Barefoot Training?

Now that I have your attention, I'd like to draw your attention to the piece of engineering on your feet. Cushioned, form-fitting, and designed to protect the feet from the elements.


If/when TSHTF and we have to split for rugged lands (I'm in South texas, so the weather for the most part is warm all year with a few drops in temps under freezing) what about our footwear?

For example - I have Timberland all-weather waterproof boots on at the moment (I took the motorcycle in this morning) and while they are a marvel of injection molded rubber, padding, and support, if I wore them day in day out for a year, they'd be rags. Nonfunctional.

Assuming that there is no infrastructure to go and get some more boots, then what do I do (metaphorical "I" speaking) that can alleviate that?

In the running world, Vibram FiveFingers are popular minimalist shoes that allow for trails, streams, and other stuff. Close to barefoot. Similar to real-life moccasins in that there is precious little between you and ground.

Would you intentionally run/train to be barefoot as a fallback for if/when your shoes eventually fall apart? I do, mainly because real shoes change my stride and give me shin splints if I run long distances. I can run all day in VFFs and not have next-day pain...

I am looking to spark a discussion on whether this would be generally viable... I know there are studies on natives in cold environs who can tolerate barefeet on near-freezing wet temps (Tierra del Fuego, for instance) and some barefoot runners who can run in the snow barefoot.

I think the idea has validity... in the midst of guns, ammo, and other stuff, we gotta look at the feet as a means of propulsion and also how to keep them healthy.

BTW - running barefoot requires a peripheral awareness of ground as your run, not toe-gazing as you run... just to be aware of how the ground changes...

reply to post by MagoSA

ask some aussies on here.. they are always barefoot...

i my self have boots steel toed and non ST, the first are Georgia, keep feet warm blow 20deg the other are Cuevas, both are comfortable with or with out socks, do not remember the price but are reasonable.i am wearing the steel toes and in the snow, with out socks it might add, feet get to hot, they are 12in in height have very good tread and wear life, 5 years and counting!

I agree. The shoes are very important. I believe in body hardening. Just for event like TSHTF. Using the vibrams are a way of doing that without causing perment damage to your feet. I personally own a pair, and I love it. But then again you dont have to wear them to make your feet strong. just start off running a 1/2 mile barefoot. Trust me, if you have never done it before, you'll be albe to tell the difference fast. I did that for about 2 weeks, everyday before I wore the shoes, so my body could adjust. But in the long run, I believe its a great idea. I never thought how important feet/ feet protection would become if anything really bad happened. Like you said we always think about food, and guns/ammo first. Great point to bring up.

going bear foot when the SHTF is not a good idea especially in the urban/ city, where glass and steel debris are a threat to the feet, out in the county one could go bear foot, or at least moccasin's, kits can be bought or made for as little as 25$ i do mountain man reenacting, so i am more than ready for the day when SHTF

I am barefoot whenever possible.

However, I tried to go barefoot in the snow - I lasted about 20 seconds!!!!

Kill the weak, take their foot wear.
Kill the weak take their fire arms.
Kill the weak take their supplies.
Kill the weak, eat their flesh.
Only the strong survive......

Ok maybe that's a load of self serving BS.

I would look into how to make Native American leather moccasins.
They are cheap, easy to build with some practice, and have served mankind for centuries. Not to mention mountain men of yesteryear and to this day still swear by them. Remember when killing an animal use every part, turn fur inside facing the skin. avoid walking on cement. They should last a year or more with proper maintenance.

And if you really want to be hard core about it try this. A little trick I picked up in the army.
Humvee tires were what we used, but any car tire will do.
Cut a chunk of rubber out bigger than your foot. Measure your boot sole on it, and with A LOT of CAREFUL EFFORT proceed to cut that foot shape out.
After pissing an moaning for 30 minutes to an hour you should have one steel belted 1 inch thick boot sole at your disposal. step 2 is repeating the same agonizingly tedious and potentially painful process.
You will need some Cat gut type of thread or heavy weight mono filament, a large leather working needle and some pliers. When you have that, you should prepare for the second phase of LONG and TEDIOUS sewing, but in the end you will have soles that will last 10 years. This can also be applied to moccasins. Maybe I'll me a tutorial on wonderhowto.com

I hope everyone knows I was joking about the first part. But it's ATS and single line readers abound.

In a world where you can't even find replacement boots/shoes after a year, I highly doubt people would live long enough for it to be a concern.

My point is, in that world, we are all dead anyway. If you find yourself still alive, with so many dead, and you STILL can't find replacement boots to scavenge from dead people/abandoned stores/empty houses, etc...then something is seriously destroyed with that world.

Again, in that world, you probably won't live long enough for it to worry you.

You could always attempt to move toward warmer climates.
Shoes are a luxury, not a necessity per se.

I ran around barefoot on the canadian shield Most of my life
thats how everyone on the bay does it
because you are in and out of the water all the time,
no roads up there it is all travel by boat,
so even the wealthy cottagers kick of their shoes as soon as they leave the dock
in civilization...

it is all what you get used to and necessity is the mother of invention they say
IMHO
Those who survive will be better at solving problems like shoes, more so then those that kill the people who might solve those problems.

I hope the kill em all types enjoy the meat, letting it waste might bring on some BAD karma....
I doubt those kind of skins will make good shoes though...if that kind of skin did make good shoes,
then man wouldn't need shoes in the first place.

Originally posted by harrytuttle
In a world where you can't even find replacement boots/shoes after a year, I highly doubt people would live long enough for it to be a concern.

My point is, in that world, we are all dead anyway. If you find yourself still alive, with so many dead, and you STILL can't find replacement boots to scavenge from dead people/abandoned stores/empty houses, etc...then something is seriously destroyed with that world.

Again, in that world, you probably won't live long enough for it to worry you.

My family has a pretty robust set of post-apocalyptic skills. Wife can spin thread from wool, can crochet just about anything. I know the basics of keeping sheep and goats. I know how to make felt from fur. I can hunt with a simple recurve bow and am currently learning to knapp flint. (sucks on hands, let me tell you).

I can work leather, I know how to make brain-tanned leather, and I am pretty sharp in terms of how to make lye from ashes, and other basic non-technological stuff.

We can and have other friends that can go into the woods, and start a community and be self-sufficient. In a world gone batcrap crazy, why would we lurk anywhere near cities self-destructing?

I say my point stands..

reply to post by MagoSA


If you are skilled with leather, and your wife can make thread....then why are you worried about footwear?

You have all the neccessary skills to make footwear on demand.

reply to post by stellify

I am currently getting used to hiking boots in preparation for snow. My feet and legs cramp after a full day in shoes.
I go 9 out of 12 months of the year barefoot. I can go about 20 minutes in 32 degree weather, about 10 minutes in the snow. Beyond that.. my feet need a covering, and even though I'm more comfortable barefoot I keep shoes to go to town in, and for snow and ice. I can run on rocks and I can go places in the woods barefoot that most city people couldn't go with the best of boots.

When I got to Dominican Republic I never put shoes on.
You just need to be a little more cautious where you step.

Most people will require shoes. Waterproof is best and athletic shoes are the most versatile.
I keep a pair of "crocs" (flexible rubber sandals basically) in my B.O.B. just for around the camp and when wading is unavoidable.
People forget they will have to get their feet wet on occasion.
The Mexican sandal is a good idea, but not easy to make as you say.
The best leather for making mocassins should be cut from the thickest parts of the hide you are making it from (not the back as it is the thinnest)
Improvised footwear can be make from bark and even grass,
Ingenuity is the key here.
It still wouldn't hurt anyone to learn to walk barefoot. It will make you more acutely aware your surroundings.

Definitely! While you still have society to fall back on, I encourage anyone to get back to their nature that had been shared with our mother earth for longer than we can conceive. I say train like a caveman, and if and when the # really does hit the fan, take everything along with you that you can, as long as you feel you need it at that point.

Living here in a tropical climate I go barefoot most of the time. Have a pair of wood sandals I carved that use when gather things from the jungle and walk to the river to fish. Also have a pair of sandals made from an old tire given to me by one of the local villagers. Total cost of footwear 0 just bit of time to make. Both pair quite comfortable as well.

Originally posted by Asktheanimals
Most people will require shoes. Waterproof is best and athletic shoes are the most versatile.
I keep a pair of "crocs" (flexible rubber sandals basically) in my B.O.B. just for around the camp and when wading is unavoidable.
People forget they will have to get their feet wet on occasion.
The Mexican sandal is a good idea, but not easy to make as you say.
The best leather for making mocassins should be cut from the thickest parts of the hide you are making it from (not the back as it is the thinnest)
Improvised footwear can be make from bark and even grass,
Ingenuity is the key here.
It still wouldn't hurt anyone to learn to walk barefoot. It will make you more acutely aware your surroundings.

Crocs! Great idea!

Im adding them to my b.o.b now

reply to post by MagoSA


What about a good pair of rollerblades?

Make good distance with those, they are very heavy though

reply to post by peck420


Leathercraft is time-intensive. In a bug-out situation, I don't necessarily have all my leather kit with me at all time - needles and other niceties like rivets and such. However, I can tan leather, I can fabricate some of the stuff out there, like bone needles and sinew for stitching with enough time. In a caravan situation, it might be difficult to do... thus the need for some foot toughening.

I did two miles yesterday in Vibram FiveFingers. When I can do five daily in them, I'll transition to completely barefoot running. Just because if I'm ever caught barefooted, I can still run, flee, pursue, and hunt.