i made my own "barefoot" shoes by sawing off the heels of old runners, cutting out all the material above the soles, and then drilling three holes in the soles:

i made my own "barefoot" shoes by sawing off the heels of old runners, cutting out all the material above the soles, and then drilling three holes in the soles: one between my big and second toes, and one each next to my ankle. this left me with a shoe very much like the Tarahumara tire shoes, although i lace it (with the runner's shoe laces) a bit different. you can also make tire shoes yourself quite easily. you don't need $80 shoes for awesome sandals. that said, i have 5-finger shoes as a bday gift. they are excellent boat shoes. pretty good in rivers, but as stated before, rock bruising is very real. maybe that's something that has to be developed over time like any muscle.