The Xero TerraFlex is a high-performance minimalist trail running, walk and hiking shoe that lets you feel connected to your world utilizing their lightweight barefoot-inspired design. The wicking mesh upper keeps your feet cool and dry while the aggressively lugged sole provides functional traction and grip. Terrain bumps and undulations are softened by the Barefoam embedded inside of the FeelTrue rubber sole. The heel cinch and adjustable mid-foot webbing give you a secure and stable fit while the wide toe box lets your toes splay and flex to invigorate your stride and provide comfort and relaxation.
They come in Forest and Black color schemes, 6.5 – 12 sizes and retail for $99.99.
I’m dancing barefoot
Headin’ for a spin
Some strange music draws me in
It makes me come up like some heroine
Lyrics by Patti Smith
Features
They have an ultra wide toe box that lets your toes spread and your foot relax along with their “XERO-drop” sole which has a non-elevated heel and a low-to-the-ground design that provides improved posture, balance, and stability. The shoe is highly flexible so your foot can bend, move, and flex like its barefoot and at only 9.6 ounces each they’re feathery light. To protect your foot and improve durability they utilize a Tough Tek toe bumper and a rugged, breathable and wicking mesh outsole that keeps your feet cool and dry.
The Huarache-inspired design heel cinch strap is highly functional providing a secure and stable fit, and the “inverted V” adjustable instep straps allow you to lock down your instep while still letting your toes move freely. The middle section of the heel and instep straps are highly reflective, so you can be safely seen while out running and walking at night.
The soles which have a 5,000-mile warranty utilize their FeelTrue rubber compound and feature a removable 2mm insole so you can get an even a more barefoot feel. They have an aggressively Chevron lugged sole for improved grip and offer an embedded 3mm of Barefoam inside the sole for extra protection and comfort.
Impressions
I have never worn a true minimalist shoe like the TerraFlex, and even all of my sandals have a much thicker and plusher sole. The first thing I noticed after wearing the TerraFlex was the uber wide toe box that allowed my toes to splay out, offering up oodles of comfort and relaxation. My little toes severely splay when standing barefoot and most shoes constrain and constrict that natural tendency, which can cause considerable discomfort and cramping after wearing most shoes for a moderately long time. The wide toe box provided immense amounts of comfort for me without the clunkiness and clown shoe look that usually come with that design. The shoes never gave me any hotspots, chafing, and binding problems and they felt like I was wearing a pair of comfy bedroom slippers.
The Huarache-inspired heel cinch strap is attached to the laces, and loops through the sole and back around the upper rear of the heel. It works exceptionally well and helps pull your heel and foot down into the shoe which provides a secure, connected and stable fit without any heel lift. The separately adjustable instep straps allow you to lock down your instep for stability while still letting your toes to move around comfortably. The laces are a bit thick and on occasion will loosen up and untie and require a retightening.
The Chevron tread design is decently aggressive and tall and provides plenty of traction and grip on rocks, roots, dirt and pretty much any terrain I tossed them on. Even though the TerraFlex is a barefoot-style shoe the sole has the embedded Barefoam to soften blows, and it’s thick enough, and the are lugs tall enough that I never felt like I was being battered and pulverized during use on rugged terrain. The soles FeelTrue rubber compound combined with the embedded Barefoam offered comfort, cushioning and give without feeling overly squishy and flimsy.
The thin insole can be removed for closer to barefoot feel, but I didn’t find that was necessary and I always left it in.
The TerraFlex is amazingly flexible and is close to noodly when bent by hand, but they fit like a glove and are secure when tightened down properly with the laces, minus the roomy comfort zone in the toe box. You can easily smoosh and crumple the TerraFlex into a ball and twist the sole.
The Tough Tek front toe bumper provides lots of protection to your foot and dramatically improves the shoe durability, and the supple outsole section along the bottom edge has been decently rugged. Even with the extra protection and light cushioning they are still a minimalist shoe with a great grounded barefoot feeling and feedback design, though there is a slight loss of ultimate sensation of the ground (trade-offs).
The mesh uppers are quite breathable, lightly water resistant and wick moisture well, and I never felt like the shoes got overly hot in any weather. I got stuck in a couple of torrential downpours, and my feet never felt soaked, and the shoes never held water internally, though I wouldn’t call the wet user shoes and they aren’t waterproof. There is a decent amount of foam padding around the heel and ankle for optimal cushioning, and even though the tongue is thinly padded, it was more than adequate for comfort.
Depending on personal tastes you can wear the shoes with or without socks, though I like wearing socks myself so I rarely went with that option. The TerraFlex run small in size, so go up a half a size for the best fit (I wore Mens 9 and got some 9.5’s.)
Overall I found the TerraFlex to be comfortable and easy to walk in, and they felt like they were was part of my feet, and were as close to barefoot that I like to go, offering some creature cushioning and protection. And I sure love the toe box and the supreme comfort it provided my toes, which were able to splay out naturally. I must admit that after long days of wearing them my feet got tired since the zero drop design, lack of any internal and arch support was fatiguing.
Bottom Line
The Xero TerraFlex minimalist barefoot design shoe is light, agile, twistable and flexible which allows the foot to feel and conform to the ground and stretch and move naturally. Even with those minimal attributes, the combination of the mesh outsole, bumper toe box, insole, rubber sole and it’s embedded foam and Chevron lugs, provides lots of comforts, protection, grip, and traction. The zero drop design, lack of any internal and arch support are excellent for minimalist runners, users, and hikers, but if you jump from conventional footwear your muscles, tendons and feet might be overwhelmed.
The Xero TerraFlex is a high-performance, true minimalist trail running and hiking shoe that let the toes and feet move, bend, flex and feel, the way they’re meant to. When snugged down with the laces and the integrated strap system which cinches down over the instep and pulls the foot down into the rear, they’re stable and secure, while the toe box allows your toes tons of room to splay and wiggle.
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