The Sockwa line of shoes are a different take on minimalist footwear. They utilize a stretchy plastic sole instead of the rubber soles most shoes have. The sole is very thin. This helps to provide one of the best ground feels of any minimalist shoe I have tried to date. They also feature a stretchy upper that feels more like a sock than a shoe. Unfortunately, the Sockwa does come with some drawbacks. Want to see how the Sockwa preforms as a minimalist shoe? Follow me after the jump for my full review and photographs of the Sockwa G2! Review by Robert Barr for http://birthdayshoes.com.

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Sockwa G2 Long Term Review
By Robert on Apr 19, 2012 | In Barefoot Shoes | 8 comments »
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We featured a mini-review by a guest contributor back in March—James has been a big fan of his Sockwa
shoes and was kind enough to share his thoughts on why he enjoys the Sockwa so much. You can check out
his original review here.
Meanwhile, back in January Sockwa was kind enough to send me a pair of Sockwa G2 to test out and review
for BirthdayShoes and I have been spending the past few months testing them out. I think I am finally ready to
share my thoughts.
Overview
The Sockwa line of shoes are a different take on minimalist footwear. They utilize a stretchy plastic sole instead
of the rubber soles most shoes have. The sole is very thin. This helps to provide one of the best ground feels of
any minimalist shoe I have tried to date. They also feature a stretchy upper that feels more like a sock than a
shoe. Unfortunately, the Sockwa does come with some drawbacks.
Want to see how the Sockwa preforms as a minimalist shoe? Follow me after the jump for my full review and
photographs of the Sockwa G2!
« recent vibram reviews »
Sizing
Back when I ordered Sockwa G2 to test out, I followed the sizing chart on their site and asked for a size 10.
The shoes turned out to be too short. Customer service was great. They handled my issue quickly and
professionally. I sent those back and exchanged them for a size 11. The size 11 fit me fine in terms of the
length. Unfortunately, I found them to be incredibly tight on my wide feet.
« recent shoe reviews »
The Sockwa G2 fits closer to a sock than a shoe. The elastic, almost spandex like material of the upper
stretches to conform to your foot's unique shape. This should be fine for people with narrow feet. I feel like my
toes are crammed into the toe box because of I have wider than average feet. I spent several days trying to
stretch the fabric and the sole of the shoe in order to relieve the excess pressure on my pinky toe. I found
leaving the shoes in a shoe-stretcher for a few days helped some. I will get back to that in a moment.
Take a look around the Sockwa G2 with these photographs:

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Ground Feel
This is where the Sockwa G2 shines. The sole of the G2 is incredibly thin and flexible. There is less than 2mm Björn Johonna Kenny Kenneth
of material between you and the ground. Each shoe weighs 2.4 - 3.5 oz. depending on the size. If you care
about ground feel, you can't get much better than these shoes. I was able to feel every pebble and crack in the
pavement. I have been very impressed with the amount of ground feel the Sockwa G2 provides. I am hard Facebook social plugin
pressed to come up with another minimalist shoe that provides more ground feel.
where to buy
The sole also seems pretty puncture resistant. I tested the shoes by stepping on some sharp pointy rocks. The
sole did not get punctured and looked no worse for the wear. I was not exactly comfortable with that much
ground feel during that one particular instance. My foot did seem to be protected, but I could see getting bruises
if you don't watch where you walk. I don't think I would like to trail run in these shoes. Over the four month
period I have been testing this shoe, the sole has held up very well.
I once saw a video of the Sockwa sole being stretched and pulled in all sorts of directions (You can watch the
video on YouTube). I found I was not able to do this with my shoes. They secured the sole to the fabric
footbed. The fabric footbed apparently greatly reduces the amount of stretch that you actually get from the sole.
The Fit
This is where things start to fall apart for me. My feet feel extremely cramped in these shoes. Even after I sized
up to a size 11 my toes were craving more room. I could feel my pinky toe being pushed under the 4th toe. My
pair of Sockwa is only four inches at the widest part. If you have wide feet, you might want to keep this in mind.
If you have a narrow or average size foot, then you should be okay with the width of these shoes. If you have a
wider foot, you might want to avoid the Sockwa G2. I let a few people who have similar size feet as me try
them on. They all agreed that they felt cramped in the toes.
I was able to stretch the shoes and relieve some of the issues I had with the width. I was not able to fix the five fingers in stock now!
issue completely though. I can only wear them for about 30 minutes before I feel the need to take them off and
let my feet flex/stretch. 10/04/2012 - They're here! Fall 2013
FIVEFINGERS - Water-Resistant
The upper feels good on the foot. It breathes well and does a good job of regulating your temperature. There is LONTRA & SPEED XC and laced SeeYa
a seam along the inside of the shoe that rubbed me the wrong way that runs along the entire inside of the LS
shoe. I found it to be most irritating around the big toe and heel. I did not notice it so much around the other 08/17/2012 - $50 for SeeYas
parts of my foot. FiveFingers? You got it. Plus all the big
minimalist/barefoot shoe brands on
I was able to fix the seam issue by wearing a pair of socks. Some people might object to having to wear socks clearance (Vibram, Merrell, New
with a shoe like this and I do find it strange that for a product with sock in the name I feel compelled to wear Balance, VivoBarefoot)

3. socks with them for comfort. I hope in future models they can reduce the number of seams in the shoe. 08/03/2012 - hey it's Friday, so why
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General Uses
Even though the Sockwa G2 is not wide enough for me, I still expect to use these shoes from time to time. I
consider them to be a great emergency shoe. They are so minimal you can roll them up like a pair of socks and
bring them anywhere you go.
I brought them with me on a recent trip to San Francisco. They fit easily into my luggage and I will make sure
to bring my pair along when I go traveling. The Sockwa G2 provides an excellent buffer between your feet and
a dirty hotel room. They also make a great shoe that you can wear as you are going through airport security.
I also think they would be a great beach/aquatic shoe. I did not do any extensive water testing but they fit well
enough that I would not worry about them slipping off when submerged in water. The grip is also good in wet
conditions—I never found myself slipping and sliding on the driveway when it was wet outside.
I use these shoes most often when I want to take a quick trip outside. They slip on quickly, so I can put them
on and be out the door in seconds. When I need to walk to my mail box these are the shoes I reach for. If I did
not have such wide feet. I think I would enjoy wearing them for much longer periods of time.
Conclusion
I really want to like the Sockwa G2. I just can't get over how narrow they feel on my feet. I would recommend
the Sockwa G2 if width is not an issue for you—James clearly loves his. On the other hand, I would pass on
the Sockwa G2 if you tend to buy wide shoes and crave lots of toe space.
The sizing can also be a little weird—they don't seem to go above a size 11 in the G2 (Other models like the
G3 have larger sizes). You can go to their website to see their full size chart. Finally, Sockwas are priced
reasonably—they range from $35-50 depending on the size and style.
If the Sockwa G2 was about half to 3/4th of an inch wider. I would not have any real issues with these shoes. I
think the ground feel is excellent, they are incredibly light and flexible, and you can roll them up and fit them in
your pocket. That puts them on the ultra-minimalist side of the minimalist/"barefoot" shoes spectrum. They've
held up well over the four months I have been testing them, too.
Sockwa has designed a really good minimalist shoe for narrow feet. One last gripe: the Sockwa branding is
very noticeable on the side of the shoe. It makes me feel like a walking billboard. All said, I hope future models
come out in wide widths, less noticeable branding, and fewer seams.
Pros:
Very Light
Extremely Flexible
Zero Drop
Amazing Ground Feel
No arch support

4. Good Price
Cons:
Too Narrow For Wide Feet.
A Few Uncomfortable Seams.
Excessive Branding
Do you own a pair of Sockwa? What do you think about them? Sound off in the comments below. We love
hearing from our readers!
About the Author — Robert Barr resides in Woodinville Washington. He is an avid
FiveFingers enthusiast who enjoys writing about his experiences in minimalist footwear. After
graduating from the University of Washington with a BFA in Photography he started
Washington Home Tours LLC a local real estate photography company. He also enjoys
being a Scentsy consultant. At the moment his favorite pair of FiveFingers are his Bormio
boots. Get to know Robert better via his interview here.
Robert+ has written 19 articles and 78 comments.
Tags: review, sockwa
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8 comments
Comment from: Anon [Visitor]
Spot on about the excessive branding. It kills a seemingly great product.
04/19/12 @ 10:49
Comment from: PB Junkie [Visitor]
I agree that they are quite narrow. I have a pair and really like them, but the width in the toe box
keeps me from wearing them very often. If you don't have wide feet though, they're great, very
comfortable and amazing ground feel.
04/19/12 @ 11:10
Comment from: Mr. Leigh [Visitor]
I think the price point is a good start for those looking to get into minimalist footwear. I would
rather see someone buy these than the Skeletoes, which are not at all minimalist. I do tend to
agree that the branding is a bit much. Less is more in my opinion.

5. 04/19/12 @ 11:43
Comment from: James [Visitor]
Yeah, good review. While my Review was different in terms of the satisfaction level, I agree with
you on all points. I tested in the black ones, which use a very dark color for the giant
"SOCKWA" on the side so it blended in more but I do wish they would take that away. and
although the narrowness of the toebox isn't that much of an issue for me (iv'e used them for 970
miles!) I for some reason have started having issues with my right pinky toe getting blistered,
and I think the Sockwa is to blame because of the tight toebox. greate idea, great value/duability,
but there are flaws. it's a good thing the company is very open to feedback though, we will see some of the
problems fixed. (In case your listening, Dave, in addition to a wider toebox, an antimicrobal footbed like one
used in the Merrell gloves would be nice!!! mine sell like death!!) :)
04/19/12 @ 17:57
Comment from: Javier Cortez [Visitor]
I'm assuming the Moc3 is pretty similar in ground feel?
I've always wondered how these would work out.
thanks for the review!
04/19/12 @ 22:46
Comment from: Sytera [Visitor]
I can't believe I am just now seeing these!! I've been wearing Classics exclusively for 2.5 years
now. I tried Bikilas and looked at other "barefoot" shoes but they are all so blasted thick
compared to my beloved Classics. Now that I see these I think I will have to beg the husband to
buy me a pair!!! Thanks for the great review!!
04/21/12 @ 00:18
Comment from: Chris [Visitor]
My Sockwa G3s just arrived in the mail yesterday and I'm loving them so far. I have pretty
narrow feet (3.5" x 10.5") and I'm wearing a size 11 G3. They feel somewhat loose and
nonrestrictive which is a significant change from my Sprints. The lack of weight threw me off at
first but I'm getting used to it after a couple trial runs. The logo doesn't bother me but it might
actually be harder to see on the G3 colors? Dave, why is there no grey color for the G3? I like
the red but grey would've been ideal.
04/24/12 @ 12:02
Comment from: Scary [Visitor]
I picked up a pair of black G2's and I do have slightly wide feet, well foot. My reason for getting
them is because my right leg is a prosthetic and I can't really go full barefoot or I destroy the
foot shell. These provide a great cover and protection for them, but on my good foot they do
tend to cut into the top of my ankle a bit. I've been told the G3 handles that issue and is not as
binding around the ankle. I also bought a pair of grey playa hi-tops and those feel incredible
when walking around "Barefoot" (Or as close to it as I can get).
04/24/12 @ 12:37
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