Men's Genesis Barefoot Sandals

I first bought these Genesis shoes back in 2020. They were very comfortable, but I could never get the strap around the back of the heals adjusted correctly so that they would stay in place. They kept sliding down off of the heal which leaves nothing to keep the shoes on your feet. I gave up and didn't wear them for a couple of years. In 2022, I found a video on the Xero shoes website on how to properly adjust the straps. I decided to give them another try. With a bit of trial and error, I was finally able to get the heal straps to stay in place. Once they were adjusted correctly, I found that they were the most comfortable shoe I'd ever worn. I wear them everywhere. The soles are thin, which is a big part of their appeal. They're extremely comfortable on flat or soft surfaces. Walking around a store, on pavement or in the dirt or grass is almost like being barefoot, only better. The pavement gets HOT where I live and these things do a great job of protecting my feet from the heat. Most of the time, I barely know they're on my feet. The thin soles aren't so great when walking on gravel, stone or other rough or jagged surfaces. If I know I'll be walking on those types of surfaces, I'll wear my Xero Z-Trek IIs which have a thicker sole and provide more protection. After about a year of wearing the Genesis' full time, the rubber tag on the back of both heals came unglued which allowed the thread holding the ends of the straps together to come apart. Sad, but they lived a productive life. For a while, I promoted the Z-Trek IIs to my full time shoe. They're good, comfortable shoes, in their own right, and I wouldn't want to be without them, but they can't compare to the barefoot feel of the Genesis. I wanted my Genesis back so I bought another pair. Armed with the knowledge this time of how to adjust the straps, I was able to get them adjusted for my feet in no time. My feet are happy again. I would like the shoes to last for more than a year, but if I need to spend $40-$50 a year on new pairs, I can live with that.

I've had these 6 months, used them almost daily (yes even in December, this is Florida). They're holding up nicely, although I don't run races in them, so not sure how they would take that kind of beating. But you can comfortably run in them, that's for sure. They're very minimal, which is exactly what I wanted. Just enough to keep my feet from getting cut or bruised or punctured while walking/running. Super comfortable. Super flexy. Super light. They do take some getting used to, and adjusting them to the ideal fit… I'm not gonna lie, that's a tiny bit finicky. I normally wear a size 11 or 11-1/2. This time I got an 11, and they work, but they're just a little bit smaller than I would like. Next time I'll get a size 12 and trim them down. And there will be a next time. I will purchase these again, unless I just use the pattern (which you can download from their site, last I checked) to make my own. But make them or buy them, this will not be my last pair. They're great. One last point: fellas, if you're insecure… well, some people do assume these are lady's sandals. You might want to opt for something more reassuring. If you DGAF, cool. These are great sandals.

Shoes are awesome I love them and wear them whenever I can. They’re great for the river or lake/ocean where there’s pebbles and shells, you can still feel the ground but it doesn’t hurt. The only complaint is when walking through water it’s very easy for the toe or heel to just bend under your foot and is slightly annoying and if you move too fast they can slide around, but walking and light jogging on land is super comfortable and feels almost bare foot

I like the comfort and adjustability of the sandal. It took me a while but I was able to dial in a great fit for me. I took them to some backpacking trips as they are very light weight. This is a great affordable barefoot sandal for everyone, including those who are just getting into barefoot shoes/sandals.

I decided to try these after my umpteenth pair of flips flops broke after getting wet. I’ve been getting into minimalist, zero-drop footwear, and i have a few pairs of xero shoes which I like a lot, so I decided to try these. While the sandals are comfortable for how thin they are, and while I had high hopes for them, the build quality leaves much to be desired. As you can see from my picture, the tightening tab broke at an very inopportune moment. I was climbing some granite boulders and wanted to tighten the straps… I got to the last strap and as I pulled on the tab, it broke free and my hand, with all that tension in tow, went scraping across the 5-grit granite boulder and gashed through my epidermis. I feel that since these sandals are made up of like four parts, we could expect those parts to be high quality. Unfortunately that is not the case. I’ve only had them for a few weeks and 25% of the components have been found shoddy. Moreover, the way they broke left me with an injury… at least when my flip flops break, my foot harmlessly comes out of them. I can’t recommend these. The fact that they already partially broke calls into question the rest of the build quality.

Once I figured out how to adjust the ropes/laces so my feet were not sliding too far forward, they became all I could expect from a shoe where the whole point is to offer literally no support. Been a fan of the no support variety of shoes for a while now. And I have to say that these do the best job by far of making me feel like I'm a kid again, that is walking barefoot on asphalt in the summer. Actually I've been walking my dog with shoes like this ever since the start of covid. Doing this has really strengthened my arches and calves. I'd say that my right foot, which was the flatter of the two and has always turned out unnaturally, has been strengthened and rehabilitated from walking in shoes like this. And considering that these somehow offer much less support than all the others, I am looking forward to strengthening my arches further as I continue to walk the dog in these weather permitting. One little tiny issue I had with these however, and I realize that this might only apply to me, but As a 225lb guy with big calves and hobbit feet, when I wear normal sandals and I look down I've got that big platform of a sole to stand on and thick straps and all that assures me that I'm still wearing a guys shoe. With these I look down past my hairy knees and I don't see that wide reassuring comfy sole that I'm used to. All I see are these ropes wrapping around my foot and this tiny nothing of a flat piece of rubber to stand on and I start thinking that it all looks suspiciously like something from catwoman's closet... I'm kidding of course, but only kind of. It's weird looking down and only seeing thin black ropes around my hairy hobbit feet and such a tiny sole. I'm over it now for sure and I just focus on all the good I'm doing for my arches now. But it might be something to consider, I don't know what look you're going for. At the end of the day though, form follows function. I like how these function. bit of advice on adjusting. figure out all the ways it can be adjusted first, don't just start tightening the heel. It's almost always better to make small adjustments while maintaining balance in the ropes by sliding some rope forward or back through the side loops. You'll figure it out, it's not too bad. Once I could walk down a set of stairs or down a decline without my toes sliding over the front, and with it hugging my heel at the same time, I knew it was good.

Best shoe ever. Good for water and outdoor activities.

I have been a zero drop show wearer for years in my casual, running, and work shoes. I was excited to see these sandals and be able to be like a kid again and go everywhere barefoot. Honestly, I like them and have worn them for 5 days straight. Because feet are supposed to flatten out barefoot they could be a little wider. There is also some disappointment. At this price range you would expect a little more substance to the material. Unfortunately, the material the foot pad is made out of is so thin that it can catch on the ground and roll under the foot. Because of that roll under to be able to wear these I have to change my gait and that feels funny. Big gravel rocks can still be felt, but substantially less than if I was barefoot. The question is would I buy another pair, probably not, I am using them because I spent good money on them. I should have read the other reviews that said the same thing about the price.