The Lems Primal 2 is a casual athletic shoe made with vegan-friendly materials. Its tapered shape has one of the widest toeboxes available in our current selection, and then narrows to hold your midfoot and heel securely. It's very popular for those who spend a lot of time on pavement due to its lightweight, flexible, and cushiony air-injected sole.
Sizing
We find most of our customers take their regular size in this model. The Primal 2 can stretch out over time and mold to the shape of your foot.
The Primal 2 has a generous fit style:
- suits feet that are wide at the toes and narrow towards the heel
- suits many foot volumes
- suits square, mountain, and round feet well
- those with sloping or very narrow feet at the forefoot may find the spaciousness of its toebox width feels unfamiliar
- the Primal 2 is the only Lems shoe that is only available in whole-size increments
- Lems shoes have a roughly triangular footprint shape, rather than a rectangle shape or a bean shape
- Lems shoes are unisex, so each pair is marked with a men's size and a women's size
Ground Feel
Including the optional 3mm insole, the Lems Primal 2 stack height is a little over 1cm, and a little under 1cm without.
The Primal 2 provides a medium amount of sensory information through the sole, more due to their flexibility that allows the sole to deform over objects than due to their stack height. The bouncy air-injected outsole is cushiony and very comfortable. It's very forgiving if you are transitioning into wearing minimal shoes more often.
However, the Primal 2's rounded soles offer almost no lateral stability, and they challenge you to provide that instead. If you are tend to overpronate often, have trouble with balance, or are coming off of orthotics, you may want to start with something that lets you feel your feet planted on the ground even if its of similar stack height.
Care
Spot clean when possible. To wash your Primal 2s, hand wash with warm water, mild soap and allow them to air dry. We do not recommend putting the Primal 2 in the washing machine or dryer.
Best Uses
The highly flexible yet cushiony sole makes the Primal 2 excellent for transition to minimal shoes for many customers, and ideal for long urban walks. Their extra wide toebox is great for pairing with toe spacers, too. You can learn more about transitioning and toe spacers in our Learn section.
The breathable mesh uppers make the Primal 2 the perfect choice in warm weather as an everyday casual shoe, or wear them at the gym or as a runner. Just remember to switch to something with less built-in instability if you are lifting very heavy weights on your feet.
