VivoBarefoot ESC Tracker Long Term Review
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- A year of use on my Vivos ESC Tracker boots. They have held up well, and are one of the most comfortable hiking systems I've had the pleasure of putting on my feet!
see the updated video here:
• VivoBarefoot Tracker E...
I do 100 miles a month, easy! And they're still doing great!
I always appreciate a good, real-life-use review like this, thanks for doing it. I bought a pair of these about 2 yrs ago as a foot-healthy, mud/snow-capable, waterproof-able leather boot for property chores and hiking. I treat them a couple times a year with Sno-Seal. (didn't get the little pot of Renapur with mine for some reason) I think the design makes for great multi-season comfort and the sole a brilliant combo of feel, protection, and grip. I love 'em more every time I use 'em.
Ive done 175 mile now in mine and they are still flawless other than some slight grip wear.
You have to keep up with rejuvinating the wild hide and stitching and they will last a long time.
I walk through lots of low level creeks
in mine and im yet to get wet feet.
I have had wet feet where the leather totally wet out after a full day of hiking in torrential rain.
The support and grip is what astounds me with this boot,it just feels planted over all terrains.
I have been using these boots daily for about a year in a half. Normal day may include a mile of walking, but also wearing the same pair on any hikes so they must have quite a lot of miles on them. The stitching on the sole is coming undone and the sole is starting to separate (still affixed securely but lets water in.) Also a lot of wear on the part where your heel rubs as you put the boot on, I have had to install canvas there to reinforce that area after only 9 months of use. Overall they are fantastic for functionality though. Amazing grip, very comfortable, very maneuverable/flexible. They are as waterproof as you make them with wax/oil. Not breathable at all, but they are leather coated in wax that is to be expected. I have loved them though, benefit of boots with just as much flexibility and dexterity as slimmer shoes.
What are the booties? Got a link?
I may have missed it, but did you give a link to the "Booties" you are showing here?
Those look like they would be a great addition to the boots in winter.
Please, can you give us a link or a proper name for them so we all might search for them easier? Thanks for your video, it does show well how the boots can wear after usage.
@@wvbonbonqueen I ended up with the booties second hand, and haven't found them for sale new. So, my wife made a few pairs.
@@ultralightoutdoors Thank you for trying.
I had the same question.
Is it just a cover for the leather made out of midweight fleece with the sole exposed?
@@a.w.thompson4001 actually, there is fleece on the bottom as well. Your boot goes inside the bootie.
I’m sold. Standby while I purchase a pair.
Thanks for the review! I’m interested in these but worried about the transition from regular boots to these. What insoles are you using?
I use the FP Kingfoam 5mm. I transitioned over the course of several months rotating back and forth with my old boots. Not sure if that was necessary... but it worked for me.
See my updated video after another 100 miles or so. Link in the description
Any gaiters you recommend?
Thank you! How hot have you hiked in Fahrenheit or Celsius in these and how do they feel with the heat? I tried them on in vivo and they feel great. I’m just worried they might be too hot for spring to autumn
I don’t live in a hot and humid part of the world, but I have tried them up to 80 degrees and they were still very comfortable
I hiked in mine about 40 miles the first week in April and another 40-50 miles this past week. Coldest mornings were below freezing and warmest afternoons were in the 70s F. I was wearing my bigger pair and two pairs of socks... standing around in the cold for an hour or two, my toes started to get cold... and in the heat of the day my feet felt warm and a bit sweaty... but not too bad. In hot summer months, I would be wearing a single thin pair of socks... maybe with a nylon liner sock under it. But, I would add that hot sweaty feet don't tend to bother me, and I haven't had a blister in decades... so my feet might be different than others. My wool socks are definitely damp at the end of a long hike day.
You can also try the Magna ESC and Magna Lite versions which should be more breathable for summer.
Do u usually wear a 41 in all ur other shoes? Trying to figure out the fit
I usually wear an 8.5 US. I like the ESC Tracker a bit loose.
Vivo doesn't make them in half sizes, I'm 10.5 in every shoe/boot made. Even using their measurement guide it says 10.5 Summer high temps here are high 90's, don't want to wear 2 pairs of socks just to fit my boots Do you go bigger or smaller?
Depends on what you want. I have them in 43 and 44. I prefer the 44 bc it fits the width of my feet better. I can wear the 44 with or without socks, adjust the laces accordingly, and they are comfortable either way. I’ve hiked in the 44s with thin socks and I was pretty comfortable. I have a bunch of vivos in 43 (this size fit well in 2021) but my feet have gotten slightly wider where now especially with socks the 44 is what I prefer. If possible, order both sizes and kick around in them and see what you prefer. I think they give you 90 days. Trying to figure out what styles/sizes I prefer, I have easily returned over 20 pairs of shoes to them with a full refund. I just ordered the tracker moc in 43/44 to make sure I get a good fit.
Weel, they dont last much. They look terrible if they only have over 100 miles.
Couple things to say about that... the boots are dirty in the video. Once fully repolished, they don't look half as bad.
I tried to emphasize "well over 100 miles" in my comments. These boots were new last March if I recall correctly. For trail miles, most weeks through April and May last year I would do 3-4 short 2-3 mile day hikes each week. June-Aug, most weeks saw at least one 5-10 mile hike with a few shorter hikes mixed in. late Aug-Oct, I would do several 7-12 mile hike days most weeks. To give an idea from this spring since I posted the video, I've put quite a few miles on the bigger pair since April 1st (40 miles the 1st week in April, 30 miles the 3rd week in April, 25 miles the 4th week in April, 15 miles the 1st week in May, 20 miles this week, etc) and they look pretty much the same as they did in the video.
Looking at the tread on either pair, I would guess I have worn down less than 10% of the useful life if the tread itself (compared to what it looked like new)
That's wildhide leather with a stitched sole. It will outlast many of your favourite regular boots and be 100 times more comfortable while doing it..
I had four different shoes from Vivo with average lifetime of 4 months.
@@Ondraha That's great. Their non stitched shoes are pretty bad. This is stitched and wildhide leather. It's completely different it's not rocket science..
@@Ondraha Were you hiking with their sandals XD?
Hi there,
Thanks for the video, super helpful and great to see it working for you. My main concern is waterproofing, especially if am to spend a pretty penny!
I saw on another video that they are described as water resistant but not waterproof... and wondering if you know how easy it is for these to be resoled?
Cheers 😁
They resole them for you with the Revivo service. I've yet to fully test the waterproofing but I plan on wearing waterproof socks when I know the conditions will call for it. From initial tests they're pretty good for wading shallow water etc - I think they'll just need some TLC in terms of waxing etc to keep the seams honest.