I was so excited when I realized that Freet Flex goes all the way down to size 30, and that my youngest was old enough to get his own pair. It’s hard to get thick feet into barefoot shoes sometimes, especially when they are young, when so many options are better for narrow or low volume feet. I knew from our experiences that Freet are great on volume and width, and jumped at the opportunity for him to get the same foot happiness my older kids have felt in their Mudees.
Disclaimer: Freet sent us size 32 for review but I realized it was too big and ordered 31, which are the ones pictured here. If you would like to order your own pair of Freet, you can save 10% with the affiliate code WY-10 on their website. In the US, some Freet models are available through the retailer Pedterra, and you can save 10% there as well with the code OWBSHOES.
For EU purchases, use this link. The same WENY10 code works there too!
Sections
Technical specifications
- Upper: BreathMesh
- Midsole: ConnectMax EVA – 2 mm
- Insole: 2.5mm, removable
- Sole: AllRound performance outsole, ideal for light use
- 2 Color Options – Black (reviewed) and Navy
- Vegan materials and construction
- Stack height: 6.5/7mm with insole and 4 mm without
- Available in the kids’ version pictured and in adult sizes
Company
Freet is based in the UK and founded on biomechanical principles plus sound business ethics to give you shoes that are good for your feet, and the world around you. They aim to balance natural movement principles with purpose-built shoes that will work well for what you want to do, whether it’s hill climbing, yoga, or everyday life. Read all about Freet here.
Appearance
These shoes come in both blue and black and have a mix of materials in the upper, with the majority being Freet‘s BreatheMesh material.
I don’t show my younger kids’ faces online at this time, but you can see a bit of a look in these initial pics I took, back when he still wore socks with shoes. Now it’s no socks and no insole, all the time.
There’s nothing overly branded or attention-grabbing about these shoes, though they do have a prominent F on the back. Depending your school’s uniform requirements, they may work. If not, check out the Citee model, which also goes down to size 30.
Fit
These Freet shoes are highly adjustable and will work well with a variety of volumes and healthy splays, whether your kid needs them more open, like we have had them on the left, or cinched down on the right.
My son is 4, wearing a size 31, and has what I lovingly call ‘bread feet.’ His feet fit beautifully in the shoes, however, the lace length is optimized for more average volumes, and we had to take the insole out right away to get them on at all, but it was still difficult.
Freet ships the shoes with a fully closed lacing system, but they also include caps for you in case something goes wrong here:
However, that wouldn’t solve our limitations, so I bought Lock Laces from Amazon (affiliate link) and replaced the laces:
We tried another version of locking elastic laces early in our barefoot shoes journey with completely different shoes and they were awful. I highly recommend using this particular brand. We have them on Prios from Xero and I recently bought a boots pair for my oldest to try on his Freet Mudees this winter.
Changing the laces did just what we needed, opening up the access, but it also added more volume capacity for wearability which we didn’t even need. FYI, in case you have even thicker-footed kids. With this extra access I could easily put the insole back in, but why? I didn’t. Rock all the ground feel you like, whether your an adult or child.
When you change out the laces like this this note that you will probably have some need to curl the extra lacing through (we go down and take the final tail back up under a higher row).
Know that it doesn’t bother the kids at all. He doesn’t care, it doesn’t come loose, and it doesn’t impede his movement.
Sizing
Freet lists the insole lengths for every model under the Sizing & Fitting tab on each product page. These are size 31s with a listed length of 192 mms, which is the insole. The actual available upper length is 19.7 directly from the heel to the front of the shoe. Understand that you have a little bit of extra room on top of the sizing chart.
Width is 80mms, but there is noticeably more room in the upper in this direction as well, which is common.
The best way to size shoes is always to measure (and you need to measure kids often with their frequent growth spurts) and add 12-17 extra mms of space for both big toe room and growing space. If you’re unsure how to measure, check out this link.
How do they feel?
Whether you use the insole or not, the Junior Flex model shoes from Freet are highly flexible.
My son started out wearing them without insoles out of necessity because his thick foot would not go in the shoe with the insole in. Even after we settled that with new, longer laces, he was so happy with no socks or insoles in the shoes that we never went back. He’s getting max ground feel and flexibility, and that makes me happy.
I can’t wear these myself, obviously, to tell you how they feel to me, but if you’ve ever met a 4 year old you know that they constantly roll one bad Cheerio away from hating everything. He has never complained about these shoes unless I put them on wrong. No rough spots have bothered him, no parts have rubbed, and nothing has irritated.
Cleaning and Care
Kids are hard as can be on shoes and we have zero sign of that on the tread or the main part of the upper, but we are starting to see some wear on the edging of the upper. These are his go-to shoes for anything that doesn’t require rubber boots. I thought I could get him to be a sandals boy this summer, but the sandals remain unworn and these have been on every trip to every place, including swimming.
So far, we haven’t had to clean them in spite of this love. Most dirt can just be knocked off or brushed away, and the soles of good barefoot shoes are so flexible that it’s hard for any debris to remain between the tread.
When they do need cleaning, however, it should be done by hand and the shoes left to air dry. Remove the insoles for faster drying but keep them away from heavy heat sources such as radiators. Do not machine wash or dry.
Purchasing and Returns
UK and US customers should use Freet’s main site here. If you’re in the EU, use this site. (It should separate you automatically based on IP, but including both just in case). In the past, shipping to the US from Freet has climbed quite high, but they’ve reduced it to about $20 now, bringing them more in line with most European brands (and cheaper than some of them!). Whatever site you’re using, you can save 10% off your purchase with my affiliate code WY-10. Returns are possible and you should check the policies here.
For US customers, some Freet models can be purchased at Pedterra, where I am also an affiliate. Stock changes, so check their site and see what’s available. Save 10% with my code OWBSHOES. They offer free shipping and returns.
Final thoughts
It can be difficult to get your kids a shoe that fits, and a crapshoot finding out if they like it when it does fit. We scored double here – it fits him beautifully AND he loves it. Excuse me while I go stock up on the rest of the sizes because when you’ve found THE shoe, you know to stick with it.
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.
