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After working on my husband for a year, he finally ceded the point that conventional shoes are super uncomfortable. He’s tried and returned a bunch of different boots, and they all pinched his toes and were stiff AF. What can I say?
He’s been wearing Vans for years, but is needing something that looks a little nicer, yet still functional for a lot of walking in the elements. Enter Vivobarefoot’s Scott 2.0. These are one of Vivobarefoot’s most popular shoes. They look amazing, sort of a cross between High Top chucks, and Doc Martens. They pass for a nice dress shoe, but you can also wear them hiking and playing in the snow. I have them in women’s and wear them exclusively as hiking/snow boots.
The men’s Scott boot in dark brown and black have a leather toe and canvas on the sides. The all-leather version is a lighter tan color. This year, the Scott 2.0 boots don’t have a sherpa lining, instead there is a camel hide interior and fabric and canvas lining for warmth.
My husband went back and forth a bit on the size, and ended up trying two sizes. He wears a 13 in Vans and was recommended a 12.5 by the FitFinder on VB’s site. The 12.5s fit well everywhere but on one foot his 4th toe rubbed (the outside edge tapered too quickly for his long toes). So he tried the 13s, which were too loose all over. Ultimately, he went back to the 12.5 and opted to wear regular socks with them (as opposed to wool). The size up would have worked with wool socks and a sheepskin insole, but then they wouldn’t have been as functional for every day wear. Fit wise, I wish the toe box was more spacious.
If you intend to wear these as your winter boot, I highly recommend a sheepskin insole. Probably the main drawback to these boots is that your feet do get cold rather quickly. The thermal insole that comes with the boots definitely helps, but when you’re that close to the ground it’s inevitable to get cold in winter. Wearing an insole in mine this year has really helped.
I find in my Gobi Hi Tops that lacing them all the way up restricts my ankles, so I only lace mine part way. My husband likes the laces all the way up, keeping his ankles secure (plus, they look awesome that way).
They are advertised as being weatherproof and water resistant, but they’re pretty much waterproof. I wear mine in water all the time and rarely get my feet wet. After a while it’s a good idea to add a waterproofing agent since as the leather wears in it becomes more permeable. SnoSeal is the most effective waterproofer I’ve used, very heavy duty. But Chamberlain‘s is my favorite because it is easy to apply, and doesn’t change the appearance of the leather too much.
After winter, I also like to touch them up with the cleaner and conditioner by Chamberlain’s and sometimes Angelu’s shoe polish before putting mine away until next season.
In conclusion, my husband and I both are very pleased with the aesthetics of the shoe. They are also lightweight, flexible, and spacious. Ideally, there would be a less tapered toe box, but these are still very hard to beat in the realm of barefoot dress boots for men.
What men’s dress shoes have you found that fit a barefoot lifestyle?
21 thoughts on “Vivobarefoot Scott Boot Review”
How think is the insole that comes with it?
The thermal insole is 3.5mm
Hi,
I’d like to buy a pair of these boots. After using them a while, do you think they’re durable? I also need that the insole is veey sticky on wet surfaces (metal surfaces included): what’s your experience?
And which number do you suggest? I bought another kind of Vivobarefoot (rrunning shoes) and their size chart is totally unreliable.
https://www.google.com/search?q=vivobarefoot+scott+iii+review&rlz=1C1ONGR_en-GBGB943GB943&oq=viv&aqs=chrome.2.69i65j0i131i433i512j35i39l2j69i57j46i67i131i433j69i65l2.1872j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c7cf6c85,vid:ne3IxiRhqEs
This video will answer your quesiton 🙂
Great review, thanks for sharing! I always love seeing photos (especially for vivo as they’re so rare), super helpful.
Are these easy to take on and off?
And what does the ankle support feel like? Being into barefoot, I prefer shoes to leave as much mobility as possible, and don’t want these to restrict my movement.
You have to loosen the laces to get them off, but the laces are easily manipulated so it doesn’t take a lot of effort. My husband likes them laced tight for the feeling of support, but I wear the women’s version of these (the Gobi Hi Top) and feel like it’s restrictive laced all the way. I undo the top two grommets and wrap the laces around the ankle once before tying. It leaves the ankle open more but is still secure.
Thanks for the quick reply, super helpful ?
Is the upper part waterproof? And to what degree? I’m trying to decide between these and their Tracker FGs. Just want to ensure if I go off-road, or step in a puddle, my feet aren’t soaked.
The Scott is pretty waterproof, an occasional puddle and mud will be no problem. You can get water in through the grommets though if it’s high water. My husband has the Trackers (I’m going to write a review of them at some point this year, but since it’s such a popular style I’m testing them thoroughly first) and they are more functional in weather, but don’t look as dressy. So, I guess it depends on your primary use for them. The Scott is a great dress shoe that you can also take off-road without a problem.
Hey Anya, I have the first iteration of the scott boots and finally wore them out. I noticed that the second version does not have a leather tongue? Was wondering if this changes the water proofing? My current scott boots will keep the water at bay almost 2/3 up the boot. (Basically as long as water doesn’t go over where the tongue and boot separate on the side walls) I was disappointed with the tracker, the second water reaches the mesh tongue the boot’s flooded…
I can’t keep track of the different versions! I think the current one does have an attached tongue though, or at least I thought. My husband’s doesn’t, but his are last season’s. All the boots I’ve seen from the 2019-2020 fall/winter season had an attached tongue.
Hi Anya,
Thanks for the review and pictures. I have been thinking about getting a pair of these. You mentioned that your feet get cold in them, I’m wondering what part of the country you are located in? I am in Chicago and it gets pretty cold here. I’m wondering if you live in a colder or warmer climate for comparison.
Thanks!
I live in Iowa, so comparable weather. We all wear Vivo boots in the winter and we never use the thermal insoles any more. We’re swapping them out for sheepskin insoles and it has made a yuuuuuge difference! So for Chicago I would definitely recommend doing the same.
Do you have to size up to fit the sheepskin insoles?
Yes, I would recommend sizing up if you plan to use sheepskin.
Hi Anya,
I just got the Scott 2.0 boots. I having two problems with the boot: my toes rubbing just as your husband’s did, and my heel slides forward when I walk. Taking the thermal insole out helps the rubbing but makes the sliding worse. I wanted to size up but I’m worried my heel will slide forward even worse. Are you familiar with such issues and do you have any advice? Thank you.
Hi William! It sounds like Vivobarefoot might not be the best shape for your foot type (though you could look at the Addis in the future, it doesn’t slope on the pinkie toe side). There are a few things you can do if you’d like to figure out a way to make them work for you, though. Shoe tongue pads are a great way to fill in space in the top of the shoe and keep your heel in place. You can even layer two on top of each other. You also can wear toe-less socks to fill in space around the instep and ankle but not by your toes. As the shoe breaks in you’ll also be able to tie them tighter around your ankle.
Shoe tongue pads link: https://amzn.to/3o92z2I
Hi, thank you for the review.
I’ve received my Scott 11 camel leather brown, everything is great except the boot’s leather squeaks quite a bit.
Have you had this problem? Supposedly does happen with camel leather.
Kind regards
I’d love to know how comfortable these are in the spring and summer months without the thermal insoles? I’m worried they may be too warm in warmer weather as an all-year boot to replace my current uncomfortable leather boots.
Even without the thermal insole they’d be warm in the summer. The upper is thick and kind of padded, so it’s not as breathable as it would be if it were only leather. But I’d say you could definitely wear them in Spring and Fall.
Hi,
Just wondering what size to get? I wear 42s in vivobarefoots for almost all of their shoes however I wear 43s for their tracker FGs. What would you recommend for the Scott?
Thank you
If you don’t need to wear extra thick socks for warmth, then I would go with the size you wear in other Vivo shoes – a 42.