Sockwa's are becoming a way of life

Sockwa G2

 
When I first saw the Sockwa at OR I was excited to try them on.  Here is a minimalist style shoe that reminded me of the old Nike aquasocks, only better!  I remember using the aquasocks at the pool and occasionally at home but that was it.  With Sockwa's I have been wearing them consistently since August, I think that says a lot right there.  I find they are a great fit, they feel like a glove however you hardly notice you are wearing them.  What makes it so I can feel everything I walk over and feels very close to bare feet without truly being barefoot.  In technical terms they are made from a TPU (ThermoPlastic Urethane) sole and claimed to be the thinnest sole on the planet.  Is that true?  I have not tested it against other shoes, but in my research I have not found another shoe with a thinner sole.  The TPU sole gives a grippy feel even in water, I have had a stutter step or two when I forget how well they grip.  This is as close to barefoot as you can get and still have some protection when on the road.  The Sockwa is crushable?  I have to say that this is a great feature and holds true.  Oft times I have taken my Sockwa's and just stuffed them in my pack just to fit them in with everything else.  They do not take up a lot of room as well as fitting in just about anywhere in my pack.

The Sockwa's are very comfortable, however I have almost always worn them with my Incredisocks.  I like the properties of Incredisocks mixed with the Sockwa's minimalist feel and I do not want them to stink.  I just want to point out that this is my personal preference and if you have read my earlier reviews of Incredisocks, I never leave home without them.

Sockwa's are very light, they have this incredibly thin sole and they are very flexible, I would go so far as to call them compact.  Checkout the stitch work on these great shoes. The first is a closeup of the footbed and the sidewall construction.  The top of the Sockwa is very thin and referring to the pic above the loop that you see going down toward the toes is all thin with the sidewalls starting at the seam and that is then integrated with the footbed and sole.

 

This is a closeup of the heel cup with left or right indicator in case you forget?!  I think it is mostly for production, however you never know when you will need a little help with putting these on the correct foot.

If you want to feel like you are going around barefoot and do not want to worry about every rock or sticker, maybe even not allowed to go barefoot, say at work then this is the shoe for you.  Sockwa's fit like a glove, are very light, can be thrown in your bag, cargo shorts, whatever, and feel like you are barefooted!  I highly recommend that you get a pair of these and enjoy the minimalist/barefoot movement.