Hello, my name’s Andrew, and these are the Primus Trail FG’s, the best lightweight Vivobarefoot shoes for hiking and trail running.

Features

Back in 2017 I bought a pair of the original Primus Trail FG’s (aka Firm Grounds), and after six years and thousands of miles of running and hiking, they’re still freakin’ going.

But people have been asking me to review the updated version, so I had Vivobarefoot send me a pair to test, and basically they’re the same rock solid barefoot shoe but with some fancy new tricks.

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Upper

Because the Primus Trails have a medium-wide foot-shaped toebox with tons of mesh panels for breathability, plus a wraparound foot guard and reinforcement strips to prevent tearouts.

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Over top of the there’s a set of drawstring laces with a convenient hook on the end, along with a featherweight tongue, padded heel, and a removable insole that’s perforated for water drainage.

Sole/Tread

Underneath you’ve got a thin 5.5mm zero-drop sole that’s flexible in both directions and a semi-aggressive tread for trails and some occasional pavement.

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Styles

Finally, while I went with Darth Vader black the FG’s also come in other colors and styles like the Primus Trail Kit and All-Weather, and you can even get them refurbished for a discount at revivo.com.

Testing

The first thing I noticed about the Vivobarefoot Primus Trail is that it’s not as wide as my old Primus FG’s, but coming down from 320g to 257g it’s a full 17% lighter.

Trail Running

So going out for my first trail run it literally felt like wearing nothing, and at 5.5mm the new Primus Trail’s are also 1mm thinner, which makes them super responsive and snappy.

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Also, I liked the padding at the top of the heel, because it created a better lockdown than my Primus Lite’s…

…and while the FG’s are technically a “Firm Ground” barefoot shoe, the lugs are spaced out enough to handle weaving up and down muddy hills.

Hiking

For hiking I loved the Primus Trail’s wraparound guard, because it gave me some nice protection from stubbing my toe on roots, scraping up the side fabric, and getting soaked plowing through wet grass.

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Even on hot days the mesh panels did a great job of keeping my feet cool, and the drawstring clip makes it easy to take the shoes on and off…

…like if you’re going through a swampy area and you want to quickly add the perforated insoles for drainage before you’re eaten alive by mosquitos!

Conclusion

Overall the Vivobarefoot Primus Trail FG’s are a lightweight yet durable zero-drop shoe that can handle thousands of miles of hiking and trail running.

Pros/Cons

Because the mesh panels are super breathable, the drawstring and heel lockdown is excellent, and the 5.5mm sole can handle any terrain Mother Nature throws at you.

However, the FG’s are less flexible than some pure trail running barefoot shoes, the protection is kind of overkill for casual use, and the toebox might be too slim if you have wide or extra-wide feet.

Alternatives

In terms of similar barefoot shoes…

Resources

If you’d like to support the channel, you can shop with the referral links above/below, or watch my Zero-Drop Transition video to learn more about barefooting.

Finally, if you have a question about the Vivobarefoot Primus Trail, or about barefoot shoes in general, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for watching, catch ya next time. Peace!