If you’re new to zero drop shoes, you may need to ease into it. It took me about 6 weeks to strengthen the muscles in my feet and transition fully into only zero drop shoes.

Also I would recommend looking into barefoot shoes that are both zero drop and natural shape, wide toebox. Many brands are ‘barefoot’ in that they are zero drop, and claim to have a wide toebox but are also super narrow and more like fashion shoes than foot-shaped shoes.

I recommend the Lem’s Primal 3, best shoes I’ve ever had. I regularly put in 20,000 to 30,000 steps a day in these on pavement/gravel, and have taken them up/down mountains as well (gravel, rocks, muddy mountain streams). I’ll keep buying these and replacing them as long as they keep making them (or until whenever the Primal 4 becomes a thing). It comes with a cork insole which I hate. If you live anywhere with humidity, the cork doesn’t absorb sweat so it ends up causing friction and blisters. So get the Poly insoles on their accessories page.

Some people don’t like the Primal 3 since it has more padding, but they are lightweight and prevent fatigue for me. I tried much thinner shoes but once I go over 20,000 steps a day on hard surfaces, my feet were starting to hurt before I went to the Primal 3.

This was the review that sold it for me:

Other Lems: Depends on your foot shape. I’ve tried 10 different pairs and none of the other styles fit my foot shape.

The Lems waterproof boots tend to run small and narrow for me, only one that fit ok-ish was the Boulder Summit, wasn’t the most comfortable but between the waterproof membrane and yearly waxing with a heatgun, it kept my feet dry and warm in the winters and wet months. They always felt stiff and didn’t fit me the best though. My go-to hiking shoe is still the Primal 3.

I want to try the Lem’s Telluride boot next, I prefer moccasin-toe boots like it, even if it doesn’t have the waterproof membrane. Otherwise I’ve tried all the Lems shoes for my foot shape (10+ pairs) and the only one I’ll buy again is the Primal 3.

BeLenka is the only other ‘barefoot’ brand I trust because it has both the natural shape, wide toebox and the zerodrop ‘barefoot’ aspect. Next time I’m in Europe I’ll probably bring an empty suitcase just to fill with their shoes (there’s a few retail stores in Europe so you can try them on). Be Lenka has the most styles I’ve seen and like, boots, sneakers, work/dress shoes, etc.

Socks: Injinji Liner Crew Wool - thin socks you can use as a base layer under your regular stock to cut down on blisters. I also wear these alone as regular casual socks in the warmer months.

Injinji Outdoor Midweight Crew Wool - for boots and cooler days.

Anything from creepers, probably the best socks I’ve ever worn.