Tadeevo Winter Shoes
On January 18, 2021 by Noelia
I was so excited when I found these shoes! I bought them second-hand, in new condition, for 40% of their price. I was looking for winter boots and, because I like my Tadeevo sneakers so much, I jumped on the opportunity, even though they were one size bigger than what I would have chosen.
I am not associated with Tadeevo.
Company
Tadeevo shoes are manufactured in Southern Poland in workshops that follow a tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages.
Their focus is to emulate barefoot walking while keeping shoes extremely minimalist. They cooperated with scientists and craftsmen to design and manufacture shoes for their own use and are not interested in compromising their ideas.
Tadeevo offers free worldwide delivery, returns: 30-day money back, and shipping in 24 hours.
Design
- High flexibility in both axes (torsion and bending).
- Upper: high quality natural leather.
- Lining: synthetic material.
- Sole:
- Tadeevo Ultraflex rubber
- zero drop
- no toe spring
- stack height 6 mm
- natural shape of the human foot
- no artificial stabilization
- optical effect – small heel
- Lightweight: size 42 shoe is 10 ounces (290 grams)
- Thermal comfort in temperatures down to -18°C (0°F)
- Zipper on the side that makes them easy to put on.
- color: black
Sizing and fit
Tadeevo recommends you choose your typical shoe size, but I would recommend you follow their sizing chart (which does not provide internal length). I usually wear size 40, but on their sizing chart, I land at the end of size 39. My feet are 24.8 cm long and my Tadeevo sneakers, that are a size 39, fit perfectly without socks. You can read the review here.
Each size goes up by 5-6 mm.
Because I wanted to wear them with thicker socks and maybe add an insole, I was planning on buying size 40, but then, I found these boots second hand, on size 41! This size is recommended for feet 25.6 – 26.3 cm in length. I was a little nervous about getting them, I truly thought they were going to be humongous on me, but I wanted to try them nevertheless. If I was to buy another pair, I would go with size 40.
As you can see on the above pictures, these would be too long if I was to wear them barefoot. I bought these specifically for winter. I always wear them with a wool insole (5 mm thick), correct toes, and my thickest socks. I have around 1 cm of extra space.
I also added a picture of the tongue because it is on the narrow side and it doesn’t have loops for laces. I’m not sure it would cover the ankle of someone with high volume feet and even with my skinny ankles, it seems as it is always moving around and exposing my socks.
Width Comparison
Tadeevo has one of the widest toe boxes. They are comparable to Lems Boulder Boots, but the upper material is extremely flexible and can expand beyond the sole. Because the top is so unstructured, they feel more spacious than Lems.
The toe box works great for Greek feet like mine, they are not as squared as Lems, but provides more space than Vivobarefoot for my 4th and 5th toes.
Are they warm enough for cold temperatures?
Tadeevo recommends them for 0F (-18C).
I have worn these boots in the coldest days of winter, when it has reached -10F (-23C). I do have to clarify that I wear them for walking, not just standing outside and I wore them with sheepskin insoles + 2 sets of socks (one injinji + wool). I guess, the extra space did come in handy on these days!
Even though they are great for the cold, the ankle height is only 10 cm. I cannot walk in deep snow without getting snow inside the shoe.
Do they have good traction?
From all the barefoot winter shoes I own, I feel these have the best traction. That does not mean they are good on ice. Barefoot shoes have thin soles that allow for good ground feel, therefore, they don’t usually provide good traction.
We have to remember that these are winter shoes and not winter boots. They will perform ok on sidewalks, where there might be some ice, but not a lot. I have heard of people adding ice cleats, but I still need to try it.
Shoe care
As with all of my leather shoes, I always apply Rain & Snow Wax Oil Waterproofing because it is environmentally safe. I applied it before wearing them and I will reapply when I put them away for the season.
One issue I’m having with these shoes is that, because I live in the city, they are getting salt stains. I am cleaning them with a solution made of equal parts of water and vinegar. After cleaning them, I reapply the waterproofing oil.
I also wear with a wool insole, which protects the lining.
Style
I usually wear these boots with my winter gear, so I decided to do a photoshoot inside my house to show how they can be styled.
They are just like any other black boot, easy to wear and match with your clothing.
If you would like to read more about Tadeevo, you can read their sneakers review here.
Have you read my other reviews?