Vibrams Five Fingers Treksport Review: The Best Shoes of E3 2013

The Show

Immediately, you’ll notice you have to walk differently because you’re not extending your stride and heel-striking anymore, you’re landing flat on your foot. It feels different at first. My shoes were a little tight in the instep for a while, but they finally flexed just right. You’ll also have to get used to the fact that you put these on like socks rather than shoes, meaning it’s an iterative process. You get the toes in first, then use the large heel to wrap it around the back of your foot. Again, it should feel like a glove. No shoehorns required.

I was a little scared about acclimating to these ahead of E3. I’ve said it before, but after a sedentary life in a call center, E3 2012 nearly murdered me and I wanted to avoid that as much as possible this time around. While I was on the show floor, I had a Camelbak pack and a pair of my old favorite shoes tucked inside just in case. I packed in four pairs of socks, too. From the moment we left Phoenix to the moment we got back five days later, I never did retrieve my reserve shoes. Through all the conferences and all three days of the show floor, I wore my Vibrams. I could only confirm sighting one other pair, but my Treksports quickly became the best pair of shoes I’d ever bought and worn. Between better scheduling, a few less events and these shoes, I didn’t feel like I’d been murdered this year. I must say that walking out on the Los Angeles Convention Center’s very hard, flat and hot rear concrete patio between the halls was slightly uncomfortable, but it wasn’t a big deal.

I even got a few compliments.