Review of the Vivobarefoot Gobi II Desert Boot (Updated 2018)

RATING: Good to Excellent

Overview of Vivobarefoot Gobi II

The marketing hype on Facebook for the Gobi II desert boot that first grabbed my attention (actually it was the pith helmet which did it for me) indicated that one of the creative directors at Vivobarefoot is related to the original Clark who designed the original desert boot. I reflected on this for all of three seconds before concluding that whilst it is an interesting convergence of someone’s personal history with that of their ancestor, it is not the sort of thing that would make me buy a shoe. Although a man in a pith helmet might.

So what has made me buy Vivobarefoot Gobi II?

I needed a shoe for autumn and winter that I can wear to work, and my criteria is that it is smart, brown in colour, made of leather and comes with the same sole as my favorites the Kembo SOA. I was swayed initially for the Winter version of the Gobi II which are made of waterproofed cotton and with thermal insoles, however two things put me off, (1) they are black and I don’t like black shoes; and (2) I couldn’t quite accept a non-leather shoe. For me leather is the best material for shoes because the leather adapts to your foot, almost becoming customised to your foot shape. So I compromised and bought the leather Gobi and a set of thermal insoles. Job Done.

Construction

Made of 3 pieces of raw hide leather in very dark brown colour, the interior of the leather is rough and fibrous and the outer is waxy and slightly matt. The bees wax coloured soles are glued and stitched. Heavy duty yellow and brown laces finish the look. A very nice shoe indeed

Fit

A really good fit and just like the Kembo SOA (of which I am a huge fan) it feels like you are practically barefoot, with very little sensation of wearing shoes - which of course is the whole point. I have put in the thermal winter insoles into my Gobi II, to make these shoes warmer in the autumn and winter months and this has made them more snug, although I am waiting to see how the insoles fair. For example the cork insoles I put into my Kembo SOA only lasted a short while as the flexibility of the sole made the insoles  ride up within the shoe, like a concertina. However the thermal insole appear to be more rigid than the cork insoles so I guess they will last a little longer. They also have little holes showing some shiny metal. Presumably there is some bacofoil in there. The packaging for these states 300 percent more insulation with just 3 mm. Not sure if that can be true otherwise my feet will get roasted but I will see in due course!

Quality

Perfect stitching, and perfect production, unsurprisingly because of  Chinese production quality. I am looking forward to see how this will reflect in the longevity of the stitching (I highlighted as an issue in my previous review of Vivobarefoot shoes made in Cambodia  where the stitching disintegrated within a few days / weeks) My prediction is that the Chinese made shoes will last a long time.

Conclusion: Is the Vivobarefoot Gobi II good value for money?

The Gobi II are awesome shoes and I really love them. They get top marks from me. My 'lifestyle' shoe purchases will be from Vivo for the foreseeable future. And I am not really a repeat customer of anything (aside from Akubra hats) however I have made an exception with the Vivobarefoot. This is my fourth pair of shoes and I really rate them.

A YEAR ON...Further Review (2018): 

A year on, how have they fared? I bought these for autumn /winter wear but were they suitable?

• Design: Excellent 
• Quality: Excellent 
• Fit for the purpose I bought them (Autumn / Winter wear): Poor 
• Resilience: Good. 
• Do I still wear them: Yes (Excellent).

• Overall rating: Good to Excellent