Xero Shoes Women's Prio Neo Barefoot Training Shoe

These are the shoes I chose as my first barefoot shoes so I don't have any reference point for other barefoot shoes but I have to say, I am loving these so far. For the past few years I have been wearing the Brooks Glycerine GTS 20's and loved them however this year I started having a lot of new issues with my feet and ankles which on top of the existing knee and hip issues, was concerning. I saw a foot doctor who after treating the inflammation, ultimately recommended some orthotic insoles. It took a while but my feet adjusted to the insoles and I thought things would get better. However, I was still getting pain trying to get over 7k steps a day. My knees hurt, my feet were sore, and my ankle was still getting stiff. After 3 months of physical therapy for the hip issues and a follow up with that foot doctor, I started wondering if I had some issue with my gait or how I walked. Neither the PT or foot doctor offered gait analysis when I asked so I did some further digging on my own. I came to learn that I had a heavy heel strike and didn't feel balanced when I walked. I also was noticing that since wearing the Brooks all the time, my feet would start hurting a lot when walking barefoot or standing for even short periods of time barefoot. I used to not have that issue. For context, I do have flat feet (Native American here) however I have never had feet issues that didn't stem from just being on my feet all day or uncomfortable shoes. Last year my hip issues started then this year my knees, ankles, and feet were constantly bothering me when I would try to walk. I do have a very weak left hip abductor which I am doing strengthening for to help address this systemic issue. I incorporated warmups and stretches before walking which has also helped. The final piece was finding shoes that helped me walk better. I was looking at some Altra 0 drop shoes and may purchase a pair in the future but I ultimately ended up choosing the Prio Neo after trying them on at REI. They were immediately so comfortable so I took those home even though they ended up being a 1/2 size too big (hence why I bought this pair from Amazon that I'm reviewing). Something that I did not consider before purchasing these shoes was the adjustment period of going from a heavily cushioned, highly supportive shoe with a 10mm drop to a barefoot shoe with 0mm drop. My calves were protesting, my knees were hurting in all new areas, and I found out I could not heel strike in these new shoes so I had to relearn how to walk and I also had to walk slower. I did end up putting my orthotic insole in these for the time being which immediately relieved some of the pain. I'm hoping to not need the insole in the future but I'm not in a hurry to take them out. While I'm still in the adjustment period and I do still have knee pain, I just love the way these feel when I walk in them. It feels like my feet but better. I also feel more stable when walking which could be a result of me not heel striking anymore. I like the smaller profile of these and how flexible they are. After walking exclusively in these for a couple of weeks, I tried on my Brooks to see if I could tell a difference. I almost immediately noticed my calves were aching and the bottom of my foot and my arch was getting a shooting pain. This could just be from the completely different structure and my foot having adjusted to the Prio Neo but it made me not look forward to walking in the Brooks anymore. This is all just my experience so far and only time will tell if the Prio Neo is actually better for my walking health.

I will start off by saying, these are the most comfortable shoes EVER. They feel like you are wearing slippers with a rubber bottom. The wide toe box gives you so much room to keep your toes from being cramped up. The top part of these shoes are stretchy and comfortable, not stiff like most gym shoes. They do not offer any arch support but the insoles slip right out and you can insert your own which is what I do with all of my shoes so that wasn't a problem for me. They are so much better on your feet, knees and back than traditional gym shoes which was my reason for buying them. I already ordered a 2nd pair in a different color.

Got to say......took them out of the box and compared them to my other shoes of the same size and these were about an inch to inch in a half in length smaller. My husband laughed and said looks like I will be returning these shoes too. I told him I was trying them on and was so surprised they fit with room in the toes to spare! I call them my "Houdini" shoes. I wore them in the house all day yesterday and they felt awesome. I felt my toes had room and there was no pain. I have mortons toe and hammer toes that are still flexible. Today wore them outside for a walk with the dog and they were wonderful. I will wear these to see how well they hold up over time and most likely purchase another pair.

Treat them before wearing. They fit much better than the HIKE I tried. HIKE slipped right off my heel at a quick walk. The toe box on the Xero is wide, shoe laces are functional. It fits well, nice padding around the ankle. The beige is a nice color with my Mom jeans.

It feels great when you just step in, but when you walk, the hard part that holds the laces digs into your foot.

Love these shoes for weight training! Not only are they more stable than my running shoes, but they are SO cute! I've received so many compliments on them

NO pain!! I’m a young nurse and work long hours on my feet. I’ve tried everything shoe out there, all the cushy gushy mushy top rated shoes. My feet were always so sore by the end of my shift to the point it hurt to walk. I’m an avid barefoot walker everywhere that’s socially acceptable so I decided to give these a try (well actually, I went with the knock off brand that starts with a W first but they were clowny so returned). I was immediately in love. I took the insoles out and have been using these exclusively for the past month. No pain, no sore feet. Today, I wore a normal pair of tennis shoes for two hours and my feet KILL! Walking is so painful. I didn’t realize how big of a difference the Xero shoes made until I tried 2 hours in a different shoe. The light blue gets dirty really fast but I’ll probably just throw them in the washing machine. I’ll update if they fall apart in under a year :)

Absolutely love! My feet feel so free in these and lifting is way more stable feeling.

They are full of dirt. Not impressed

Das ist bisher der einzige Schuh, der mir richtig passt. Ich habe ihn für Spaziergänge gekauft. Wer breitere Füße hat, sollte aber die Variante für Männer nehmen (eigentlich sind beide Schuhe unisex, nur dass der eine schmaler ist als der andere).

Wish I would have bought them years ago. They give stability and comfort. The wide toe box is an absolute delight for my toes. I play hardcourt volleyball in them and cannot recommend them enough to anyone who's thinking about minimalist shoes for volleyball. I was concerned about the cushioning of my feet (heel area) when jumping and landing and the extra space for my toes felt like the shoe would be loose but have absolutely no issues. My feet don't hurt any more after playing volleyball for 3 hours. I have the feeling that running and jumping in them has improved. Amazing shoe!

Las zapatillas son muy cómodas además de muy bonitas. Se ajusta perfectamente al pie. Muy contenta con la compra. No es la primera zapatilla de esta marca que compro, ni será la última.

Got a sprained ankle so wanted some more comfortable shoes-I ordered a size 6 but sent a size 6.5 but I’m happy with them. So far so good.