Hello, my name’s Andrew, and these are the Vivobarefoot Sensus, a lightweight barefoot shoe with a breathable leather upper and ultra thin 3mm sole for casual and cross-training.

Features

Seven years ago when I transitioned to zero-drop one of my first shoes was the original Vivobarefoot Primus Lite, which had a 3mm sole that was fantastic for road running and gym workouts, but the upper was a little too technical for casual use.

So I asked Vivobarefoot for a pair of Sensus to test, and with the sleek tan leather and split toe design…

They’re basically a zero-drop Star Wars speeder bike made for rebelling against the evil Cushion Shoe Empire.

Upper/Lining

Because the Sensus has a wide foot-shaped toebox with a double-stitched wild hide leather upper that’s micro-cut on the sides for breathability, open down the middle for natural movement, sculpted on top to prevent crimping, and tied off with organic cotton flat laces.

Inside there’s soft leather lining that’s padded around the ankle for lockdown, as well as a minimal suede tongue and smooth leather base for excellent temperature regulation and moisture wicking.

Sole/Tread

Underneath you’ve got an ultra thin 3mm zero-drop sole that’s extremely flexible in all directions, plus a minimal sole for roads that’s stitched for durability and inspired by the first 3.7 million year-old human footprint found in Africa.

Testing

Recently, I’ve been wearing the Vivobarefoot Ababa non-stop as my go-to slipper and road shoe for casual barefooting, but, impressively, in some ways, the Sensus ended up being even more versatile.

Walking

Heading out for a walk the 3mm sole provided some stellar sensitivity and kind of felt like a pair of Vibram FiveFingers, thanks to the footprint tread, which was both non-slip and so light that it practically vanished under my foot.

Also, venturing off onto some light trails the Sensus communicated the tinniest details, as if the ground was a hi-def vinyl record, although, unlike going full barefoot, it still offered a good amount of protection, so that I could enjoy the scenery without constantly having to scan for thorns and glass.

Running

For slower runs the wild hide leather wrapped around my feet like a glove and the ten rows of air slits kept my feet cool and dry up into the eighties without socks, although a pair of thin merino wool Injinji’s were nice for keeping the Sensus clean and improving moisture wicking between my toes.

Training

Cranking out pushups, powering through pistol squats, and racking up stair workouts, plus running some 400’s at the track and even biking in the summer breeze, the leather upper flowed with my movements like second skin and I found myself asking…

“What CAN’T the Sensus do?”

Casual

Technically, it’s not a slip-on shoe, like the Vivobarefoot Ababa, although the smooth heel made it easy to slide on if I tied the laces a bit looser, and the 3mm sole felt even more slipper-esque padding around indoors.

For colder days the leather upper also kept my feet warm down near forty degrees, so I could probably go even lower with a wool felt insole and thicker socks, and in general it was super convenient to have training shoe that was also classy enough to work for business and formal.

Conclusion

Overall the Vivobarefoot Sensus is the closest thing to a perfect everyday barefoot shoe I’ve ever tested and it’s the only one I can think of that can transition effortlessly from workouts to weddings.

Pros/Cons

Because the leather upper is wide and temperature-regulating, the split toebox and wavy cuts bend fluidly with all kinds of movement, and the ultra thin 3mm sole offers a mind-expanding level of sensitivity, while still providing some minimal protection.

However, the toebox may not be roomy enough for extra-wide feet, the softer materials are more suited for casual workouts than hardcore training, and, while somewhat water-resistant, the perforated leather upper can get wet more easily in heavy rain or deep puddles.

Alternatives

In terms of similar barefoot casual shoes…

Resources

If you’d like to support the channel, you can shop with the referral links above/below, browse and filter more products with my barefoot shoe finder tool at barefootwear.org, or watch my Zero-Drop Transition video to learn more about barefooting.

Finally, if you have a question about the Vivobarefoot Sensus, or about barefoot shoes in general, let me know in the comments.

Thanks for watching, catch ya next time. Peace!