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One of the most expensive and revered shoes on Vivobarefoots lineup, my Vivobarefoot Tracker Forest ESC review will let you know if these are worth the hefty $270 price tag or not.
I’ve used these primarily in the Arctic of Sweden, temperatures between 0 and -25, while hiking, paragliding, snowshoeing, etc. I’m not easy on my footwear, unlike most reviewers…
The official Vivobarefoot Tracker Forest ESC product page lists them at $270, but look out for sales and promo codes to save a good chunk of cash. Anyways, review time!
Note: 20% off Vivobarefoot discount code: Nomad20
Table of Contents
Build quality & durability
Vivobarefoot has some of the best build quality of any footwear I’ve ever seen – the Tracker Forest ESC are about as good as it gets.
Sewn-through sole, high-quality ribbed laces, wild hide leather, grippy Michelin sole, etc.
They’re very well-engineered an aside from the leather naturally getting scratched from wear and tear, they are in immaculate shape. I’ve hiked up dozens of snowy mountains and rocky outcrops with them and they’ve held up without any sign up giving in.
I predict this pair to outlast all my other shoes and I wouldn’t be surprised to get 3+ years out of them. Typically I destroy a pair within 1 year, so I would be very happy with 3 here!
Performance
Vivos ESC lineup is touted as their high-performance ‘escape’ shoes, made for intense outdoor activities. I can confirm this to be the case as in my grip test of FG vs ESC vs SG soles, the ESC tread won pretty handily. Compared to my Vivobarefoot Magna FG they’re pretty much entirely different shoe with totally different performance traits.
Considering they’re a boot, they’re quite lightweight overall. They don’t breathe particularly well at all, because, well, they’re leather the entire way around. With that in mind, a lot of heat regulation comes from your amount of movement and core body temperature.
Would I go trail running in these? Well, I did a bit in the winter, but obviously something like the Vivobarefoot Primus Trail are much lighter and better suited for that.
Later on I talk about cold weather, but I’d say these are great for between -10 to +15 degrees weather, depending on how many layers of sock you wear.
All in all, they perform exceptionally well and I will certainly use these for many adventures to come!
Note: 20% off Vivobarefoot discount code: Nomad20
Waterproof?
Now, the whole ‘waterproof shoes’ thing is a really slippery topic. A true waterproof shoe doesn’t breathe/breaths so minimally that your foot will get hot, sweat, and, subsequently get wet. Yes, Gore-Tex is a very well-made marketing trick.
With that being said, the Tracker Forest ESC, while not advertised as waterproof, is about as waterproof as it gets – provided you treat the leather from time to time.
Rain, snow, sleet, etc – nothing got into these things and they did very well at keeping my feet dry. Would I advise walking through a river in anything aside from a rubber boot? Absolutely not.
However, if moderate amounts of rain and deep snow is a concern, then yes, these are ‘waterproof’, even if it’s not advertised as such!
Note: 20% off Vivobarefoot discount code: Nomad20
Tracker Forest ESC in Winter?
I’ve been using these in Arctic Sweden, down to -25 at the worst of days. Hiking up mountains, flying my paraglider, walking around the village, etc.
They’re not the warmest shoe – the insole is a standard one and the leather layers don’t have any insulate lining. Maybe this is better for thermoregulation, as I simply layer multiple pairs of merino wool socks and then I’m set. For long times exposed to cold temps I throw in some chemical toe warmers which did fantastic.
Now, the winter-specific Vivobarefoot models like the Tracker Winter SG or Tundra ESC evidently have much better insulation and forego the need for my multiple layers of wool socks, and I’d recommend those if you live for several months in deep snow and cold conditions.
I added some simple trail gaiters and quality microspikes to these which made them very capable for mountain hiking on stuff that doesn’t require snow shoes. The grippy ESC sole does great at gripping and grabbing, but of course there is a limit to grip that shoes can give before you need to add microspikes – especially when icy.
I didn’t try putting crampons on these, and I think you would probably want a very stiff mountaineering boot for those anyways. I do recommend the Snowline Chainsen Pro XT as high-performance microspikes – about as close to crampons as you’re going to get!
Comfort
Brilliant! I’ve been wearing Vivos for about 6 years now and these are in line with the comfiest I’ve ever owned. I typically wear a size 44 in all Vivo shoes, but I sized up here which gives a lot of room for the foot to wiggle, but I did this especially because I was layering 2-3 pairs of socks.
Zero blisters, no break-in period, and feels almost like a second skin after a while, even after wearing for 12 hours a day!
The leather and sole are soft, pliable, flexible, comfortable – whatever adjectives you want to give to them – excellent and still gives you that barefoot splay and flexibility that I seek out. The ESC sole is the thickest and furthest from the ground among the Vivo lineup, so keep that in mind when thinking about barefoot sensation.
Aesthetics & design
I think they look great! I was working in a very prestigious heli-skiing lodge in the Arctic – a place where you need to look sharp and professional. They do have an aggressive aesthetic due to the strong tread, however. The toebox doesn’t look like a clown show like many barefoot shoes, thankfully.
These blended right in with my work uniform and matches the classy aesthetic expected of us. However, seeing these shoes in the ‘Bracken/Brown’ colourway I don’t actually like them as much, and instead recommend the black as the really appear like a nicely made boot.
I think personally the Vivobarefoot Tracker Moc looks even better, but these certainly look quite fine, if not, a little bit strong, in black.
Overall
As one of their flagship shoes at the top of their lineup, I must say that they’re quite excellent! I’ve been nothing but impressed and can definitely recommend them for snowy and soggy conditions.
Note: 20% off Vivobarefoot discount code: Nomad20
If you are in cold-cold temperatures for several months a year, then go for their more winter-hardy version. I wouldn’t quite wear these in temps over 15-20 celcius either.
Overall though, an excellent and versatile shoe which will certainly perform very well on whatever mountain, trail, or adventure you subject them to.
I hope this review of the Vivobarefoot Tracker Forest ESC helped you – check out my Ultimate Vivobarefoot Buyers Guide for more of my top picks there!
Questions? Leave em down below! Thanks for reading and peace 🙂