19Jun
19Jun
The Collector
Many people are collectors this is not an unusual hobby. Stamps, coins, books, cars and even houses, but how many collectors of Paleos® do you know? Well I’m a collector of Paleos® because I absolutely love them and quite frankly I’m addicted, there I’ve said it! I did not notice the addiction at first, I suppose I was in denial, but now I just must admit it.
My collection
As far as I’m aware its the largest collection of Paleos® outside of Germany, its made up of a total of 10. Currently my collection hangs on my wardrobe door, but soon they will outgrow the wardrobe and I will have to find a larger area. My aim is to own every model, including rare ones that are only produced as a test version, of which I currently have one, a pair of ANTERRA that have dual colour PAWS (black and white) and another pair with transparend red PAWS.
The first contact
When I first laid my eyes on GoStBarefoots and the Paleos® chain mail shoes in November 2012, I was totally blown away by the whole concept of wearing chain mail on ones’ feet, I knew I had to have a pair. February the following year I met up with Anna and David form Barefoot Running U.K. to discuss possible shoes to review for the next edition of their magazine. The first words out of my mouth were “we HAVE to review Paleos®” they both agreed and so I emailed Jörg to ask if he would kindly let us have a pair for reviewing.
We were thrilled to hear back with such a fast (over the past 5 years Jörg has always given me a prompt reply) and positive response. After several emails, mostly confirming the right size – there customer service is excellent, providing all the help you need, before, during and after sales. I was sent me my first pair of ANTERRA for reviewing. During the spring and summer of 2013, I clocked up more than 200 miles on purely natural terrain, most of my running is woodland and open countryside, which thanks to the amount of rain we had that spring, was very muddy.
These are perfect conditions to testing grip, comfort, performance, durability and value for money. To say I had a lot of fun would be an understatement.
The review of ANTERRA
The review was published in the summer 2013 issue of “Barefoot Running U.K.” Magazine. I had a wonderful time reviewing them and had no problem giving 4.5 out of 5 stars and stating “For all barefoot trail runners these are a must. The combination of excellent barefoot simulation and being very flexible make these perfect for trail running - as near to barefoot as you can get.” I found it very hard to find anything wrong with them, they do exactly what they claim, provide maximum barefoot feel with maximum protection on natural soft terrain.
Back then there were only three models: ANTERRA, DELINDA and PRONATIV and there wasn’t an option for PAWS. ANTERRA, DELINDA and PRONATIV provide excellent grip on natural, wet and muddy condition, it also has incredible grip on pavement, concrete, tarmac, etc. But there is a loss of grip on smooth, hard artificial man-made surfaces such as floor tiles, polished marble, etc.
The answer to this was the introduction of the PAWS. The PAWS provided the grip needed to walk on these surfaces safely without the fear of slipping. Paleos® now had the ability to go anywhere. During PAWS development I tried many different Paleos® fitted with various shapes, sizes and layout of PAWS until the finished version was made available for sale. The introduction of WATER, SOIL and CLIFF PAWS now meant you could wear Paleos® from your home, down the street and into the natural environment - which is where they belong, making them far more versatile.
The first meet up in the UK
In June 2014, shortly after the release of the Paleos® with PAWS, I arranged a Paleos® event try out day at Lydiard House, Swindon here in the U.K. We were joined by Jörg and Uschi Peitzker the creators of Paleos®, who came over from Germany for the event.
This gave anyone interested in Paleos® the opportunity to try them, but also to talk to Jörg and Uschi who brought with them a van full of assorted Paleos®. It was a huge honour for me to meet Jörg and Uschi, it gave me the opportunity to discuss GoSt-Barefoots, Paleos®, barefoot running and gain an insight into future products.
The shoe wearing problem at work
The problem I had was that I needed to wear shoes for work, something that a barefooter, like myself absolutely hates to do. To overcome the shoe wearing problem at work and the need to feel the ground with my feet, I would cut the soles out from my shoes! Extreme, yes, but spending so much time barefoot my feet had adapted so well that they would become so hot and sweaty while wearing closed shoes.
Thankfully GoSt-Barefoots came to the rescue with the URBAN series. The URBAN range was a further development of the PAWS and represented a very important move for the company, they were now offering a barefoot shoe that looked more conventional, a move from what they had done in the past. These are the ultimate barefoot shoes they quite literally are the go anywhere/anytime barefoot shoe range.
SYGENTO, HUARACHE and SLIPPER are suitable for summer and winter, because of their lightweight construction, they are also recommended for offices, leisure and residential areas in addition to natural environments at higher temperatures. SHEPPARD, WETLINER, ATTAGO and TUHRON can do this as well, but they are sturdier in the upper shoe area and therefore better suited for rough terrain and sports activities.
Cutted soles versus SYGENTO
I’ve now swapped my sole-less work shoes for SYGENTO BLACK, which are so light and breathable, that hold them up towards the sun you can see light passing straight through. In fact, I have not noticed my feet becoming hot at all, the combination of the breathable fabric and chain mesh sole is truly remarkable. I tried my old sole-less work shoes as a comparison and I was astonished to find my feet became sweaty and uncomfortable the difference was shocking.
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