Peluva Strand ATR
TLDR: Felt great but in my use case the fabric between toes ripped after 150km of walking
Hi!
I know these are not true barefootshoe experience but if someone, like me, is looking for something with a bit of cushion, might be interested inreading this.
So in 2025 I did 360km backpacking trip in Vibram FiveFingers Trek. Mixed surface, gravel, dirt, rocky paths, asphalt, cobblestone etc. They did great in terms of wear, a little bit of the tread started to wear but other than that they seem good for another trip.
They weren't as comfortable on asphalt (duh). And combined weight of user (me) and backpack being 120kg didnt help with that.
I really like separate toes in shoes because wearing only toe socks for separation doesnt always prevent blisters for me.
So I went searching, found Peluva, separate toes, 11mm or so stack, so some cushioning on hard, man made surfaces.
Bought them, through EU retailer.
They actually fit my particular feet better than Vibrams. Easy enough to put on and it gets easier after few times.
Sole:
You obviously cant expect the same level of ground feel as in Vibrams. Longer days with backpack however felt great. You had so little cushioning that you still felt whats going on, yet you had enough of it that after 30km+ your feet didnt feel sore. And the sole itself got more flexible with use.
Tread:
In ATR it consists of "patches" of different material glued to the foam. It was concerning to me, but it doesnt seem to go anywhere. That is in terms of glue holding it because tread on midfoot was gone by 60km. Thats normal place for wear for me because I tend to "twist" my feet after each step. It was however deteriorating a bit faster than I would like, or seen on different shoes. (Wont compare to Vibrams because Peluvas pattern is way different)
By 100-120km tread on big toes and on heel started thinning, again faster than I would like.
And I would be okay with that wear for the most part if it was a trade off for great grip. And the grip was.. okay. It held where you expected and slipped where most shoes would slip.
It was however very bad with mud, as the groves were full after 1 step. I would for some reason slip on some pavements quite hard, maybe it was the pavement itself tho.
Upper:
Feels nice, very good breathability.
Had holes between the toes after 150km.
What?
Yeah the shoes didnt last 4 days of use.
I walked in some wet weather, which probably accelarated dirt accumulation between the toes. But then again, my Vibrams have 700km right now of similair use and the fabric between the toes feels brand new.
Maybe my toes rub in a way that accelarates the wear, but the again, Vibrams are ok.
And its a shame, because they felt really good.
But then again, after 4 days I was stuck on my trip. With 150$ shoes that had holes after only 150km. (The EU retailer offered money return so I wont be stuck with them long) Luckily I managed to buy some sandals in a village near the trail, I was miserable but the sandals held strong lol.