I am usually the type to go backpacking 1-2 times a year, generally in the Eastern Sierra. I have been trying new boots and recently found I liked solomons. However, in the past year I tried the barefoot shoe thing, picking up 3 pairs of xeroes for gym use, regular use, and now backpacking… I can’t put my solomons on without feeling pinching and lasting pain, pretty sure they’ve always done that for me but now it’s highlighted why I’ve been avoiding wearing them. I simply believed that enduring that pain was part of the backpacking experience.

These boots are not “pain free” but I have never had better recovery day after day of a backpacking trip. I bought these shoes and immediately took them on a trip (dumb I know but they don’t need to be worn in… they’re already flexible) We climbed from Convict lake to mildred lake, the trail was extremely rocky, often loose sharp stones piled up as a walk way. The day afterwards we climbed up to Edith lake, which is up a large scree hill and through overgrown forest dirt roads. Every night my calves were sore but in the good gym sense of that word… After sleeping I felt refreshed and ready to walk further in the morning. For context I usually have awful blisters and foot soreness that lasts for days. Notably the knee pain that would make me have to slow down was gone.

Take this for what it’s worth. Barefoot shoes are a lifestyle that takes time to acclimate to. I have spent the past 6-12 months weaning off from traditional shoes and I have found it to be immensely rewarding. If you’ve never worn a barefoot shoe, it’s very unlikely to be comfortable in the beginning. You need to know how to step to reduce impact and you need the muscle and dexterity to balance in most directions to avoid rolling ankles… these skills and capabilities cascade into a much more comfortable walking and hiking experience. For me this is a lifechanging boot, your mileage may vary!

These shoes are awesome and look even better in real life. Their only con is that they had to ship from the USA to me (in Canada) which meant they cost $50 more than expected due to a fee at the border, not including shipping, which I know isn't the sellers fault. Other than that they're awesome!
I ordered a 1/2 size up (like Xero recommended) and they fit beautifully. Now that I've been wearing these shoes for 3 1/2 months I don't want to wear any other shoes! They're so comfortable with their zero drop sole, lightweight design and big toe box. Another bonus of their toe box (which is the perfect size for me) is that my toes stay warm in -20*C weather, (even in deep snow) provided that I wear the appropriate socks. They have an excellent tread on them; I haven't slipped at all even on ice, mud, snow, wet rocks and more.
For the first month of use they were really waterproof, so waterproof that when I submerged both shoes into a river for minutes they wear spotless and dry. After that first month, however, they started to absorb water, but this is alright because everything that's waterproof eventually does this, especially is regularly used. This doesn't mean that they my feet get wet easily though. If I'm outside in the cold and I spill a lot of water on them, my toes won't get wet (unless it runs down my legs). If I'm walking in deep snow for hours my feet don't get wet (provided the snow can't get in at the ankle).
They are also very flexible, it's not just marketing. Before I had these boots I lamented wearing anything on my feet because I love the feeling of the earth and it seemed like all shoes were preventing me from knowing what was beneath my feet, but now I'll gladly wear shoes because I can feel the earth without the pain of stepping on a rose thorn or a pointy stick. The sole is very tough too, I've stepped on very pointy objects (not a nail) and nothing has been able to ********* it. These are amazing hiking, snow and everyday boots! They're also cushy enough that when I'm walking on pavement for hours my feet feel great! They're easy to clean just with a paper towel and a bit of soft soap, so when I'm done doing farm work (which is very messy) I can wipe them and go to town in shoes that don't look like they swam in mud.
Overall a great shoe, I definitely would recommend it to anyone who loves hiking, walking, tending to farm animals, looking good, and snowshoeing!

P.S. My shoes still look brand new after a wipe!

TLDR: these are fine if you're on trail and wont be in much water. These are terrible in grassy areas (pokey seeds get stuck in the mesh) and the mesh area around the toe box retains water and wet sediment, so I walked miles feeling like I had wet sandbags putting pressure on my toes...and the water retention causes the goretex to soak through and end up with wet feet.
If you're only hiking on trail and not crossing a lot of water...these are fine. I work in the backcountry a lot and really noticed the difference between being on trail and off. Working in CA mostly on trail, I had no issues...then I moved to the southwest and work primarily off trail in the backcountry. The mesh outer gets cheat grass and other seeds stuck in it like crazy. That mesh outer layer also creates a pocket that catches water and silt/sand. So yes these are goretex and waterproof...to a point. All goretex eventually soaks through, but the pocket by the toes collects wet sand and allows the wet to soak through once it catches lots of wet sand. I finished a hike with soaking feet both days. My feet shouldn't have been wet since we were only sporadically in water, not constantly submerged. Once the mesh around the toe box collects sediment, it started putting pressure on my toes. And because that fine, wet sediment is stuck in the mesh layer, you can't just shake it out. I had to finish my hike with that mesh full of wet sediment putting pressure on my toes. Hosing it out seemed to force all the sediment out. On a side note some of the plastic details on the upper is also starting to peel off after about 6 months of heavy use.

Second pair.
The first time I bought the Xcursion fusion, I got the black color from the official site and they did pretty decent except that at the bend point(one of xero's selling points) started to wear out due to daily crouching and squating. Within a couple months I was noticing the socks getting wet while walking in the morning dew-ed grass. The second pair I couldn't find my size so I went to see if they were available elsewhere. I found a pair on Amazon and proceeded to purchase there. This time I got the blue Xcursion fusion. These did worse.. Within a couple weeks the little grey accent pieces(upside down 'V' and 'L'?)started to peel on both boots. Eventually I just ripped them off and kept using them because, honestly they didn't look bad that way and the integrity of the boot was not lost yet. I got these in June 10th-ish and I'm starting to get those early morning damp sock syndrome again..

Over all the shoe is great except for those issues. It has strengthened my feet and I can see the difference in the shape as well. Sure there are other boots out there that probably don't have these problems, but they are traditional boots.. They don't have the zero drop, the flexibility nor the wideness of Xero Shoes. I will soon be looking into another pair. Please look into these issues.

Other notes: They recommend getting a half size bigger on boots, which I did on the first pair. I found that getting the regular size and just taking off the insert was a better fit, rather than getting a half size up, which made them feel a little big.