Hello, my name’s Andrew and these are the Vivobarefoot Gobi Boot, a lightweight barefoot boot with a leather upper and minimal sole for all season casual.

Features

Last year I reviewed the Vivobarefoot Gobi Winterized, which are my favorite casual boots of all time for cold weather, because of the highly flexible upper, wide toebox, and excellent ground feel.

However, my only beef with them is now that we’re moving into spring there are a lot of days where the insulation is too warm, so I asked Vivobarefoot for a pair of their regular Gobi Boots to test, and, yea…

They’ve got all the things I love about the Winterized, but with more versatility for zero-drop adventures in all four seasons.

Upper/Lining

Because the Gobi Boot has a wide toebox with a water-resistant chrome-free leather upper that’s reinforced all around for extra protection, as well as minimalist flat laces and top hooks for quick on/off.

Inside there’s a soft leather lining and thin tongue for breathability and improved range of motion, plus a removable recycled insole for padding.

Sole/Tread

Underneath you’ve got a thin 3.7mm zero-drop sole that’s extremely flexible in all directions, along with a minimal tread for roads and 360º stitching for durability.

Testing

While the Vivobarefoot Gobi Winterized was already one of the widest Vivo’s I’ve tried the lack of padding in the regular Gobi Boot added even more space.

Walking

So heading out for a walk on roads the thin sole felt just as smooth and natural, but I could feel my toes splaying out further as I landed.

Which made the Gobi’s one of those barefoot boots that looks substantial but still makes you feel like taking off running (even if that’s not what they’re made for).

Hiking

Branching off onto trails the leather upper and multiple layers of reinforcement were great for keeping out mud and the sole was tough enough to handle some light gravel.

Although, obviously, the Gobi Boot doesn’t have enough tread to handle serious hiking on sharp rocks or muddy hills.

Casual

Also, while their sweet spot was around forty to seventy degrees, the thin leather upper worked better for hotter days than thicker zero-drop boots, like my Vivobarefoot Tracker FG’s…

…and with a couple layers of Injinji merino wool toe socks and thicker Smartwool’s, as well as a wool felt insole, I was able to stay warm down below freezing.

Running errands the black Gobi’s felt like they’d be great for delivery drivers or even formalwear, while the brown’s would style well for casual…

…and in general they were flexible enough that you could comfortably wear them inside on cold winter days if you didn’t have a pair of slippers handy.

Conclusion

Overall the Vivobarefoot Gobi Boot is an excellent option for anyone who wants an all-season boot for casual that combines a high range of motion with some extra protection for mixed conditions.

Pros/Cons

Because the toebox is wide and comfy, the leather upper is water-resistant yet thin enough to breathe in warmer weather, and the 3.7mm tread feels amazing walking on roads, or even some light trails.

However, the Gobi Boot may not be roomy enough for extra-wide feet, the leather can soak through if it stays wet long enough, and the higher cut does reduce airflow for hotter days above seventy degrees.

Alternatives

In terms of similar barefoot casual boots…

Resources

If you’d like to support the channel, you can shop with the referral links above/below, browse and filter more products at my website barefootwear.org, or watch my zero-drop transition video to learn more about barefooting.

Finally, if you have a question about the Vivoobarefoot Gobi Boot, or about barefoot shoes in general, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for watching, catch ya next time. Peace!