Vivobarefoot Magna Forest ESC - Men's Leather Wool Hiking Shoes for Outdoor Adventures

I've been wearing thin soled minimalist shoes for a long time. All of the thicker soled hiking minimalist options on the cheaper end were uncomfortable (whitin and others) - I've owned about 7 or so pairs of vivos over the years and most of them were comfortable. Just so expensive! So I've been buying cheapo $20 to $40 range minimalist shoes for about 2 years - but, of course, they wear out in 6 months or less.I am very pleased these feel great. They feel very flexible, still, though the soles are thick. 100% protected instead of feeling every grain of sand (like I'm used to, and don't get me wrong, I like) but you do still get feedback. I just realized how limited you can be in rough terrain, when 32.5% of pebbles or rocks hurt your feet, on any outdoor trail, so I needed a new pair and they had to be Vivos.The ankle support you need in a hiking shoe still feels flexible, with these. Which is important; a tight ankle can ruin the minimalist experience and feel so I usually avoid them. The wool top feels great, in other words.These were a steal at $158 at discount. If I could have afforded the all black ones I would have went with them, they look better to me, but the style and color of these are nice, too; the leather feels and looks very high quality. I'm sure they will only get more comfortable.