There was a video with the CEO where he said the extra 2.5mm leather bit was because your heel sinks in more as the footbed breaks in and forms to your foot, so they end up being zero drop after break in.
Very true. I have iron rangers and 1907’s and the weight, sweat and such from your feet really form the veg tan leather to your foot shape. Just got some of these so I’m excited to get them shaped to my feet!
If you're very accustomed to wearing barefoot style shoes/sandals, your weight balance will shift away from your heels to more evenly spread across your entire foot. I literally took a Doctor Scholl's machine insole test before switching to Vibram Five Fingers many years ago. Before wearing barefoot shoes, all my weight was on my heels. After wearing Vibrams for months, the machine couldn't even recommend me an insole.
Great review! Got mine on the pre-order and been wearing daily for over 3 months now. The short story is they are my favorite shoes I have ever owned, and I love the look and feel of them. Looking forward to the comparison with the Bruin, which was on my radar before these came out. I will add a couple notes from my experience. I have grown to love the feel of the leather footbed, now when I wear anything with foam insoles on it just feels wrong. Some of the things you didn't like were actually positives for me, I prefer the lower cut and the high volume works for my extra wide fat feet. I was initially skeptical how good the sole would be, but it there is less wear than I expected for the number of miles I put on. I have worn in many different environments, metal roofing, smooth concrete, light snow, gravel, and muddy clay, and the traction has been great. It was pretty comfortable out of the box, but definitely breaks in more after a couple weeks. I ordered true to size and they fit well, if you plan on putting an insole in (why though?) consider going up a half size.
I love my Jim Green African Ranger Barfoot Boots. I hike, bike, run and do construction work in them. They were comfortable from the beginning but I tied them a bit more loose until they broke in.
The outsole was designed in conjunction with Rose Anvil, and I believe they're out in Colorado. So that sole being snow worthy checks out! Great review, keep on trucking!
subscribed. Absolutely love my Jim Green Stockman boots around the homestead, but am looking at the African Ranger boot next. Thanks guys for a tremendous review. God bless y'all.
"Homestead"... yeah you're the hippie these shoes are marketed towards. These shoes are trash. And probably cause cancer the amount of glue chemicals that are leeching into your body from when you sweat.
Great review! I was waiting for this one! Appreciate you all being up front that they were sent to you for free. Not all creators do that so appreciate it. To get a snugger fit/for the volume issues, maybe try a kiltie. It’s a piece of leather you put on top of the tongue that protects the tongue and can help with the volume. Excited to hear your thoughts about the Lems Chelsea. If you want to dress them up a bit more you could always swap out the green laces for some similar color brown flat laces. All about perspective! When I get these boots, they will definitely be on the lighter end haha. The rest of my boots are GYW and have a decent amount of leather.
One thing to add on it not being "technically zero drop" is that the leather in the sole will conpress so when you have broke in the boots it will be even closer to being zero drop.
I’ve purchased one pair in March and another pair in April I switched between the pairs of boots so the sweat can dry each day when I purchased them, I oiled them and now I use kEWE brown boot polish, they are now softer and I use then as weekly work boots. The only complaint that I have is walking downstairs. The back of the boots takes time to getting use to because it protrudes farther out than a normal boot
I also like setting up my boots for slip on. Not a fan of speed hooks at all, that’s the main reason my BFARs have not completely replaced my Lems Boulder Waterproof. With that said, Jim Green does have a custom order option. I have a pair of BFARs with black leather and all eyelets on the way.
I absolutely love these boots. Usually any drop is no go for me, but I figured the leather would compress as the boots broke in and it did. I also would like a high ankle version because there is snow and ice in winter and ticks and other biting insects in the summer where I live.
Comfortable boots. Great grip on the outsole in all weather. I agree they may work best for high volume feet. I have to really crank the laces as a C-width. I also wish they'd do an AR8 barefoot (or AR6) for better ankle hold, the 4-5 inch also makes it hard to lace them snugly. I wish Jim Green had better international distribution as shipping and duty was rough for Canada, and no returns/exchanges.
i have a pair of every barefoot shoe you ever heard about. I transitioned to barefoots about 3 years ago after a series of foot issues including surgery. I got two pairs of the African Ranger off the bat. Great product. HOwever, I did not like the sole, it felt "heely" like a regular shoe versus a barefoot shoe. And it makes the shoe feel bulky versus being light as we have come to expect for barefoot shoes. So I ripped off the soles and resoled with a 3mm rubber sole. And then that heal leather on the inside, its glued in so I pulled it right off. And now i have a truly barefoot African Ranger boot. I wear them everyday to work and on weekends to the mall etc.
I got a pair in September from the initial pre-order and have been a huge fan. I actually custom ordered two more pairs in black and wear them for work. I'm contemplating one of their higher ankle models custom ordered on the BF last.
Love mine. I ordered a 2nd pair in the new VegTan. I have high insteps so I find them a bit tight and uncomfortable across the top of my foot right where that bottom lace crosses until they broke in. The new VegTan does have a longer break in time than the original leather.
Great review guys! Jim Green do a boot called the AR8, which I think is an 8 inch high version of the African Ranger. They also take custom requests for shoes, very likely you could ask them to build the AR8 on their barefoot last, and effectively have that taller barefoot boot that you want. I'm in a warmer climate so my standard barefoot African Rangers are serving me well.
They use different lasts for some of their boots. My razorbacks are tighter than my vellies in the toe box. Just make sure you check. The vellies are perfect in size 11. The razorbacks are going to need some break in. If i had gotten 11.5 id have more toe room and be good. They list what last they use to make each model of their boots.
It's funny, but i feel like the speed hooks make them more slip on than any of my other pairs of boots (except my Chelseas). And the extra volume is the reason that they are my most comfortable boot. My big toe still hits the top of the toe box when I walk, but it's the only boot I own where my toes can spread sideways. But i guess that's the whole issue if different people, different needs. I haven't contacted Jim Green yet, but i want to ask if they can custom build their AR8s in green leather with the barefoot outsole (and the veg tan mid? Not sure if the mid is board in those) . Not sure if it will work because the regular ARs have some toe spring in the last.
Thanks for the review. I'm in the market for walking boots and it's between these, Lems Boulder Summits or Grips, and Be Lenka Rangers. I have Be Lenka Nevada's for work and they're incredible. I have even used them for hiking even though they weren't really designed for that
You have a very difficult decision to make my friend 😅 we've got a video up that compares the Grip, Summit, and African Ranger, make sure you check it out!
Love mine. I paired them with a felt insole, perfect for (Dutch) winter as well as the summer (without the insole) because they are nice and breezy and don't get as smelly as plastic shoes do. I took about a week to break mine in.
Very informative. You guys answered some of my concerns like you were reading my mind. Saved me some money as these are not for me! Great review though!
I've worn a bunch of boots and shoes and the toe-box on the Jim greens is by far the widest roomiest toe-box I have ever had. Sometimes it feels almost like it's too wide. Try it before you say it's not wide enough for you!
@@Orangatangerine We are comparing the Jim Green Barefoot Rangers with ‘barefoot” style boots, not traditional boots. The boots we are discussing are called “Barefoot Rangers”, thus are open to a comparison with other “barefoot” boots. The Jim Greens are narrower in the toe box than most “barefoots”, whether someone wears to compare or not. But, having worn them for 2 months, I can still say they are narrower in the toe than most “barefoot” boots. As I have said elsewhere, they compare well with a Keen wide, which I also have, in fact I use the Keen insole in the JG, which I will continue to wear even thought the toe box does not allow for “splay” of the big toe. I still like them, and I’m glad your big toes have a little room to maneuver up there. If too much, maybe try an insole? I use an insole mainly because the heel is too spacious for my foot. Might work for the toe also??
@@Orangatangerine Their widest point is across the ball of the foot, not at the ends of the toes. That's what we mean. To be 'barefoot' they need to not taper at the toes.
When your boots are a little big do what does South African trackers do. Wear thicker socks. That's what I do I had three pairs of Jim green razorbacks. I will definitely be buying a pair of these. Thank you
Very tempted to buy these! You guys mentioned they felt grippy in the snow. Would you say these boots would be fine for a trip to Europe during the winter? As in water proof enough to be spending some time walking around cities in the snow? Would they be warm enough?
@@stratocaster1134 the rubber compound they used on the outsole is weirdly grippy in slippery conditions yes. They aren't lined and really don't provide any warmth, and they definitely aren't waterproof. If you wanted to use them like that, I'd treat them with something to help keep water out and I'd probably size up a half and wear some thick socks. Honestly they're pretty optimized for hot weather
Thank you for the review! How does the sizing of the BF African Ranger compare to the Lems Boulder Boot Summit or Primal Zen? I am a US 10 in Lems and unsure which size to get for the African Rangers.
I have only ever deviated from the 10.5 size when companies don’t offer half sizes. All my Lems are 10.5s and so is my Ranger. Fits great. Like Eric says in the video, they are pretty high volume in general, but the length seems true to size
So, I have received my pair (US 10) and have worn them for two days. They are very comfortable. Length wise I they fit me well with plenty of toe space. I could maybe size down half a size without my toes touching the front of the shoe. The boot features, as mentioned in the review and comments, a lot of volume overall. I think I would prefer it if they were slightly less roomy in the heel and midfoot areas, but they still fit well (I am not sliding around inside the shoe or anything like that).
In my opinion (Eric), it's gonna come down to purpose. If you're looking for something for hiking I'd get the Boulder Boot, it's a much more pleasant experience, but you've gotta realize those aren't gonna last as long. If you're not gonna use them on the trail, then I think the Jim Green are a much better investment because of their durability and repairability.
@@sonsofsever wow thank you for your fast and thorough response. You have a new subscriber for sure. I also already have the Lems Outlander, so feel these will give me some good versatility between the two. Cheers!
We've found the Boulders to be just barely snug on the side of true and the Jim Green to be just a little bigger than true. Not enough that we went down a half size, but the Jim Greens are definitely roomier. We have a video directly comparing the Boulder Summit and Grip to the African Ranger, go check it out!
I got a pair a few days ago. My first pair of "barefoot" boots. I love that there isn't a shank and the sole is soft enough to feel the ground through. But that's about all I like. I'm not a huge fan of 0-drop soles, I'd prefer the comfort of a slightly thicker heel on concrete. And I'm short so every bit of help I can get there is welcome. The toe box isn't as wide as I was hoping. The rest of the foot is too wide, it requires insoles to fill. And they're cut too high up the ankle. I wish they were cut below where the padding is. I hate having my shoes go over the ankle. Unfortunately, the safety man gets upset when I wear skate shoes to work. I'm not sure what these guys are talking about with getting debris inside low cut boots, I've hiked several hundred miles in skate and running shoes in both the Appalachians and Sierra Madres and it's never been a problem, nor heard others complain; seems like a unique problem for them.
I have them and they have been absolutely my favorite boots/shoes that I own. I have higher volume feet and these fit my feet very well in that aspect, which is nice because I cannot wear a lot of barefoot shoe brands because they are very low volume. I get where you are coming from with them not being truly zero drop, but I feel that as the leather conforms to your feet it will compact the most under your heel which Carrie’s the most weight, so the sock liner might make it closer to zero drop over time
I’m hoping this will work well with my cowboy hat. I used to wear cowboy boots and a hat to work but ever since switching over to barefoot shoes I haven’t been able to wear my boots. Until someone creates a barefoot cowboy boot stuff like this is the closest I can get. I’m also hoping they can be my church shoes. my wife gets a little annoyed with me that I don’t have any dressy shoes anymore.
So, I got mine in and I don't even notice the 2.5mm sock liner. Weird because if it were soft material, I'd notice it. Idk why but soft insole hurt my feet, badly. I think there might be some truth to the comments about it being to counteract negative drop when the heel breaks in (my Lems feel like they have a negative drop when I run them without insoles where my heel has crushed down the midsole). Anyway, for those wondering about size. I have a high-volume foot Brannock 9.5 4E at heel to toe and a 10-length heel to ball, so I always start at 10. I ordered a 10.5 based on customer service and honestly, I think I could have gotten away with a 10. I can probably get away with a 2-3mm leather insole as it stands. These shoes have to be the highest volume footwear I have ever put on my feet. Just for comparison's sake I wear an 11 in Lems, Xero (sandals) and Luna sandals (but I think a 10.5 might fit me better). Regular non barefoot shoes I almost always wear a 9.5 4E or 10 EE. Regular work boots are normally a 10 EE (Red Wing 9.5 EE). But nothing prepared me for the volume in these African Rangers, lol. As an aside, I was expecting a boot (as a boot wearer) and these things are like slippers. Light, flexy and soft leather. Not boot like at all. Idk, yet, if that is to be a good or bad thing. We shall see after a few months of wear. I think I'll pick up a pair in size 10 for a daily driver in Veg Tan.
The only feature distinct to barefoot shoes I want in footwear are wide toe boxes and zero heel-toe drop. Paper thin soles and no cushion have never interested me; I run too often on pavement and hike too often on rocks with 40lb+ packs for that to be healthy. I like mine but wish I'd sized up.
Barefoot adaptation is a spectrum. It’s all about what your feet can adapt to. You could totally wear super minimal soles those situations and be fine. Just have to work your way up to it. We’re definitely not there yet, and not sure we’d ever want to be, but it can be done. Agreed, zero drop and ample toe space are the two most important aspects of a shoe.
They're pretty similar honestly. The Lems are more anatomically shaped, the Jim Greens come to more of a point, but we found them both to have plenty of toe splay room.
Just got a pair of AR in 12.5. I wear a 13 in lems Primal 2 and Boulder which run 1/2 size short. The AR is longer but not quite as wide. Can be remedied with lower front laces.
Too much volume at the heel end for me, I use an old Keen insole which fits well. I would prefer to have the toe space it takes away, but not a deal breaker, I still wear them every day, yes, even to church ( : regarding the height of the boot, Jim Green also provides the rangers with other styles which are taller.
What was the average temperature for your hikes when wearing these boots outdoors? How did they hold up to the cold, and how did you insulate to maintain the optimum comfort?
@@91dyates it was the dead of winter, so regularly in the 30s. These are definitely built for warm weather, there's no insulation at all. We had on mid weight merino wool socks to help keep our feet warm, I'd go as thick as you could if you really want to use them in the winter.
Did you at any point mention if you wore socks and if so what kind? Cuz the floppiness high volume would be greatly affected by that. Before going barefoot and into barefoot shoes I got into the habit of wearing wool socks pretty much all year round. I usually go for a mid-weight as I've found thinner socks give better mobility, but often shoes feel floppy with them or they just wear out so damn fast. Icebreaker has lifetime warranty on their socks, but it's still a pain to see holes develop after just a few months.
I was wearing Creepers Toe Socks. It's a Merino Wool blend, they're not thick by any means. A good insole and a pair of thicker wool socks would definitely help with the floppiness for sure, they just have a surprising amount of volume!
Splays don't last used it like avans or chuck and had ti soak em in dawn and hot water hour later they fell apart. Lems favorite hoping I can order a pair of these jim green hopefully 2 one for daily and one for hiking
Do you soak your Vans in dawn and hot water too? Just seems like a rough way to clean shoes. I'd probably suggest just using an old tooth brush and some dawn/warm water solution instead of soaking them next time
@sonsofsever yeah any canvas shoes that get covered in stinky mud by accident and my leathers I can spray off. My classic vibraham 5 fingers shies I held up 10 times longer and many soaks and washing machine. I clean my splays one time they utterly fell apart. It was not even a full year of owner ship. I loved em tell there durability wa so horrible. There cost is way to high for the shoddy qaulity they give ya. For there lace ups I can get better qaulity with a stitched and glued sole elsewhere called Origo for essentialy the same price and leather version as well. Splay did nothing for there glue job or lack there of they just said sorry your not happy.
@@roughready that's a huge bummer they didn't hold up! Their website does have specific instructions for cleaning though. This is copy and pasted from their FAQ page. How do I clean the shoes? It is recommended that you clean Splay canvas shoes with warm water, mild soap, and a scrub brush. Then let them air dry. It is recommended to fill the toe box of the shoes while drying to help maintain the shape. This can be done with a dry wash cloths or plastic grocery sacks. Obviously we'd wish that you could treat them like your other canvas shoes and you're right, without stitching they're not gonna be as durable, but following the brand specific guidelines is a good way to make sure they last longer. Ours have all held up well.
@sonsofsever again 10 min soak and swish in there recomend solution which is the solution for any canvas shoes between my time in the army growing up on the woods and mountains rasing myself. I know how to take care of my shoes. What I did was no diffrent than I have had to do a million times. Yeah the fact they did a horrible glue job probably didn't help much or they blatantly just ignoring the email I sent em saying they were horrible. Way overpriced for un even glue mold trimmins still on etc. Ya can defend them all ya want does not change they brushed my concerns aside before I even wore and just a few months later they fall apart from a 10 min soak and scrub and rinse. In dawn dishsoap and hot tap water. Just like they wash animals in.
@@roughready hey man not trying to discredit you at all! That sucks they didn't hold up, sounds like you got a bad pair in the first place and that's terrible Splay didn't respond well to your inquiry. Just want everyone reading this to know that they have suggestions on cleaning them.
I'm actually surprised that the ankles aren't higher because in Africa, and in any rugged natural area, protection from snake bites would be nice, and low ankle boots just don't provide protection. It's too bad that they move around a too much, but that and the weight might be the price paid for ruggedness. I just wish there a way to try them on at a local store.
if its heavy, then, that's good for me. cause it suggests some quality materials. it suggests the leather is strong and heavy, and the sole is also tough. i get worried when such shoes are light. how can a boot be both tough and light?!
Chris: I have a solution to your dislike about hooks in boots. Put the shoes on, tighten them how you like them, tie a knot that is not coming loose. Now when you want to take out the boots do not open the knot but instead unhook the lace on one side first and then pay attention how it comes off rest of the way while you just hold on to the still tied, closed loop of the laces. Practise putting the laces back on by repeating the same movements and in the end hooking the laces to the same last hook that you started with. Please try it out, it literally is the best of both ease of getting the shoes on and off and support. This makes especially much sense with 6" or 8" boots, the more hooks you have, the bigger the time save when you never untie the laces. With high boots you can even choose to leave the top hooks undone if you want to close the laces but want to have in general loose feeling on the shoe, for example while sitting in airplane. The key is that when you start lacing the boots with closed laces, is to start the motion by going right side lace to left side single hook (or vice versa) and then when you go on the right side of the boot you hook two hooks at the same time. Trying it out teaches it pretty fast.
@@sonsofsever Damn yes you are too right about the snag hazard. It is bad enough that they snag on something else but boy did I learn my lesson when the laces from one boot snagged on the other boot and I helplessly fell on the floor. :D Now I don't leave the laces in a loop but instead do my trick of tying them permanently and cut the laces immediately short after that. Still snags on other random stuff every now and then :P So yeah, I wouldn't go skydiving with boots with hooks. :)
The toe box doesnt look that wide to me. It still narrows in at the front so doesnt actually look like a natural foot shape. The boots look only half a barefott design.
@@shish_taoukhave they responded on having a bigger toe box? That’s the only reason keeping me from getting a pair. I wear lems boulder boots and don’t want to go any slimmer on the toes
I love these boots people complain about the toe box and don’t know what there talking about because I can splay my toes just fine the toe box is huge if you can’t splay your toes your getting the wrong size or your feet are abnormally wide .
Everyone's feet are different. These worked just fine for us, though we would agree they aren't exactly shaped like a foot. There should be enough room for most people's toes in our experience, but there's definitely people who they won't work for!
the pair I got has a hot spot that pushes on the top of my right foot, only on right side, I've only had for a week, hopefully it stretches and goes away. otherwise great
You totaly missed the point of why Jim Green made these boots! Jim Green litterally made them for the African Rangers that are out in the bush protecting elephants and rhinos. Most of the rangers couldn't/can't afford boots. So...Jim Green designed and built these boots for them. In fact for every 10 pair of African Ranger boots they sell the donate one pair to the rangers! They are made to feel barefoot because many of the rangers are used to their patrols barefoot. The wide toe box is for walking in sand not snow/ice. Thank you Jim Green! I own two pair and they are great.
Not sure you watched the whole video... We mention the fact that they donate a pair for every ten sold, and we acknowledge that even though they're built for a different terrain (sand), they held up well in the snow and ice in the Utah mountains. Nothing but love from us for the brand and the boot!
Jim Green made the barefoot shoe because of Rose Anvil suggesting to them that there is a market wide open for barefoot boots. Lol you have your opinion slightly twisted. Lol and the reason why the boot is so bulky is because of the African wilderness filled with thorns and trees and bushes so nothing can puncture through so easily compared to other barefoot boots on the market. In my opinion Jim Green AR barefoot boots are the best boots on the market ! They hit a home run with their barefoot boots! 👍👏👏👏👏
Those are some nice barefoot 👣boots. I like how they look. I Wonder how wide is the toes box because I have very very extremely wide feet 🦶 that are 6 1/2 inches wide from my big toe to my lil toe with very chubby fat wide toes that are Evenly straight across & I don't think they wouldn't fit on my feet 🦶. Buy they're some nice looking boots.
@paulbacino9315 yes I need a very extremely wide toes box for my toes that are Evenly straight across. I wish my toes was at a 45° Degrees angle like everybody else toes are. Are they really comfortable to wear?
They might not be wide enough for you. I have a wide foot also, always been a 4e or wider. I just measured my foot and it's about 5 inches across at the toes, and when I wear the boots it's a good fit. They are definitely wider then my lems. Hopefully that helps.
Unless you live in a 3rd world country or have horrendously flat feet. There is no reason to buy these shoes. I bought a pair and immediately returned them. Absolutely the most uncomfortable shoe ive ever put on.
@@JesusChrist2000BC so much hype Jim Green now offers custom barefoot options to their entire lineup and continues to develop new dedicated barefoot boots 🤔
@@JesusChrist2000BC I mean you can call us biased if you want, we always share what we don't like about products too and have never been sponsored by anyone. The point is Jim Green has changed their business model in a pretty significant way ever since releasing the barefoot African Ranger, which is why we don't think they're overhyped at all. For people whose feet are adjusted to it, they're a great product and fulfill a big need out there.
Can anyone explain why these voots cost 200$? Its literally some leather strips, basic af sole, hardly any supportive material. I mean, tooling is nice and it looks well made but lets be real here. Its simply a thin leather shoe. As basic as it gets. The fact its 200$ and they only donate one pair for every 10 sold? As if thats a huge thing? For real, think about it. Donating 200$ fir every 1000$ made off these, what are essentially, shoes made out of a style that came about from a need for shoes and having no economy, machines, or higher quality material to make something more than this. To me, these seem like a cash grab and classic example of fad marketing. Edit to add: Why would I buy these over a pair of merrell moab hiking boots? I have three pairs of those and they're fantastic shoes. One pair of them has over 500 miles hiked in them all over Utah. Mainly the backcountry region of Bald Mountan/ Nebo Mountain out by Payson. 500+ miles and I still have them and they still have a lot of life left in them.
@@mandolorian1176 that's great your Merrills are working out so well for you, but, a good majority of the people looking into these are looking for boots with wider toe boxes that actually flex with your feet and don't lift your heel up unnaturally. Those qualities are why people would choose the Barefoot African Ranger over a Moab. Just looking at the Moab makes my toes and back hurt haha, I couldn't hack it! But again, that's great they work for you, sounds like you get out on some awesome adventures! As for ragging on the donations Jim Green does though... That I can't understand at all. They're putting a lot of good back into the world, and putting that down just seems odd to me. As for the price, I'd say take a look at their competition and you'll find out why they're priced the way they are. "Barefoot" or "minimalist" boots pretty much all hover around the $200 price, so it's pretty par for the course.
Boots like merrells and most other "supportive" non foot shaped shoes are what screwed my feet up. Wish I knew when I was younger. They cause hammer toes, bunions, etc. My feet are now much better, stronger, and more flexible. And $200 is not a lot for boots like this. They will far outlast merrells. My last pair the liner wore through, and the sole started peeling.
There was a video with the CEO where he said the extra 2.5mm leather bit was because your heel sinks in more as the footbed breaks in and forms to your foot, so they end up being zero drop after break in.
Very true. I have iron rangers and 1907’s and the weight, sweat and such from your feet really form the veg tan leather to your foot shape. Just got some of these so I’m excited to get them shaped to my feet!
If you're very accustomed to wearing barefoot style shoes/sandals, your weight balance will shift away from your heels to more evenly spread across your entire foot. I literally took a Doctor Scholl's machine insole test before switching to Vibram Five Fingers many years ago. Before wearing barefoot shoes, all my weight was on my heels. After wearing Vibrams for months, the machine couldn't even recommend me an insole.
Great review! Got mine on the pre-order and been wearing daily for over 3 months now. The short story is they are my favorite shoes I have ever owned, and I love the look and feel of them. Looking forward to the comparison with the Bruin, which was on my radar before these came out. I will add a couple notes from my experience. I have grown to love the feel of the leather footbed, now when I wear anything with foam insoles on it just feels wrong. Some of the things you didn't like were actually positives for me, I prefer the lower cut and the high volume works for my extra wide fat feet. I was initially skeptical how good the sole would be, but it there is less wear than I expected for the number of miles I put on. I have worn in many different environments, metal roofing, smooth concrete, light snow, gravel, and muddy clay, and the traction has been great. It was pretty comfortable out of the box, but definitely breaks in more after a couple weeks. I ordered true to size and they fit well, if you plan on putting an insole in (why though?) consider going up a half size.
I love my Jim Green African Ranger Barfoot Boots. I hike, bike, run and do construction work in them. They were comfortable from the beginning but I tied them a bit more loose until they broke in.
The outsole was designed in conjunction with Rose Anvil, and I believe they're out in Colorado. So that sole being snow worthy checks out! Great review, keep on trucking!
Rose Anvil is in Utah I believe
subscribed. Absolutely love my Jim Green Stockman boots around the homestead, but am looking at the African Ranger boot next. Thanks guys for a tremendous review. God bless y'all.
Got my standard AR's in buffalo hide but had to special order another pair of Barefoot Rangers to get them in buffalo hide.
"Homestead"... yeah you're the hippie these shoes are marketed towards. These shoes are trash. And probably cause cancer the amount of glue chemicals that are leeching into your body from when you sweat.
Hey, im just reading old comments looking for sizing advice and wanted to say Jim Green now has a barefoot stockman shoe on sale.
Great review! I was waiting for this one! Appreciate you all being up front that they were sent to you for free. Not all creators do that so appreciate it. To get a snugger fit/for the volume issues, maybe try a kiltie. It’s a piece of leather you put on top of the tongue that protects the tongue and can help with the volume. Excited to hear your thoughts about the Lems Chelsea. If you want to dress them up a bit more you could always swap out the green laces for some similar color brown flat laces. All about perspective! When I get these boots, they will definitely be on the lighter end haha. The rest of my boots are GYW and have a decent amount of leather.
This is the review I was looking for. Thanks guys. All facts, no flash.
One thing to add on it not being "technically zero drop" is that the leather in the sole will conpress so when you have broke in the boots it will be even closer to being zero drop.
Battle creek falls- I know that hike! Not far away. I loved your thoughts on the boot.
Haha we love filming there. Especially this past year, the flow has been so good all year long!
I’ve purchased one pair in March and another pair in April I switched between the pairs of boots so the sweat can dry each day when I purchased them, I oiled them and now I use kEWE brown boot polish, they are now softer and I use then as weekly work boots. The only complaint that I have is walking downstairs.
The back of the boots takes time to getting use to because it protrudes farther out than a normal boot
I also like setting up my boots for slip on. Not a fan of speed hooks at all, that’s the main reason my BFARs have not completely replaced my Lems Boulder Waterproof.
With that said, Jim Green does have a custom order option. I have a pair of BFARs with black leather and all eyelets on the way.
Just started looking into these! Perfect timing on the upload!
I absolutely love these boots. Usually any drop is no go for me, but I figured the leather would compress as the boots broke in and it did. I also would like a high ankle version because there is snow and ice in winter and ticks and other biting insects in the summer where I live.
Comfortable boots. Great grip on the outsole in all weather. I agree they may work best for high volume feet. I have to really crank the laces as a C-width. I also wish they'd do an AR8 barefoot (or AR6) for better ankle hold, the 4-5 inch also makes it hard to lace them snugly. I wish Jim Green had better international distribution as shipping and duty was rough for Canada, and no returns/exchanges.
Hello fellow Canuck, do you remember what duty and shipping was in CAD?
@@Simonblainemine were $75 shipping + $75 import fee
i have a pair of every barefoot shoe you ever heard about. I transitioned to barefoots about 3 years ago after a series of foot issues including surgery. I got two pairs of the African Ranger off the bat. Great product. HOwever, I did not like the sole, it felt "heely" like a regular shoe versus a barefoot shoe. And it makes the shoe feel bulky versus being light as we have come to expect for barefoot shoes. So I ripped off the soles and resoled with a 3mm rubber sole. And then that heal leather on the inside, its glued in so I pulled it right off. And now i have a truly barefoot African Ranger boot. I wear them everyday to work and on weekends to the mall etc.
Hell yeah! Thanks for the review!
I got a pair in September from the initial pre-order and have been a huge fan. I actually custom ordered two more pairs in black and wear them for work. I'm contemplating one of their higher ankle models custom ordered on the BF last.
I'm thinking about a custom black too! Would love to wear them to work
I’m curious about that! Sounds like that could be a nice custom option
Thanks for the honest review; I own these boots and I love them.
Bought a pair of these for work (construction). Really like them so far, had them about 60 days. Very comfortable.
Did you do custom and a steel or composite toe?
Would you recommend these for being on extension ladders for work often?
Love mine. I ordered a 2nd pair in the new VegTan. I have high insteps so I find them a bit tight and uncomfortable across the top of my foot right where that bottom lace crosses until they broke in. The new VegTan does have a longer break in time than the original leather.
Great review guys! Jim Green do a boot called the AR8, which I think is an 8 inch high version of the African Ranger. They also take custom requests for shoes, very likely you could ask them to build the AR8 on their barefoot last, and effectively have that taller barefoot boot that you want. I'm in a warmer climate so my standard barefoot African Rangers are serving me well.
They just revealed this week they are releasing a 8inch barefoot boot sometime this year.
They use different lasts for some of their boots. My razorbacks are tighter than my vellies in the toe box. Just make sure you check. The vellies are perfect in size 11. The razorbacks are going to need some break in. If i had gotten 11.5 id have more toe room and be good. They list what last they use to make each model of their boots.
sweet ive been waiting on this one. personally i like the look of these better than the barefoot bruin.
Just ordered a pair of these and can’t wait to get them in
Been wanting these since they came out, just got mine a few days ago!
I love my Jim green barefoot boot. They are awesome. I like them better than my xero shoes.
It's funny, but i feel like the speed hooks make them more slip on than any of my other pairs of boots (except my Chelseas). And the extra volume is the reason that they are my most comfortable boot. My big toe still hits the top of the toe box when I walk, but it's the only boot I own where my toes can spread sideways. But i guess that's the whole issue if different people, different needs.
I haven't contacted Jim Green yet, but i want to ask if they can custom build their AR8s in green leather with the barefoot outsole (and the veg tan mid? Not sure if the mid is board in those) . Not sure if it will work because the regular ARs have some toe spring in the last.
Thanks for the review. I'm in the market for walking boots and it's between these, Lems Boulder Summits or Grips, and Be Lenka Rangers. I have Be Lenka Nevada's for work and they're incredible. I have even used them for hiking even though they weren't really designed for that
You have a very difficult decision to make my friend 😅 we've got a video up that compares the Grip, Summit, and African Ranger, make sure you check it out!
6:42 Rose Anvil, also of Utah, consulted on the sole and barefoot design.
Can't believe there is no Rose Anvil mention!
@@johneads3050 16:25 check it out
Love mine. I paired them with a felt insole, perfect for (Dutch) winter as well as the summer (without the insole) because they are nice and breezy and don't get as smelly as plastic shoes do.
I took about a week to break mine in.
Very informative. You guys answered some of my concerns like you were reading my mind. Saved me some money as these are not for me! Great review though!
Add a 'foot-shaped' toe box and you have the first perfect shoe/boot! Almost perfect.
Yeah I agree, on the “pointy toe-to-clown shoe” scale they tilted these away from foot-shaped toe box a bit too much. My big toes need more space.
Yes! It's the one reason I've not bought a pair. To me, this boot is misnamed 'barefoot' because it is not straight along the big toe.
I've worn a bunch of boots and shoes and the toe-box on the Jim greens is by far the widest roomiest toe-box I have ever had. Sometimes it feels almost like it's too wide. Try it before you say it's not wide enough for you!
@@Orangatangerine We are comparing the Jim Green Barefoot Rangers with ‘barefoot” style boots, not traditional boots. The boots we are discussing are called “Barefoot Rangers”, thus are open to a comparison with other “barefoot” boots. The Jim Greens are narrower in the toe box than most “barefoots”, whether someone wears to compare or not. But, having worn them for 2 months, I can still say they are narrower in the toe than most “barefoot” boots. As I have said elsewhere, they compare well with a Keen wide, which I also have, in fact I use the Keen insole in the JG, which I will continue to wear even thought the toe box does not allow for “splay” of the big toe. I still like them, and I’m glad your big toes have a little room to maneuver up there. If too much, maybe try an insole? I use an insole mainly because the heel is too spacious for my foot. Might work for the toe also??
@@Orangatangerine Their widest point is across the ball of the foot, not at the ends of the toes. That's what we mean. To be 'barefoot' they need to not taper at the toes.
When your boots are a little big do what does South African trackers do.
Wear thicker socks.
That's what I do
I had three pairs of Jim green razorbacks.
I will definitely be buying a pair of these.
Thank you
Very tempted to buy these! You guys mentioned they felt grippy in the snow. Would you say these boots would be fine for a trip to Europe during the winter? As in water proof enough to be spending some time walking around cities in the snow? Would they be warm enough?
@@stratocaster1134 the rubber compound they used on the outsole is weirdly grippy in slippery conditions yes. They aren't lined and really don't provide any warmth, and they definitely aren't waterproof. If you wanted to use them like that, I'd treat them with something to help keep water out and I'd probably size up a half and wear some thick socks. Honestly they're pretty optimized for hot weather
Got two pairs. Love 'm to bits!
Started out with the Vellie. Got the African Ranger. Barefoot is on order.
Thank you for the review! How does the sizing of the BF African Ranger compare to the Lems Boulder Boot Summit or Primal Zen? I am a US 10 in Lems and unsure which size to get for the African Rangers.
I have only ever deviated from the 10.5 size when companies don’t offer half sizes. All my Lems are 10.5s and so is my Ranger. Fits great. Like Eric says in the video, they are pretty high volume in general, but the length seems true to size
I found their other boots run big. I wear a 9 in the lems boulder boot, and a 8 in Jim Greens razorback, and I feel I have more room in the razorback
So, I have received my pair (US 10) and have worn them for two days. They are very comfortable. Length wise I they fit me well with plenty of toe space. I could maybe size down half a size without my toes touching the front of the shoe. The boot features, as mentioned in the review and comments, a lot of volume overall. I think I would prefer it if they were slightly less roomy in the heel and midfoot areas, but they still fit well (I am not sliding around inside the shoe or anything like that).
I’m between these and a pair of Lems boulder grip boots. Any suggestions or things to consider in comparison?Thank you for the video!
In my opinion (Eric), it's gonna come down to purpose. If you're looking for something for hiking I'd get the Boulder Boot, it's a much more pleasant experience, but you've gotta realize those aren't gonna last as long. If you're not gonna use them on the trail, then I think the Jim Green are a much better investment because of their durability and repairability.
@@sonsofsever wow thank you for your fast and thorough response. You have a new subscriber for sure.
I also already have the Lems Outlander, so feel these will give me some good versatility between the two. Cheers!
How does the sizing compare with lems boulder boots?
We've found the Boulders to be just barely snug on the side of true and the Jim Green to be just a little bigger than true. Not enough that we went down a half size, but the Jim Greens are definitely roomier. We have a video directly comparing the Boulder Summit and Grip to the African Ranger, go check it out!
I got a pair a few days ago. My first pair of "barefoot" boots. I love that there isn't a shank and the sole is soft enough to feel the ground through. But that's about all I like.
I'm not a huge fan of 0-drop soles, I'd prefer the comfort of a slightly thicker heel on concrete. And I'm short so every bit of help I can get there is welcome. The toe box isn't as wide as I was hoping. The rest of the foot is too wide, it requires insoles to fill. And they're cut too high up the ankle. I wish they were cut below where the padding is. I hate having my shoes go over the ankle. Unfortunately, the safety man gets upset when I wear skate shoes to work. I'm not sure what these guys are talking about with getting debris inside low cut boots, I've hiked several hundred miles in skate and running shoes in both the Appalachians and Sierra Madres and it's never been a problem, nor heard others complain; seems like a unique problem for them.
Great review as always. Can you review the Softstar Switchback? They are somewhat similar to the African Ranger or Bruin but is made in the USA.
They are on our list for sure!
I want this boot, but in a 10" version for abrasion resistance and keeping out debris.
Same
They take custom orders.
I have them and they have been absolutely my favorite boots/shoes that I own. I have higher volume feet and these fit my feet very well in that aspect, which is nice because I cannot wear a lot of barefoot shoe brands because they are very low volume.
I get where you are coming from with them not being truly zero drop, but I feel that as the leather conforms to your feet it will compact the most under your heel which Carrie’s the most weight, so the sock liner might make it closer to zero drop over time
I’m hoping this will work well with my cowboy hat. I used to wear cowboy boots and a hat to work but ever since switching over to barefoot shoes I haven’t been able to wear my boots. Until someone creates a barefoot cowboy boot stuff like this is the closest I can get. I’m also hoping they can be my church shoes. my wife gets a little annoyed with me that I don’t have any dressy shoes anymore.
So, I got mine in and I don't even notice the 2.5mm sock liner. Weird because if it were soft material, I'd notice it. Idk why but soft insole hurt my feet, badly. I think there might be some truth to the comments about it being to counteract negative drop when the heel breaks in (my Lems feel like they have a negative drop when I run them without insoles where my heel has crushed down the midsole). Anyway, for those wondering about size. I have a high-volume foot Brannock 9.5 4E at heel to toe and a 10-length heel to ball, so I always start at 10. I ordered a 10.5 based on customer service and honestly, I think I could have gotten away with a 10. I can probably get away with a 2-3mm leather insole as it stands. These shoes have to be the highest volume footwear I have ever put on my feet.
Just for comparison's sake I wear an 11 in Lems, Xero (sandals) and Luna sandals (but I think a 10.5 might fit me better). Regular non barefoot shoes I almost always wear a 9.5 4E or 10 EE. Regular work boots are normally a 10 EE (Red Wing 9.5 EE). But nothing prepared me for the volume in these African Rangers, lol.
As an aside, I was expecting a boot (as a boot wearer) and these things are like slippers. Light, flexy and soft leather. Not boot like at all. Idk, yet, if that is to be a good or bad thing. We shall see after a few months of wear. I think I'll pick up a pair in size 10 for a daily driver in Veg Tan.
The only feature distinct to barefoot shoes I want in footwear are wide toe boxes and zero heel-toe drop. Paper thin soles and no cushion have never interested me; I run too often on pavement and hike too often on rocks with 40lb+ packs for that to be healthy.
I like mine but wish I'd sized up.
Barefoot adaptation is a spectrum. It’s all about what your feet can adapt to. You could totally wear super minimal soles those situations and be fine. Just have to work your way up to it. We’re definitely not there yet, and not sure we’d ever want to be, but it can be done.
Agreed, zero drop and ample toe space are the two most important aspects of a shoe.
How does the toe box compare to the Lems Primal 2? I wear those daily and they fit pretty well overall.
They're pretty similar honestly. The Lems are more anatomically shaped, the Jim Greens come to more of a point, but we found them both to have plenty of toe splay room.
Just got a pair of AR in 12.5. I wear a 13 in lems Primal 2 and Boulder which run 1/2 size short. The AR is longer but not quite as wide. Can be remedied with lower front laces.
Too much volume at the heel end for me, I use an old Keen insole which fits well. I would prefer to have the toe space it takes away, but not a deal breaker, I still wear them every day, yes, even to church ( : regarding the height of the boot, Jim Green also provides the rangers with other styles which are taller.
subbed, great vid, great boot God Bless..
Great video!
What was the average temperature for your hikes when wearing these boots outdoors? How did they hold up to the cold, and how did you insulate to maintain the optimum comfort?
@@91dyates it was the dead of winter, so regularly in the 30s. These are definitely built for warm weather, there's no insulation at all. We had on mid weight merino wool socks to help keep our feet warm, I'd go as thick as you could if you really want to use them in the winter.
Did you at any point mention if you wore socks and if so what kind? Cuz the floppiness high volume would be greatly affected by that. Before going barefoot and into barefoot shoes I got into the habit of wearing wool socks pretty much all year round. I usually go for a mid-weight as I've found thinner socks give better mobility, but often shoes feel floppy with them or they just wear out so damn fast. Icebreaker has lifetime warranty on their socks, but it's still a pain to see holes develop after just a few months.
I was wearing Creepers Toe Socks. It's a Merino Wool blend, they're not thick by any means. A good insole and a pair of thicker wool socks would definitely help with the floppiness for sure, they just have a surprising amount of volume!
Got mine in the regular version of the ranger. They do have an 8” version now
Have you reviewed the Vivobarefoot Scott IV? That’s another all leather boot
Would love to! Vivo hasn't been very responsive to us as of yet, hopefully soon they'll come around
Nice review.
You should order a pair of the custom AR8 Jim Green barefoot boots.
We may have a video cooking about this 🤔😁
What color is that boot called
We’ve got one in brown and one in fudge. Somehow the fudge is the lighter one Eric wears haha
@@sonsofsever ok the brown is the darker one
@@jozy5154 correct
Liked my Barefoot Rangers so much that I ordered a pair in Cape Buffalo hide.
Do they have different color laces??
Unless you do a custom order, I don't think so.
Splays don't last used it like avans or chuck and had ti soak em in dawn and hot water hour later they fell apart. Lems favorite hoping I can order a pair of these jim green hopefully 2 one for daily and one for hiking
Do you soak your Vans in dawn and hot water too? Just seems like a rough way to clean shoes. I'd probably suggest just using an old tooth brush and some dawn/warm water solution instead of soaking them next time
@sonsofsever yeah any canvas shoes that get covered in stinky mud by accident and my leathers I can spray off. My classic vibraham 5 fingers shies I held up 10 times longer and many soaks and washing machine. I clean my splays one time they utterly fell apart. It was not even a full year of owner ship. I loved em tell there durability wa so horrible. There cost is way to high for the shoddy qaulity they give ya. For there lace ups I can get better qaulity with a stitched and glued sole elsewhere called Origo for essentialy the same price and leather version as well. Splay did nothing for there glue job or lack there of they just said sorry your not happy.
@@roughready that's a huge bummer they didn't hold up! Their website does have specific instructions for cleaning though. This is copy and pasted from their FAQ page.
How do I clean the shoes?
It is recommended that you clean Splay canvas shoes with warm water, mild soap, and a scrub brush. Then let them air dry.
It is recommended to fill the toe box of the shoes while drying to help maintain the shape. This can be done with a dry wash cloths or plastic grocery sacks.
Obviously we'd wish that you could treat them like your other canvas shoes and you're right, without stitching they're not gonna be as durable, but following the brand specific guidelines is a good way to make sure they last longer. Ours have all held up well.
@sonsofsever again 10 min soak and swish in there recomend solution which is the solution for any canvas shoes between my time in the army growing up on the woods and mountains rasing myself. I know how to take care of my shoes. What I did was no diffrent than I have had to do a million times. Yeah the fact they did a horrible glue job probably didn't help much or they blatantly just ignoring the email I sent em saying they were horrible. Way overpriced for un even glue mold trimmins still on etc. Ya can defend them all ya want does not change they brushed my concerns aside before I even wore and just a few months later they fall apart from a 10 min soak and scrub and rinse. In dawn dishsoap and hot tap water. Just like they wash animals in.
@@roughready hey man not trying to discredit you at all! That sucks they didn't hold up, sounds like you got a bad pair in the first place and that's terrible Splay didn't respond well to your inquiry. Just want everyone reading this to know that they have suggestions on cleaning them.
I'm actually surprised that the ankles aren't higher because in Africa, and in any rugged natural area, protection from snake bites would be nice, and low ankle boots just don't provide protection. It's too bad that they move around a too much, but that and the weight might be the price paid for ruggedness. I just wish there a way to try them on at a local store.
Would love to know either from you guys or others in the comments on how the fudge color looks coated with some otter wax
if its heavy, then, that's good for me. cause it suggests some quality materials. it suggests the leather is strong and heavy, and the sole is also tough. i get worried when such shoes are light. how can a boot be both tough and light?!
Not shoe related but what brand trousers are you guys wearing in the video
Mine (Chris) are from a company called Puli, Eric's are from Khül. Both are getting more content sometime!
What pair are the cuffed ones? Cheers for the response 😊
@@Beariam24 those are the Puli
Kuhl makes fabulous pants and shorts
Chris: I have a solution to your dislike about hooks in boots. Put the shoes on, tighten them how you like them, tie a knot that is not coming loose. Now when you want to take out the boots do not open the knot but instead unhook the lace on one side first and then pay attention how it comes off rest of the way while you just hold on to the still tied, closed loop of the laces. Practise putting the laces back on by repeating the same movements and in the end hooking the laces to the same last hook that you started with. Please try it out, it literally is the best of both ease of getting the shoes on and off and support. This makes especially much sense with 6" or 8" boots, the more hooks you have, the bigger the time save when you never untie the laces. With high boots you can even choose to leave the top hooks undone if you want to close the laces but want to have in general loose feeling on the shoe, for example while sitting in airplane. The key is that when you start lacing the boots with closed laces, is to start the motion by going right side lace to left side single hook (or vice versa) and then when you go on the right side of the boot you hook two hooks at the same time. Trying it out teaches it pretty fast.
So I’ve somewhat started figuring this out . My main dislike of hooks now is snag hazard 😂 I’ve had them catch on things at work and hiking
@@sonsofsever Damn yes you are too right about the snag hazard. It is bad enough that they snag on something else but boy did I learn my lesson when the laces from one boot snagged on the other boot and I helplessly fell on the floor. :D Now I don't leave the laces in a loop but instead do my trick of tying them permanently and cut the laces immediately short after that. Still snags on other random stuff every now and then :P So yeah, I wouldn't go skydiving with boots with hooks. :)
These look so comfy.
which color variants did they send you?
Fudge and Houston Brown. The fudge is the lighter one.
The toe box doesnt look that wide to me. It still narrows in at the front so doesnt actually look like a natural foot shape. The boots look only half a barefott design.
@@shish_taoukhave they responded on having a bigger toe box? That’s the only reason keeping me from getting a pair. I wear lems boulder boots and don’t want to go any slimmer on the toes
They are at least as wide as lems boulders
I love these boots people complain about the toe box and don’t know what there talking about because I can splay my toes just fine the toe box is huge if you can’t splay your toes your getting the wrong size or your feet are abnormally wide .
Everyone's feet are different. These worked just fine for us, though we would agree they aren't exactly shaped like a foot. There should be enough room for most people's toes in our experience, but there's definitely people who they won't work for!
As far as the full tongue goes, form follows function.
the pair I got has a hot spot that pushes on the top of my right foot, only on right side, I've only had for a week, hopefully it stretches and goes away. otherwise great
Do they feel like vans ?
No they do not
What is your go to hiking boot?
Hard to choose between the Lems Outlander or Boulder Summit, definitely one of those two!
Lems
For the tongue it should be folded down the right way and it would look and feel better
South Africa!
Damnnnnn the selvedge jeans
no body talks about if they run true to size???
They are a little on the big side but not big enough to go down a size
I thought these were steel toe…the site has the, as steel toe work shoes.
Unless you can screen shot it and show us where we're pretty positive the site doesn't mention being steel toe anywhere
You totaly missed the point of why Jim Green made these boots! Jim Green litterally made them for the African Rangers that are out in the bush protecting elephants and rhinos. Most of the rangers couldn't/can't afford boots. So...Jim Green designed and built these boots for them. In fact for every 10 pair of African Ranger boots they sell the donate one pair to the rangers! They are made to feel barefoot because many of the rangers are used to their patrols barefoot. The wide toe box is for walking in sand not snow/ice. Thank you Jim Green! I own two pair and they are great.
Not sure you watched the whole video... We mention the fact that they donate a pair for every ten sold, and we acknowledge that even though they're built for a different terrain (sand), they held up well in the snow and ice in the Utah mountains. Nothing but love from us for the brand and the boot!
Jim Green made the barefoot shoe because of Rose Anvil suggesting to them that there is a market wide open for barefoot boots. Lol you have your opinion slightly twisted. Lol and the reason why the boot is so bulky is because of the African wilderness filled with thorns and trees and bushes so nothing can puncture through so easily compared to other barefoot boots on the market. In my opinion Jim Green AR barefoot boots are the best boots on the market ! They hit a home run with their barefoot boots! 👍👏👏👏👏
Those are some nice barefoot 👣boots. I like how they look. I Wonder how wide is the toes box because I have very very extremely wide feet 🦶 that are 6 1/2 inches wide from my big toe to my lil toe with very chubby fat wide toes that are Evenly straight across & I don't think they wouldn't fit on my feet 🦶. Buy they're some nice looking boots.
We're comparing them to the Bearfoot Bruin in tomorrow's video, make sure you check it out, the Bruins are probably the widest boot we've tried.
I got em…I need a very wide toe box…they’re great if that’s what you need.
@paulbacino9315 yes I need a very extremely wide toes box for my toes that are Evenly straight across. I wish my toes was at a 45° Degrees angle like everybody else toes are. Are they really comfortable to wear?
@@mackjenkins7721 I don’t say this to a lot of people but…. I need a picture of your feet 😂
They might not be wide enough for you. I have a wide foot also, always been a 4e or wider. I just measured my foot and it's about 5 inches across at the toes, and when I wear the boots it's a good fit. They are definitely wider then my lems. Hopefully that helps.
But can I wear them to church?
@@LSOP- we sure do
Unless you live in a 3rd world country or have horrendously flat feet. There is no reason to buy these shoes. I bought a pair and immediately returned them. Absolutely the most uncomfortable shoe ive ever put on.
@@BOOGiNS you are clearly not a barefoot shoe person 😂 These are regarded by thousands of people as one of the best barefoot shoes on the market
Yeah it's mostly hype
@@JesusChrist2000BC so much hype Jim Green now offers custom barefoot options to their entire lineup and continues to develop new dedicated barefoot boots 🤔
@@sonsofsever I mean you get pairs for free to do reviews so you are clearly biased even if you don't admit it. And other benefits.
@@JesusChrist2000BC I mean you can call us biased if you want, we always share what we don't like about products too and have never been sponsored by anyone. The point is Jim Green has changed their business model in a pretty significant way ever since releasing the barefoot African Ranger, which is why we don't think they're overhyped at all. For people whose feet are adjusted to it, they're a great product and fulfill a big need out there.
Can anyone explain why these voots cost 200$? Its literally some leather strips, basic af sole, hardly any supportive material. I mean, tooling is nice and it looks well made but lets be real here. Its simply a thin leather shoe. As basic as it gets.
The fact its 200$ and they only donate one pair for every 10 sold? As if thats a huge thing? For real, think about it. Donating 200$ fir every 1000$ made off these, what are essentially, shoes made out of a style that came about from a need for shoes and having no economy, machines, or higher quality material to make something more than this.
To me, these seem like a cash grab and classic example of fad marketing.
Edit to add: Why would I buy these over a pair of merrell moab hiking boots? I have three pairs of those and they're fantastic shoes. One pair of them has over 500 miles hiked in them all over Utah. Mainly the backcountry region of Bald Mountan/ Nebo Mountain out by Payson. 500+ miles and I still have them and they still have a lot of life left in them.
@@mandolorian1176 that's great your Merrills are working out so well for you, but, a good majority of the people looking into these are looking for boots with wider toe boxes that actually flex with your feet and don't lift your heel up unnaturally. Those qualities are why people would choose the Barefoot African Ranger over a Moab. Just looking at the Moab makes my toes and back hurt haha, I couldn't hack it! But again, that's great they work for you, sounds like you get out on some awesome adventures! As for ragging on the donations Jim Green does though... That I can't understand at all. They're putting a lot of good back into the world, and putting that down just seems odd to me. As for the price, I'd say take a look at their competition and you'll find out why they're priced the way they are. "Barefoot" or "minimalist" boots pretty much all hover around the $200 price, so it's pretty par for the course.
Boots like merrells and most other "supportive" non foot shaped shoes are what screwed my feet up. Wish I knew when I was younger. They cause hammer toes, bunions, etc. My feet are now much better, stronger, and more flexible.
And $200 is not a lot for boots like this. They will far outlast merrells. My last pair the liner wore through, and the sole started peeling.
Lems = disposable shoes
Wow, y’all put me to sleep. Maybe start an asmr channel.
We’ve got more subscribers than you 🤷🏻♂️😘 get in the arena or just keep chanting from the sidelines
What color options are these?
Fudge is the lighter one, and Houston Brown