® will lose their unique grip properties.

Why is that? Well, the effect can be easily explained with a piece of jewellery (eg a necklace): for example, on polished marble the chain links can easily be moved back and forth. However, on rough surfaces such as natural stone this is completely impossible. In this situation, the many fine links snag in even the smallest unevenness of the surface giving you tremendous gripping power!

Unfortunately, most of our customers do not have pure nature right outside their front door! Therefore, we were asked many times when we would optimize our foot protection for urban, hard and smooth floors? Initially the focus was directed purely on making our ULTRAs a safe minimalist footwear for urban indoor and outdoor areas in all respects.

What we've discovered here

The combination of open-chain mesh and a sole material specifically developed for GoSt-Barefoots has amazing benefits not only on urban floors (smooth, hard, polished) but also in the wild!

Nature always knows what to do!

To understand the "Multi Paw Principle" of the Paleos® let's have a closer look to the paws of cats and dogs. They clearly show us how the sole construction should look like!

Paw pads for hard, smooth surfaces, space for mud and earth to escape...

Watching our four-legged friends with their paws stepping onto hard floors, the round balls of their pads widen under the creature’s own body weight on flat surfaces, increasing the surface area connecting them to the ground, making them securely adhere to the ground.

Seen through a plexiglass window this can be observed quite well!

Mud and sodden ground are not a problem for those paws!

In soft soils, the pads can spread to enlarge the footprint and simultaneously letting mud and water pass through unimpeded. On sodden ground and in the mud the pads sink until they reach firmer ground again. With such a gripping, multi-pad construction a slipping, planning effect is much less likely. Soft soil, sand, mud, etc. can escape to the sides and upwardly between the pads.

If necessary, finally, the claws as an additional, third grip aid are added!

From of a certain soil depth and when required (eg sprinting) there are the claws as a further, third grip assistance.

Really an excellent concept!

This is the current principle of the PaleoBarefoots® and the reason for their fantastic grip on any kind of natural ground cover (algae, mosses, etc.) and slippery surfaces such as clay, mud, etc. A particularly unfavourable combination of thick mud and earth could cause the relatively fine ring mesh to be clogged - a smooth sole could arise. With Paleos® this happens very rarely - with regular shoes and minimal footwear on wet natural surfaces, this slipping, planning effect is a permanent condition! A significant reason why only a few runners turn to off-road running with regular shoes.

The features of Multi-Paws

  • Situations: Slip resistance on all kind of polished surfaces.
  • Usability: Now for all soil types and slippery urban surfaces!
  • (Fitted with "Paws" for rocky terrain), suitable for floors such as concrete or asphalt!
  • Sports: Among other, surfing, sailing, rock climbing, and much more.
  • Indoor/Outdoor: No restriction on rather soft natural surfaces!
  • Slip Hazard: The unique sole construction prevents slipping!
  • Barefoot sensation: No noticeable change!
  • Sole flexibility: Unchanged flexible and adaptable.
  • Comfort: The mesh wraps snugly around the foot.
  • Weight: Barely increased (depending on the size, about 20-25g)
  • Cushioning: additional 1.5 mm in the stressed areas and on stony ground.
  • Grip material: 100% elasticity, 65 Shore A (more resistant to abrasion than usual footwear).
  • Insulating effect: on hard ground during hot and cold spells.
  • Noise: Quiet as a whisper! Even on hard floors completely silent!
  • Safety: Increased protection against injury by the combination of spots and chain mail.

Fitted with paws also very hard and rocky substrates are easy to take!

On hard surfaces, the adaptable sole spots are hardly noticeable, steps almost sound like dog paws and even the footprints on natural soils are very similar to those of animals.

The muddier the better! Great fun with Paleos®!

The different "sets of paws" for Paleos®ULTRA/CLASSIC:

The individual sets of "Paws" differ in arrangement, paw size, material hardness and paw thickness. All versions make our chainmail shoes extremely slip-resistant on any smooth man-made (tiles, marble, etc.) surface and suited for every conceivable water sport!

Three different sets for Paleos®ULTRA: water, mixed soils, reefs and rocks!

  • For rather soft ground and water sports!
  • Small, soft Paws (Polyurethane* Shore A 65) with a thickness of 2.0 mm.
  • Colours: Black, Red and Blue.
  • For mixed terrain and water sports!
  • Medium sized, resistant paws (Polyurethane* Shore A 78) with a thickness of 2.5 mm.
  • Colours: Black, Red and Blue.
  • For reefs, stony ground and water sports!
  • Large, abrasion resistant paws (Polyurethane* Shore A 90) with a thickness of 3.0 mm.
  • Colours: Black.

* General notes on Polyurethane on Wikipedia.

Who needs "Paws"?

The basic models of the Paleos®ULTRA and CLASIC are already the best form of indestructible outdoor protection on natural surfaces, whether land or water. For purists, they provide the maximum contact with the ground, original barefoot feeling and the best conditions for natural movement. But when it comes to man-made conditions in urban areas it might be useful to have additional aids.

You don't need "Paws" if ULTRA and CLASSIC without "Paws" are used on natural terrain, and while the addition of "Paws" can bring some benefits, they really aren't necessary if you're predominantly using your Paleos on these surfaces (sand, clay, earth, mud, streams, lakes). The ring-mesh of the Paleos® provides the perfect grip for these surfaces. For underwater activity like diving or snorkelling, you'll also be fine without "Paws", though you might find them useful on the boat!

You need "Paws" if you're going from water to land - for instance moving surfboards or clambering onto boats, you'll also find "Paws" useful for these and similar applications. If you're a hiker and you sometimes need to overcome sections of hard or stony ground, you'll really appreciate the extra damping that "Paws" provide. Areas inhabited by humans are full of hard, smooth, polished plane surfaces! "Paws" not only provide pleasant additional damping, but an amazing grip on such surfaces!

Retrofitting of Paws:

Each Paleo® can easily be retrofitted with "Paws", if you send in your ULTRA's or CLASSICs to have this done, you'll also have your PaleoBarefoots® cleaned to a high gloss. Order add-on "Paws" from the online shop  at "Accessories/Upgrades".