There’s also plenty of torsional flex, which further lends itself to a true barefoot style allowing the lateral foot to fall first and continuing with a roll inwards to the inside of the foot in natural motion. Upper

However, users have mentioned that they are heavier and less responsive than other barefoot footwear. That said, they also note that the shoes still offer good freedom of movement, thanks to how the footwear has one of the widest toe boxes compared to other barefoot trail runners.I personally think this is a good thing because it adds to this shoe’s ability to protect the feet and not beat them up while also giving you enough to simulate being barefoot. This model has a 2.5mm base sole with 4mm lugs which work really well on light and moderately technical trails. Otherwise, the tongue is a thin, flat design that sits perfectly over the bridge of the foot and doesn’t seem to dig in anywhere nor move around. Our reviewer found the Primus Trail let his feet breath really well, and they were surprisingly good at keeping trail juice out (puddles need to be pretty deep before water gets in), but there was some tightness around the smaller toes. To gather the data, I ran on a relatively flat 0.5-mile trail, running the first half at a 5:15 min/km speed and the second half at 4:10 min/km.

The Vivobarefoot results in the least amount of pronation out of the test shoes, again likely due to the true barefoot feel.

Expert Reviews

Something about the shoe forces me to “feather” the ground and land softly. And that lines up well with the feeling of a truly minimal feel. If you’re someone that wants to save a little money and you want to go the barefoot trail shoe route, then you might want to look into the Xero Shoes Mesa Trail model. This model will cost you less and deliver a similar performance to the Primus Trail II FG. Pros: I really like these shoes. They they look great, are light, have a great barefoot ground feel, and our extremely breathable. The traction feels solid, as does the shoe. There are no half sizes here, but the sizing, due to the shape of the shoe, is quite generous. If you’re normally a half size, I’d suggest rounding down rather than up.

There are two interesting data points of pronation. How far your ankle travels from side to side during a step, and how fast it happens. Shoe Users of the Primus Trail II All Weather FG shoes have mentioned that the Primus Trail II All Weather FG shoes have good responsiveness, thanks to their flexibility and lightweight features. People who have used the footwear said that since the shoes react well to their feet, feeling more of the ground connection. The Addis are made in Ethiopia, while the RA are made in Portugal. The RA feel better constructed, but are more expensive as well. Though I prefer the Addis because they are slightly wider, more stable in a way. I have both the regular version and the Oxford. Fantastic shoes. If the material is an issue for you, there is a knit option that you may want to try instead, which will be more forgiving and possibly reduce any sore spots.Furthermore, its wide toe box helps with users’ natural foot movement. Consumers also say the toe box adds to its comfort, feeling flat, flexible, and wide. Fit and Sizing One of the areas where the Primus Trail II FG excels is on trails and hikes that would be considered light or easy terrain. The lugs on this model will be more than enough on surfaces that don’t require a ton of tread to maintain traction. I like this shoe most for dirt trails since they’re generally fairly flat in the context of the terrain you’ll encounter. I used the Primus Trail during and in my training for The Guzzler 50km and many of my long runs since. During this time I’ve found the Primus Trail comfortable and suitable for my runs of all distances. The Primus Trail is minimal, meaning for long runs the runner needs to be adept in wearing minimal footwear. The Primus Trail is a good option, it allows the foot to move naturally, while giving protection underfoot. Once the shoe is worn in the foot has ample room to splay and move without the shoe inhibiting this. This is the goal of a minimal shoe, allowing the foot to move naturally and aide performance. Long distance runs in the Primus Trail mean the shoe doesn’t inhibit performance, but the protection and small amount of cushion do aide foot fatigue to some degree. It is certainly suitable for a seasoned minimal footwear runner to wear over long distances. During a challenging 50km trail run like The Guzzler I felt the Primus Trail gave me ample support and allowed me to run over five hours feeling supported and performing well. That said, the Firm Ground outsole might feel a bit too stiff to promote ground feel for veteran barefoot runners. Even then, users praise it for being a good trail-specific shoe for wide feet, which they can use on most technical terrains and even for cross-training in the gym.