I’m a fan of Vivo Barefoot minimalist shoes. The quality has significantly improved over the years. They’re available from their website and Zappos will usually have some as well.

Any suggestions for cold weather?

I've reviewed dozens of minimalist shoes and gotten some custom made.

Vivo is hit and miss in terms of quality. Some models are quite good. In my opinion, their classic desert boot Gobi is the best item in their lineup. Some variations are offered with insulation and/or water resistance.

IMHO, the very best minimal shoe money can buy is a Russell Moccasin [1]. And I say this as a European that in principle prefers high end English (Edward Green), Spanish (Carmina) and Austrian (Saint Crispin) shoes.

Some words of warning, though. It's a traditional company. Orders are very slow and there's little feedback. Plus their QC is sloppy. Some pairs are very well finished, others are not.

[1] http://www.russellmoccasin.com/minimalist-footwear-custom-ma...

For those following the link, the shoes on the initial page are not what I personally would consider "minimalist" shoes as they have significant soles. There are others which are more moccasin like, such as

- http://www.russellmoccasin.com/huron-thula-thula/

- http://www.russellmoccasin.com/thula-thula-ph/

- http://www.russellmoccasin.com/thula-thula-short-ph-5/

- http://www.russellmoccasin.com/russell-tracker/

Vivo Barefoot make an insulated hiking boot that I wear in the snow and my feet stay toasty!

I have 7 pairs + sandals from them for various occasions. I have no affiliation, I just really like their shoes.

Thanks! I’ll check them out.

How cold are we talking about? I find that thin uninsulated flexible shoes often keep my feet much warmer than more insulated inflexible shoes as long as I keep moving, because they require a lot more muscle use by the feet and lower legs, and blood ends up circulating more. When just sitting around they can get cold though.

You could try a knee-high leather moccasin or the like.

New England winter. I have snow boots for heavy snow. But I find that I’m cold in the Xero shoes when walking on frozen ground (sidewalk, driveway, etc) even without snow.

Insulated socks.

Yes heavy socks help but maybe there are other options?

Just to add to your request, is there any literature which goes over the effects of wearing minimalist shoes? Everything I'm finding on Google has to do with running, not with wearing them as an all-purpose shoe. Would be interested to know what effects these shoes have on gait and posture (currently have some knee pain and think something like this could help).

I don’t know any research but I can speak for my own experience. I am not a runner and wear them almost exclusively for 4 months.

I’m relatively fit and work at a standing desk (mostly standing sometimes sitting). I have small miniscus tears in my knees. When I exercise regularly (bike or elliptical 2x per week) my knees don’t bother me. I also had some pain the balls of my feet.

For the past few months I have not had the chance to exercise regularly.

After switching to minimalist “barefoot” shoes, the pain the balls of my feet are gone and even without the regular excercise my knees feel pretty good. I’ve even felt good after working our booth at 3 long tradeshows this past fall.

I don’t think I’m one to fall for fads. I’m converted to this style shoe now.

Ymmv

I wear sandals as much as possible. When I need something that covers my foot, I've been getting Converse All Star Slim Ox and stripping out the insoles. One aspect of minimalist shoes is that there's not a lot there: they're generally not really built to last. The Slim Ox are pretty cheap (when they're available: they aren't always) and are a good compromise in my experience.

Instead of the Converse shoes, which have a somewhat rigid rubber bottom outsole, consider buying some plain canvas-bottomed shoes. You will wear through all of the layers of canvas within a few months, but if you get them from China (e.g. on Taobao) they only cost like $5–$10 per pair.

Alternately, thin leather moccasins can also often be pretty cheap (or can be made yourself).

If you want something a bit more durable, I find that most styles of Vibram’s finger shoes last a fair while, but plenty of people seem to dislike their appearance.

Sure, there are alternatives. The Cons run about $45 a pair, last about a year, and don't call undue attention to themselves. I find they strike a pretty good balance. Plus, they're Cons :)

That is an interesting idea about the converse.

Why do you say that “not built to last” is a characteristic of minimalist shoes? To me that is a characteristic of the brand. The soles of my xeros have hardly any wear but they are ungluing from the upper and split at the edge.

In the sense that there's generally not very much there to be sturdy. I can't think of any highly durable materials or construction methods that are suitable for shoes that aren't also relatively bulky, which minimalist shoes are often striving to get away from. It's a tradeoff. I don't think it's something they're designing for. There's likely an opportunity here, but I'm not sure how big the market is, particularly at prices that would be competitive.

Got it. Thanks!

Coincidentally, I made the same switch around the same time as you.

I really like the New Balance Minimus Cross Trainer. 3 reasons: Quality is good, New Balance makes wide sizes, and the design isn’t overly loud.

I'm thinking about making some"leather socks" like video guy had. They look comfy.