u/Linneapaw

I always appreciate when people take the time to come back and write an update/review, so here is mine! I ended up keeping the Barebarics Zing Frost in size 43, and here’s how it went.

I’ve been using them since I made my original post, so around 5 months now. They’ve been my only winter pair after switching to barefoot shoes, so they’ve been used regularly in both rain and snow, and they handled both very well.

Comfort / Barefoot transition
I am still very new to barefoot shoes, and I did the beginner mistake of giving away all my old shoes too quickly 😅 So right now I literally only have two pairs.

My first pair was the Xero Shoes Mesa Trail II, and these Barebarics were my second pair, so I don’t have a lot to compare them to. But I can say that, as someone new to barefoot shoes and dealing with some chronic pelvic floor pain, the Xeros felt much harsher on my body when walking on asphalt (they were amazing in the forest though). The Barebarics definitely have more "cushion", which suits me better at this stage.

Sizing
Size-wise, they are definitely a bit big on me, but I found these heel pads (see pics) and they worked perfectly. I wasn’t sure if they would stay in place long-term, but they’ve held up the entire time.

Because of the heel pads, my feet don’t slide back and forth when I walk. I can still tell the shoes are slightly oversized, but my feet are not “swimming” in them and my toes are super comfy.

Today I wore them on a short forest walk for the first time, and that went well too. I think that was the first time I really noticed the extra space inside them, since walking on uneven terrain made my feet move around a bit more than usual.

Warmth
The shoes are warm enough for me since I tend to run warm, but the extra room also allowed me to wear thicker wool socks during the coldest winter days, which ended up being a nice advantage.

Style
Aesthetically, they remind me of 90s skater shoes. In my opinion they look best with pants that are wider at the bottom and cover part of the shoe a bit, at least that works best for me as a tall woman (see pics).

Overall, they worked out fine. You see, at some point I got tired of ordering and returning shoes, especially because it’s expensive where I live. I’ve spent around 80 euros just on customs duties and carrier handling fees for 3 different pairs that didn’t fit, so I decided to keep these.

Honestly, I still have no idea if sizing down would have been perfect or not.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone out there. Feel free to ask any questions and I’ll do my best to answer!