VIVOBAREFOOT Gobi Boot Review (And Discount Offer)
Beginning in the summer of 1940, Allied and Axis troops
pushed each other back and forth across North Africa for three long years, in
battles whose outcomes were largely determined by the ability of either side to
mobilize troops and supplies more effectively than the opponent in the harsh
desert conditions.
In November of 1942 the British Eighth Army secured a key
victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein, a coastal Egyptian city, and
ultimately drove Erwin Rommel’s Panzer Army westward all the way to Tunisia. By
the end of the year, thousands of American and British troops joined the
attack, and the North African Campaign ended with the surrender of all
remaining Axis troops in May of 1943.
British 8th Army in WWII; photo from ww2incolor.com
So what does any of this have to do with a product
review? Well, one of the smallest
historical footnotes from the North African theater was the popularization of
what came to be known as the desert boot, also sometimes called a chukka boot. With high leather siding and rubberized
soles, the British Army’s footwear of choice was highly durable, effective at
keeping sand away from the feet, and comfortable enough for seemingly endless
hours of use.
VIVOBAREFOOT Gobi boot
While the desert boot has become a modern fashion staple, it
wasn’t until VIVOBAREFOOT (coincidentally and perhaps fittingly, a company of
British origin) introduced its Fall 2012 lineup that a suitable barefoot
equivalent existed. The company now
offers the Gobi, a low profile boot that echoes the styling of classic desert
boots and maintains all of the biomechanical benefits of modern minimalist
footwear. It’s available in three
different styles, and is also available for a short time at a 20% discount. More on that later – for now, let’s march (get
it?) through a review.
The Gobi’s uppers are composed of full grain leather on the
black version, and suede for either the dark or light brown models. My suede version is quite comfortable against
the skin, making it suitable for use without socks – however, there isn’t any
sort of liner against the foot, so you may develop some odor issues with
prolonged barefoot use. I wear thin socks
with mine just to be on the safe side.
Otherwise, the uppers are fairly simple and nondescript,
with three large panels enveloping the foot, and a heel pull in the back to
help get them on.
Three eyelets and
traditional cotton laces in the front help secure the fit.
Considering that this is technically a boot, the Gobi is
impressively light at only 8.2oz for the suede versions, with the leather
version slightly heavier at 8.6 oz. By
comparison, two pairs of VIVOBAREFOOT boots I reviewed a couple of years ago
weighed in at 11oz and 13oz, so the Gobi is a huge improvement from a minimal
standpoint. When reviewing their running
models, I’ve often been critical of VIVOBAREFOOT for not making their shoes lighter,
so I owe it to them to make this a high point of praise for the Gobi.
Like all VIVOBAREFOOT shoes, the Gobi comes with a removable
insole that expands the toebox and lowers your standing height by 3mm when
absent. Removing the insole leaves you
practically touching the ground …
… because the Gobi outsole is a mere 3mm thick, using one of
VIVOBAREFOOT’s original high-abrasion puncture-resistant TPU materials that I
also tested on the Dharma a few years ago.
This is the company’s thinnest outsole, so it’s unbeatable from a ground
feel and proprioception standpoint, but it definitely lacks some traction on
slick or wet surfaces.
For that matter, the entire Gobi has minimal water
resistance – although the leather would be a little more effective than the
suede - and isn’t well suited for harsh winter conditions in general. This shouldn’t be surprising for a boot that
was made with the desert in mind, but it’s worth noting that you’re buying
these more for fashion than for true winter weather protection. However, with its above-ankle height and
classic styling, the Gobi easily complements a pair of jeans or dress pants in
your fall wardrobe.
VIVOBAREFOOT’s Gobi retails for $150 from the company website, but for the remainder of the month you can get them for 20% discount
by using coupon code RUNNINGANDRAMBLING20 when you check out. The discount applies to all styles of VIVOBAREFOOT footwear, including their running and dress models.
*Product provided by VIVOBAREFOOT. Affiliate sales support Running and Rambling.
Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.
Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.
pushed each other back and forth across North Africa for three long years, in
battles whose outcomes were largely determined by the ability of either side to
mobilize troops and supplies more effectively than the opponent in the harsh
desert conditions.
In November of 1942 the British Eighth Army secured a key
victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein, a coastal Egyptian city, and
ultimately drove Erwin Rommel’s Panzer Army westward all the way to Tunisia. By
the end of the year, thousands of American and British troops joined the
attack, and the North African Campaign ended with the surrender of all
remaining Axis troops in May of 1943.
British 8th Army in WWII; photo from ww2incolor.com
So what does any of this have to do with a product
review? Well, one of the smallest
historical footnotes from the North African theater was the popularization of
what came to be known as the desert boot, also sometimes called a chukka boot. With high leather siding and rubberized
soles, the British Army’s footwear of choice was highly durable, effective at
keeping sand away from the feet, and comfortable enough for seemingly endless
hours of use.
VIVOBAREFOOT Gobi boot
While the desert boot has become a modern fashion staple, it
wasn’t until VIVOBAREFOOT (coincidentally and perhaps fittingly, a company of
British origin) introduced its Fall 2012 lineup that a suitable barefoot
equivalent existed. The company now
offers the Gobi, a low profile boot that echoes the styling of classic desert
boots and maintains all of the biomechanical benefits of modern minimalist
footwear. It’s available in three
different styles, and is also available for a short time at a 20% discount. More on that later – for now, let’s march (get
it?) through a review.
The Gobi’s uppers are composed of full grain leather on the
black version, and suede for either the dark or light brown models. My suede version is quite comfortable against
the skin, making it suitable for use without socks – however, there isn’t any
sort of liner against the foot, so you may develop some odor issues with
prolonged barefoot use. I wear thin socks
with mine just to be on the safe side.
Otherwise, the uppers are fairly simple and nondescript,
with three large panels enveloping the foot, and a heel pull in the back to
help get them on.
Three eyelets and
traditional cotton laces in the front help secure the fit.
Considering that this is technically a boot, the Gobi is
impressively light at only 8.2oz for the suede versions, with the leather
version slightly heavier at 8.6 oz. By
comparison, two pairs of VIVOBAREFOOT boots I reviewed a couple of years ago
weighed in at 11oz and 13oz, so the Gobi is a huge improvement from a minimal
standpoint. When reviewing their running
models, I’ve often been critical of VIVOBAREFOOT for not making their shoes lighter,
so I owe it to them to make this a high point of praise for the Gobi.
Like all VIVOBAREFOOT shoes, the Gobi comes with a removable
insole that expands the toebox and lowers your standing height by 3mm when
absent. Removing the insole leaves you
practically touching the ground …
… because the Gobi outsole is a mere 3mm thick, using one of
VIVOBAREFOOT’s original high-abrasion puncture-resistant TPU materials that I
also tested on the Dharma a few years ago.
This is the company’s thinnest outsole, so it’s unbeatable from a ground
feel and proprioception standpoint, but it definitely lacks some traction on
slick or wet surfaces.
For that matter, the entire Gobi has minimal water
resistance – although the leather would be a little more effective than the
suede - and isn’t well suited for harsh winter conditions in general. This shouldn’t be surprising for a boot that
was made with the desert in mind, but it’s worth noting that you’re buying
these more for fashion than for true winter weather protection. However, with its above-ankle height and
classic styling, the Gobi easily complements a pair of jeans or dress pants in
your fall wardrobe.
VIVOBAREFOOT’s Gobi retails for $150 from the company website, but for the remainder of the month you can get them for 20% discount
by using coupon code RUNNINGANDRAMBLING20 when you check out. The discount applies to all styles of VIVOBAREFOOT footwear, including their running and dress models.
*Product provided by VIVOBAREFOOT. Affiliate sales support Running and Rambling.
Get updates as soon as they're posted! Click here to subscribe to Running and Rambling.
Check out the Running Life book for a collection of our most popular columns.
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