Barefooting Bulletin Board

This definition was first created by SBL member Dave Tweed. It struck me as being the clearest, most accurate definition I'd seen, so it made sense to post it here as the "official" definition. The wording has been altered somewhat, but the definition is intact.

A "barefooter" is a person who is barefoot by default and only wears shoes when there's a compelling reason to do so, while a non-barefooter wears shoes by default and only takes them off when there's a compelling reason to do so.

It should be noted that societal pressure is not considered a "compelling" reason. It is generally agreed that personal safety and comfort are compelling reasons for a barefooter to wear shoes. This definition allows for a wide range of behavior among barefooters since we all have different thresholds of tolerance for temperature and terrain.