Barefoot shoes: A rant

I love my Vibram FiveFingers KSOs. They're lightweight, comfortable, versatile. At the beach on vacation for a week, I wore nothing but my KSOs, in and out of the water. I'm convinced they are the perfect footwear for the beach.

I liked them so much, I recently bought a pair of Komodosports, which I'm wearing right now. I could easily see myself wearing nothing but Vibrams for the rest of my life. I mean in terms of footwear, of course.

But I've got one tiny little problem with these and other "barefoot" shoes: I can't help wondering why they're so doggoned expensive. When I first started shopping for a pair of Vibrams, most models were priced at $100 and up. I finally snagged my KSOs online at a discounted price. The Komodosports go for $99.95 online, the LS model $109.95. I bought a pair when I found a coupon that resulted in a $20 discount.

My question is this: Why is it that "minimalist" shoes cost more than traditional shoes? I can understand an argument along the lines of supply and demand, but when you look at the shoes themselves, you'd think they would cost less, not more. Sure, you can find traditional running shoes and athletic shoes that cost a lot more, but I can also walk into any shoe store and find a decent pair of athletic shoes for nearly half what I paid for my Vibrams.

The fact is, in terms of their physical composition, there's not much to a pair of barefoot/minimalist shoes. It's a thin slab of rubber glued to some fabric, sometimes with a velcro strap or two. As much as I like the two pair of Vibrams I own, I also can't help feeling guilty about purchasing them because, frankly, I have to seriously wonder if they're really worth what I've paid.

Don't get me wrong: Like I said, I love these shoes. But I feel kind of the same about making this kind of purchase as I do spending $60 on a video game. It makes me happy, but is it a worthwhile use of my hard-earned money?

Vibram FiveFingers has been something of a pioneer in this style of shoe, but many other competitors are now jumping in, including Fila with its Skeletoes and Adidas with adiPure. I can only hope the competition is good for buyers like me because I want more of them, but I simply cannot justify the expense expect maybe as a once-in-a-while splurge.

Someday I'd like to have a whole closet full of Vibrams, but, alas, I haven't achieved an Imelda Marcos level of success just yet.