Again and again I take the plunge and try new slip-on barefoot shoes, and I’m delighted when it works out. Slip-ons can’t be adjusted, but they’re so fun and easy to wear, that you can’t help but look for ones that fit your feet well, giving the easy use you want but the secure feeling and toe space you need for an optimal barefoot shoes feeling. For more slip-on shoes options, check out my Big List of Slip-on Barefoot Shoes.
Disclaimer: I purchased these myself and all thoughts are my own, but I am a Xero Shoes Affiliate and Xero Hero, so if you use one of my links to make a purchase on the main site it will cost you nothing extra and a small portion will go to support the blog. Check out the Reviews page for all my Xero Shoes reviews.
Sections
Technical specifications
- Upper: Hemp Canvas
- Insole: 2mm Foam
- Sole: 5.5mm FeelTrue® rubber sole
- Color – Black with white sole (other colors available in Men’s and Women’s versions)
- 100% vegan-friendly materials
Company
From the Xero Shoes home page check out Learn More > Our Company to see videos and their 10+ year journey. The husband and wife team of Steven Sashen and Lena Phoenix have been on quite the journey building Xero Shoes, and always look forward with new styles and continued growth in the barefoot shoes market.
Appearance
These Xero Shoes Aptos bring a casual slip-on vibe that works in different environments well. It’s not super dressy, but it’s not a trail shoe either. You could shop and walk all day in them, teach a class, walk the beach, or go to the park with your kids and look perfectly accommodated in every setting.
I’ve prepped both this and my Z-Trek review at the same time after months with each, so I used the same pictures for both.
On a rain-threatening grey day I went fairly neutral:
And on more sunny, vibrant (and sometimes stupid hot!!!) days I went with the colors I love:
I don’t love these with dresses, not nearly as much as I do laced sneakers, at least. I think it’s the stark black and white colorway fighting my patterns a bit. It might work better with a solid color dress and a jean jacket, for example. Or an actual black and white dress.
Fit
I always go to the men’s side with Xero Shoes to get the extra width, and these do not disappoint. I’ll get out of the way right away that they do taper at the front, including at the big toe, so sizing them with extra space inside is key to protecting your big toe movement.
Looking at that, you might be a little taken-aback. My foot clearly does not pass the insole test. However, the upper is far more generous and the toe box is high, meaning there’s so much more room inside these shoes.
You can see that if I tried to have no space in them, I would have squished toes. But I have sized them with space in mind, and the toes are completely happy.
The fit of these fits my moderately high volume feet very well. Those with very high volume feet may need to go without the insole, and those with lower volume feet (if you fit within the size range) would need to check out women’s. I suspect you’d still have to look at adding an insole or pads because the upper is generous in the toe box. Some product options are here.
The width is not super wide but works great for me. The insole in these Men’s 10.5 is 10 cm wide, but the soles are almost 11 cm wide and have a lot of flex, giving you a bit of room to play with.
Sizing
I’m generally a 43 EU/US Men’s 10 in shoes. But I’ve learned that some Xero Shoes can be a little too narrow for me, so have jumped up to 10.5s and it’s worked. The sizing chart lists the JP Size for these at 28.5 which should technically be the available length, though I don’t think that Xero Shoes promises to match it. Using it as a reference point, I get 28.3 cm vs the JP length of 28.5, so it’s pretty close and can be a good reference point.
The Men’s Sizing chart:
The Women’s Sizing chart:
There’s a lot of potential cross-over between the sizes, but at the higher sizes you can only go with men’s options.
Edit to add: I was having fits with my website when I wrote this review and forgot to add my normal information that you should always measure your feet, compare to the sizing chart, and add extra space for big toe movement. This post talks about the different measuring methods (and has good deets about foot volume and fit) and this post explains the extra space deal.
How do they feel?
It’s a hot summer right now and I’m wearing these Xero Shoes without socks. My feet haven’t been cool, per se, but they also haven’t been hot or sweaty. They feel great and free in the Aptos.
The sole is flexible as you want, with easy roll and squish:
There was no break-in and I haven’t noticed any stretch. They are also really easy to put on hands-free, thanks to their structure and padded collar. That’s one of my favorite aspects of slip-on barefoot shoes.
Cleaning and Care
These should not be put in the washing machine, and definitely not the dryer. I find it best to use a firm brush, not metal, to grab dried stains (which I should have done before a couple of the pictures in this review). If you want to be more gentle, a damp cloth does wonders as well. I wouldn’t soak them unless they smell and for drying you would want to put them out of range of direct heat and pull the insole. The collar is padded, which is awesome for hands-free drying, but would also soak up water.
Purchasing and Returns
Internationally, you can find several more local options to buy your Xero Shoes, Including Cool East Market (Canada), Happy Little Soles (UK), the .AU store (Australia), and BareFootBar (EU).
You can also make international purchases on the main Xero Shoes and this is where I buy all my Xero Shoes in the US. At the time of writing, Aptos is $59.99 plus shipping, but due to rising materials costs the price will go up on September 1st.
Final thoughts
I got these to Xero Shoes Aptos try and I’m hooked. The black and white color is classic, and works with a variety of outfits. I would like them to make the strap the same color as the rest of the upper on every model to blend in, or even drop it entirely, but otherwise, these shoes are a comfortable fit for wide and moderately high volume feet, and I love that those with more narrow/low volume feet can be accommodated in some sizes in the women’s as well. Big plus would be if they extend that range higher to better serve those who don’t need quite the generous space offered on the men’s side.
Want more reviews?
Check out All the Barefoot Shoe Reviews for more in-depth looks.
Love color or need a specific type of shoe?
Check out the BIG lists here.
