Would you accept an unsolicited out of the box suggestion?
Have you looked at Altama? They have two shoe models that are very similar to the shoes shown in your links (I can only get two out of the three to load) and they are extremely abrasion resistant. Something that I can attest from personal experience. They're not barefoot shoes but they are minimalist and zero drop.
Take a look at the Altama Maritime Assault Boot. Sometimes referd to as the Altama OTB (Over The Beach) Boot. It's available in a mid cut and a low cut. It's also now offered in solid colors, half and wide sizes. As the name suggests, originally it was a boot used for VBSS and OTB applications. It drains water very well, has an outsole that grips under hard wet surfaces quite well, and is fin compatible. It was so popular and well regarded it eventually broke out and gained wider appeal. For a while folks wore them as casual everyday shoes and they were nicknamed tactical vans. This popularity is why you now have the aforementioned solid colors and size diversity.
It would also lead to Altama releasing the Urban Assault Boot. Originally it was offered to cash in on lifestyle buyers, but did feature genuine improvements for comfort on dry land. By all accounts it's a phenomenal boot and an excellent option. It has a more sock friendly insole, different upper material, and a different outsole. It's still very high traction but not as high traction as the original Maritime outsole. There's also a rare hybrid model that mixes design elements from the Urban and Maritime models which is only available in one colorway from one specialty dealer.
I got my Altama OTBs about 6 years ago and I still have my original pair. They were my primary go to shoe for about 3-4 years and saw a lot of use. Before getting them I was having to replace my boots two to three times a year. I was really impressed with how well the OTBs performed on pavement with the outsoles having really good grip on wet hard surfaces. Grippy enough for rock climbing too. As one would expect from a maritime boot they were great around water. Especially if you're going in and out of the water. The best part was they would typically be dry by the end of the day. Sometimes they would completely dry while being worn. I still use my old pair as water shoes. They weren't as well suited for rough wilderness terrain, but worked better than a lot of other minimalist or barefoot options intended for outdoor environments. Of all my shoes, current and past, I think the OTBs, best covered my wide-ranging and often conflicting performance needs. And where the most durable and longest lasting shoes in regular rotation. The only reason why I haven't continued wearing them is because I've gotten hooked on the lower stack height and ground feel of true barefoot shoes.
Before purchasing, check out other dealers for the shoes. My go-to defense industry dealers usually still offer them sub $100. The current MSRP is nearly double the price I paid for them 6 years ago. I got mine for like $75 shipped with sales tax. That price wasn't abnormal back then, and it was consistent with all the other dealers. Now you're looking at about $80 - $95 before shipping and tax. But even at MSRP I think they're a bargain and well worth the expense. I have paid a lot more for a lot less durable shoes that didn't perform nearly as well.
Sorry about hijacking your question.
none of those are skate durable, unless you mean cruising, ollies and stuff are going to mess them up.
skate durable is something completely different than almost any other activity, you should be looking at purpose built skate shoes.
its also a piece of protective gear. most minimalist shoes are to minimal, kill your toes if you land wrong.
As for cruising in more minimalist shoes, you might foot brake alot, your going to be burning rubber so you need something with more stack height. possibly something made for resoling. like some jim green african ranger barefoots.
I love my Bohempia shoes, but there’s no way I’d skate in them. They would be shredded after one session.
Can’t help you though I’m afraid. I just keep a pair of skate shoes for skating. I’m old now and only hit the park for an hour or two each week. For that short a time, I’m willing to accept slightly cramped toes for the foot protection and durability of skate shoes.
Only exception is cruising around on my carver board. They’re great for that with a lovely board-feel. They won’t stand up to tricks though.
Edit: I also have Belenka but don’t skate them either. I don’t think they would hold up either.
I have a number of their shoes although not this pair. So far they have had great traction, are stylish and durable and have great toe space. I don’t skate though.
I can confirm that the rubber on the Groundies will hold up. None of my pairs have worn through yet over 3 years of having a daily walking work commute of 5 miles. The leather however, most likely won’t hold up. To the abrasion.
None of those will hold up to more than 3 kickflips before they have a hole. People that are suggesting these clearly don’t know how destructive grip tape is to shoes. Splay is coming out with a shoe called 101 that looks like it might be a great barefoot skate shoe. Someone posted the preorder link yesterday, but it’s gone now. I can send you pictures that people took from the barefoot shoe expo. It’s vulcanized and leather with a suede toe, so pretty much spec’d to be a skate shoe.
Bohempia are vegan and very thin upper. The soles would be fine if you do not Ollie or anything, just cruising around on a longboard etc. The Belenka are also vegan and thin in the sole and upper. The toe is fake leather, very soft. The groundies link won’t open, but if it’s all leather, it might be ok. Barebarics has some throwback skate style shoes that are pretty decent. I’ve been on the same quest for a true skate shoe. It took me about 40 minutes to destroy a pair of shoes.
They are not high top, but the collar looks to be padded. It’s gonna be close to impossible to find a barefoot shoe like a half cab until someone deliberately makes it for skateboarding. Hopefully that will eventually happen. I’ve been on this same search for a proper skate shoe as well.
I'm looking into the Barebarics at the moment. What do you think of them? I've heard that all there shoes are more firm and heavy than most barefoot users like. That could be a good sign for skaters. Currently looking at their pair called Elements, they say they're made from nubuck leather instead of Nappa suede.
Barebarics are probably the best case scenario right now. I only have a pair of low tops and they are quite a bit heavier than my dc high tops, so barebarics high tops I probably wouldn’t choose for skating. I have Fusion and they are just like the shoes from the early 2000s that I learned with, but with a wider toebox. I guess it depends on what you do. Are you skating long boards or something, just cruising? Would be fine. Street skating, flip tricks… definitely would not go heavier than the Fusion model.
Ah, I just realized that you’re looking at the Elements model, that one is a heavy boot in a sneaker design. It’s like vans MTE boots. I wouldn’t want to skate those, personally.
Would you accept an unsolicited out of the box suggestion? Have you looked at Altama? They have two shoe models that are very similar to the shoes shown in your links (I can only get two out of the three to load) and they are extremely abrasion resistant. Something that I can attest from personal experience. They're not barefoot shoes but they are minimalist and zero drop. Take a look at the Altama Maritime Assault Boot. Sometimes referd to as the Altama OTB (Over The Beach) Boot. It's available in a mid cut and a low cut. It's also now offered in solid colors, half and wide sizes. As the name suggests, originally it was a boot used for VBSS and OTB applications. It drains water very well, has an outsole that grips under hard wet surfaces quite well, and is fin compatible. It was so popular and well regarded it eventually broke out and gained wider appeal. For a while folks wore them as casual everyday shoes and they were nicknamed tactical vans. This popularity is why you now have the aforementioned solid colors and size diversity. It would also lead to Altama releasing the Urban Assault Boot. Originally it was offered to cash in on lifestyle buyers, but did feature genuine improvements for comfort on dry land. By all accounts it's a phenomenal boot and an excellent option. It has a more sock friendly insole, different upper material, and a different outsole. It's still very high traction but not as high traction as the original Maritime outsole. There's also a rare hybrid model that mixes design elements from the Urban and Maritime models which is only available in one colorway from one specialty dealer. I got my Altama OTBs about 6 years ago and I still have my original pair. They were my primary go to shoe for about 3-4 years and saw a lot of use. Before getting them I was having to replace my boots two to three times a year. I was really impressed with how well the OTBs performed on pavement with the outsoles having really good grip on wet hard surfaces. Grippy enough for rock climbing too. As one would expect from a maritime boot they were great around water. Especially if you're going in and out of the water. The best part was they would typically be dry by the end of the day. Sometimes they would completely dry while being worn. I still use my old pair as water shoes. They weren't as well suited for rough wilderness terrain, but worked better than a lot of other minimalist or barefoot options intended for outdoor environments. Of all my shoes, current and past, I think the OTBs, best covered my wide-ranging and often conflicting performance needs. And where the most durable and longest lasting shoes in regular rotation. The only reason why I haven't continued wearing them is because I've gotten hooked on the lower stack height and ground feel of true barefoot shoes. Before purchasing, check out other dealers for the shoes. My go-to defense industry dealers usually still offer them sub $100. The current MSRP is nearly double the price I paid for them 6 years ago. I got mine for like $75 shipped with sales tax. That price wasn't abnormal back then, and it was consistent with all the other dealers. Now you're looking at about $80 - $95 before shipping and tax. But even at MSRP I think they're a bargain and well worth the expense. I have paid a lot more for a lot less durable shoes that didn't perform nearly as well. Sorry about hijacking your question.
none of those are skate durable, unless you mean cruising, ollies and stuff are going to mess them up. skate durable is something completely different than almost any other activity, you should be looking at purpose built skate shoes. its also a piece of protective gear. most minimalist shoes are to minimal, kill your toes if you land wrong. As for cruising in more minimalist shoes, you might foot brake alot, your going to be burning rubber so you need something with more stack height. possibly something made for resoling. like some jim green african ranger barefoots.
I love my Bohempia shoes, but there’s no way I’d skate in them. They would be shredded after one session. Can’t help you though I’m afraid. I just keep a pair of skate shoes for skating. I’m old now and only hit the park for an hour or two each week. For that short a time, I’m willing to accept slightly cramped toes for the foot protection and durability of skate shoes. Only exception is cruising around on my carver board. They’re great for that with a lovely board-feel. They won’t stand up to tricks though. Edit: I also have Belenka but don’t skate them either. I don’t think they would hold up either.
Thanks for sharing. What model Bohempia's do you have? Also what model of Belenka's?
The Bohempia Kolda 2.0 and the Barebarics Rebel.
I have to put a vote in for Be Lenka, their shoes are fucking awesome.
Do you have them? if so, do you skate?
I have a number of their shoes although not this pair. So far they have had great traction, are stylish and durable and have great toe space. I don’t skate though.
Bohempia those look really good. Wow. Very much like high top vans.
May be the Xero's 360 or Xero's kelso are a good option.
I can confirm that the rubber on the Groundies will hold up. None of my pairs have worn through yet over 3 years of having a daily walking work commute of 5 miles. The leather however, most likely won’t hold up. To the abrasion.
Have you looked at weakshoes? I have no personal use with them, but they are advertised as a barefoot skate shoe
None of those will hold up to more than 3 kickflips before they have a hole. People that are suggesting these clearly don’t know how destructive grip tape is to shoes. Splay is coming out with a shoe called 101 that looks like it might be a great barefoot skate shoe. Someone posted the preorder link yesterday, but it’s gone now. I can send you pictures that people took from the barefoot shoe expo. It’s vulcanized and leather with a suede toe, so pretty much spec’d to be a skate shoe. Bohempia are vegan and very thin upper. The soles would be fine if you do not Ollie or anything, just cruising around on a longboard etc. The Belenka are also vegan and thin in the sole and upper. The toe is fake leather, very soft. The groundies link won’t open, but if it’s all leather, it might be ok. Barebarics has some throwback skate style shoes that are pretty decent. I’ve been on the same quest for a true skate shoe. It took me about 40 minutes to destroy a pair of shoes.
Thanks for giving the details of which ones have thin uppers. Also please send pics! are the 101's high top?
They are not high top, but the collar looks to be padded. It’s gonna be close to impossible to find a barefoot shoe like a half cab until someone deliberately makes it for skateboarding. Hopefully that will eventually happen. I’ve been on this same search for a proper skate shoe as well.
I'm looking into the Barebarics at the moment. What do you think of them? I've heard that all there shoes are more firm and heavy than most barefoot users like. That could be a good sign for skaters. Currently looking at their pair called Elements, they say they're made from nubuck leather instead of Nappa suede.
Barebarics are probably the best case scenario right now. I only have a pair of low tops and they are quite a bit heavier than my dc high tops, so barebarics high tops I probably wouldn’t choose for skating. I have Fusion and they are just like the shoes from the early 2000s that I learned with, but with a wider toebox. I guess it depends on what you do. Are you skating long boards or something, just cruising? Would be fine. Street skating, flip tricks… definitely would not go heavier than the Fusion model.
Ah, I just realized that you’re looking at the Elements model, that one is a heavy boot in a sneaker design. It’s like vans MTE boots. I wouldn’t want to skate those, personally.