Xero Shoes Women's Prio Neo Barefoot Training Shoe

These are the shoes I chose as my first barefoot shoes so I don't have any reference point for other barefoot shoes but I have to say, I am loving these so far. For the past few years I have been wearing the Brooks Glycerine GTS 20's and loved them however this year I started having a lot of new issues with my feet and ankles which on top of the existing knee and hip issues, was concerning. I saw a foot doctor who after treating the inflammation, ultimately recommended some orthotic insoles. It took a while but my feet adjusted to the insoles and I thought things would get better. However, I was still getting pain trying to get over 7k steps a day. My knees hurt, my feet were sore, and my ankle was still getting stiff. After 3 months of physical therapy for the hip issues and a follow up with that foot doctor, I started wondering if I had some issue with my gait or how I walked. Neither the PT or foot doctor offered gait analysis when I asked so I did some further digging on my own. I came to learn that I had a heavy heel strike and didn't feel balanced when I walked. I also was noticing that since wearing the Brooks all the time, my feet would start hurting a lot when walking barefoot or standing for even short periods of time barefoot. I used to not have that issue. For context, I do have flat feet (Native American here) however I have never had feet issues that didn't stem from just being on my feet all day or uncomfortable shoes. Last year my hip issues started then this year my knees, ankles, and feet were constantly bothering me when I would try to walk. I do have a very weak left hip abductor which I am doing strengthening for to help address this systemic issue. I incorporated warmups and stretches before walking which has also helped. The final piece was finding shoes that helped me walk better. I was looking at some Altra 0 drop shoes and may purchase a pair in the future but I ultimately ended up choosing the Prio Neo after trying them on at REI. They were immediately so comfortable so I took those home even though they ended up being a 1/2 size too big (hence why I bought this pair from Amazon that I'm reviewing). Something that I did not consider before purchasing these shoes was the adjustment period of going from a heavily cushioned, highly supportive shoe with a 10mm drop to a barefoot shoe with 0mm drop. My calves were protesting, my knees were hurting in all new areas, and I found out I could not heel strike in these new shoes so I had to relearn how to walk and I also had to walk slower. I did end up putting my orthotic insole in these for the time being which immediately relieved some of the pain. I'm hoping to not need the insole in the future but I'm not in a hurry to take them out. While I'm still in the adjustment period and I do still have knee pain, I just love the way these feel when I walk in them. It feels like my feet but better. I also feel more stable when walking which could be a result of me not heel striking anymore. I like the smaller profile of these and how flexible they are. After walking exclusively in these for a couple of weeks, I tried on my Brooks to see if I could tell a difference. I almost immediately noticed my calves were aching and the bottom of my foot and my arch was getting a shooting pain. This could just be from the completely different structure and my foot having adjusted to the Prio Neo but it made me not look forward to walking in the Brooks anymore. This is all just my experience so far and only time will tell if the Prio Neo is actually better for my walking health.

I've been looking at barefoot shoes for over a year, trying to decide if I want to try one or not. I finally decided to order this shoe. It is a middle of the road as far as cost is considered. Many that I looked at did not come in 1/2 sizes, which did not work for me. I wear an 8 1/2 most of the time, and I ordered the 8 1/2 and it fit perfectly. I've worn these shoes for a week now, and I love them. I do not have a wide foot and was worried that they would be too big. They are not. If you are needing great arch support, these are probably not for you. But they are so dang comfortable. I wear them at the gym for training and are perfect. After a long work out, my feet feel good. They keep my feet cool. I wouldn't want to wear them for hiking, but treadmill work is no problem. If you are considering a barefoot shoe, try these! I'm getting ready to order another color. I love these shoes.

If you’re looking to rabbit hole down the barefoot shoe thing, then these are a great start! They’re reasonably affordable compared to many brands so you can try them out without feeling too guilty on the money spent. Once I started wearing these regularly and I went back to others I couldn’t believe how much my feet really “feel” and it does make a difference! I plan to try more of their shoes and even branch out into some other brands. I will say they didn’t hold up quite as long as some of my other shoes. There’s just the slightest peeling of shoe from sole. But not enough to make me stop wearing them and I still give it a good rating despite this. There’s no arch support but that’s obviously intentional and I didn’t have any issues. These are more comfortable than my Birkenstocks because they MOVE!! O wakes all day the zoo and had no trouble! And I used to have terrible arch pain. If you haven’t rabbit holed down the barefoot movement go to Anya’s Reviews and read all about it. It just makes sense when you look at X-rays of conventional shoes vs barefoot! Give em a try!

I have strange feet. Extremely wide, and tiny. HOBBIT FEET with a high instep. I wear a size 6 (depending on the brand) - but they're always WAY too dang narrow!!!! Heels? Wedges? Cute girly shoes? FORGET ABOUT IT. I can't even get my foot IN the shoe 95% of the time. I bought these because I needed shoes to take HIIT classes 😅 I usually resort to vans for lifting, and stick with socks or barefoot for everything else. Cause shoes are FOOT PRISONS when you have feet shaped like squares! Y'all......... I cannot explain how comfortable these are. There's no squeezing. No pinching. No rubbing. My toes can breathe. My toe joints aren't crushed, constrained, or in pain in ANY way. Sizing is true (I ordered my usual 6) have had no issues with grippage while doing HIIT workouts. Quality is exactly what I needed from a specialty shoe, and I feel like I scored a bargain with these being on sale! & they were comfortable right out of the box. These are the best shoes I've ever had, and I'm definitely going to be purchasing more shoes from Xero in the future.

I initially didn’t want to buy these for the price as a first timer getting these kind of shoes, so I purchased a brand I saw through an Instagram ad instead at half the price. They were uncomfortable once I stepped foot outside on concrete. I gave them two tries, and a very short walk outside and still very painful. So I returned them and finally came back to these and pulled the trigger. I’m glad I did. They are super light on the feet and after only one try, I can tell you I don’t have the same pain as the other shoes walking outside. The toe box is not as wide as the cheaper brand but still wide. I just love the fact that as a first time barefoot shoes user, these are comfortable and light. This is a perfect example of something you shouldn’t cut costs on cuz you get better quality. My feet thank me for making the switch and returning those other cheap ones.

Totally machine washable!!! Look like new. Let them air dry. I'm not sure they would survive tumbling in the dryer. The zero drop shoes my husband wears has cured his neoroma that he had dealt with many years! My advice is to wear shoes with ample room to allow your toes to spread and avoid shoes with any heel rise.

Love these new shoes. I recently switched to barefoot shoes in an attempt to heal my bunions- it took a few tries, as I have wide feet and the xero aqua x sport tapered off too quickly for my squarer foot shape. the Prio Neo has the widest toe box of the Xero shoes I’ve tried. The sole is a bit thicker than the Speed Force II, which I like for days when I’m spending hours on cement. In all, I’m super happy with these!

These are so comfy. I bought these to wear for work, I'm in home health. These are very comfy and my feet are not tired at the end of the day. So far very durable!