Merrel Trail Glove

[Michael Moser]

This is my first post here but it seems like a good one to jump in on as I'm now an avid barefoot shoe user since switching earlier this year.

As far as a forefoot/heel strike the proponents of the barefoot movement always say to use a forefoot strike. But even though I've been exclusively wearing the barefoot shoes for several months now a strict forefoot strike still while walking still feels a bit awkward. What I try to do is let my body do it's thing and I'm finding that the slower I go the more flat footed I'll walk and as I move faster the move tendency there is to move the strike further and further to the forefoot.

The idea behind barefoot shoes is to allow the body to take advantage of how it's built increasing balance and reducing the impact on joints. So my take on this is that at slower speeds there isn't as much of a need for a forefoot strike as the impacts are less and when moving faster the body wants to strike forefoot first to lessen the impact.

[Miguel Arboleda]

I think it's true that for running we are designed to run on our forefoot, but we wouldn't have the kind of heels we do if we weren't meant to walk on our heels. Humans and bears are the only animals (I know of) that have heels designed to walk on heel strike first. I also think we are mainly designed to be walkers, not runners. Our legs (especially our thighs and calves) are far too big for constant, sustained running. But we are superb walkers.

[J-L]

Thanks, it's good to get some other's opinions about this. I'll probably continue to heel strike while walking or just let my feet do what they want. I have realized that with the Trail Gloves I tend to land on my forefoot first while going downhill and uphill. I feel like I have much more traction this way. I'm really excited to try a day hike with these and then maybe a short over-nighter.

Also, welcome to BPL Michael!

[James Winstead]

I am a recent convert to the barefoot shoe idea and this is my first pair. First thoughts are that I did not experience nearly the amount of surprise or soreness that people seem to comment on. I went for a cautious run/hike for about 6 miles the other day and sort of got my head around the forefoot strike while running. It really only took maybe a couple hundred yards to get the feel and then it felt natural. It felt similar to sprinting in traditional shoes, but just slowing it down. Dunno if that makes sense to anyone else. I also thought about the walking heel strike, and no matter how I tried it walking normally heel first felt most natural to me. I do run, but would not call myself a "runner" so most of these comments are a sort of amateur impression, not a professional one.

I usually wear Vans or Asics Tigers which are pretty minimal to start with. That might explain why I wasn't so sore after switching to these. If anyone else out there is hesitant, but feels comfy in similar street shoes I say go for it.

A major benefit I don't hear as much about is in how my ankles respond. I find that in boots or shoes after a long day I can easily take a bad step and turn an ankle. I know this is the result of muscle fatigue and can be remedied with additional training, but I also think it is something I have to pay for as a result of spending much of my young life on a skateboard. The low profile feels TONS more stable to me and the feel for the trail keeps me responding before I would slip.

Oh yea, and 20% off right now at your nearest REI. No minimus though.

edit…typo

[J-L]

Has any one had any issues with the durability of the yellow part of the sole? The Vibram part is holding up great and shows no signs of wear, but the yellow part of my Trail Gloves seems to be rapidly deteriorating. I've done about 18 miles of day hiking, maybe 10 miles of trail running, and a bunch of around town and walking the dog use.

This gash actually almost goes all the way through the material and seems to only be stopped by the inside fabric:

And some material was lost here:

I still find the shoes very comfortable for hiking/walking, but I'm a little surprised to see such wear after such little use. I expect them to be less durable because they're minimal to begin with, but I don't think I've been overly harsh on them – I'm definitely more careful about where I step with them. Anyway, I just wanted to see if this was normal and what others have experienced.

[Douglas Wolf]

I bought a pair during the REI 20% sale. The first thing I did was take them out for a 3 mile run around the neighborhood on roads and sidewalks. These are my first pair of minimalist shoes and I love how light they are. They fit me well and I find them very comfortable without socks. I was used to doing short runs with NB cross training shoes, but as I switched to trail runners for backpacking, the NB felt more awkward with all the padding and heel lift. So these will become my regular running shoe now.

The next thing I tried was an overnight backpack using the Trail Gloves. I found the same traction issues that others mentioned – not so good on mud, slippery when wet on rocks and roots. I found them to be excellent water shoes as long as I avoided stepping in soft sandy bottoms – the opening around the ankles allowed grit to get into the shoe and I had to stop and rinse them out. I might still take them out on future trips if I know that based on trail conditions I'm unlikely to run into rough spots.

I'd never considered barefoot running before getting the Trail Gloves. This past weekend I started barefoot walking and even did a short run. The streets and sidewalks in my neighborhood are fortunately very clean and well kept, the worst I had to deal with were short patches of mulch, dirt and gravel.

[Eric Marcano]

I have the True Gloves and despite being the coolest looking things to have ever graced my feet, they simply weren't made for heel-striking while waking (I speak only for myself). Which makes perfect sense since they are for running with a fore-/midfoot strike.

Every trail I've tried them on over time has been brutally rocky, unfortunately. They feel superb for about 3 miles. In fact, I'd take them out on short backpacking trips in a heartbeat. However, by the 5th mile my gait changes significantly. My feet go into a pain-avoidance mode as they attempt to avoid jagged rocks or even small pebbles. After that, it's pure pain. And yes, my feet feel ok the next day. I've tried adding gel heel cups, going with and without socks, building up slowly, etc.

It's good to see people on here that can tolerate them for this purpose in that kind of terrain. More power to ya!

I'm going to give them one more go just because they look awesome with some Dirty Girl Gaiters.

[Robert Devereux]

I've been enjoying the Trail Glove as a casual shoe, but I finally put them to the test yesterday with a 7 mile hike. They were fine as long as I was on well maintained trails, but going off of the trails gave me problems. I crossed two railroad tracks, and they weren't comfortable on the rocks around the tracks. A little bit more cushioning would help on there. When I went onto a muddy trail, I found they had no traction, I had to slow a lot to avoid falling down. Even damp ground caused them to slip. At the end of the hike, I had some hot spots on my toes. I'm sure that another mile or two would turn them into blisters.

I think I'll switch back to Inov-8 for hiking and keep these as casual shoes.

[Richard Fischel]

and walked out with trail gloves. the vff's and my little toe on each foot just couldn't line up. the shoe guy said i was not alone and had brought out the gloves at the same time as the vff's. i've put some miles on them and they feel great.

[Joe Clement]

I have a stupid question (and I think I already know the answer) – why don't minimalist shoes have minimal prices?

[Bradley Attaway]

Do any owners have experience with fording streams in these shoes? How long (or far) did they take to dry out, following? How did they perform in this regard compared to more traditional running shoes or boots? I would intuit that they're much quicker, based on the reduced material, but are they quick enough to justify stomping through streams in them rather than a separate pair of water shoes when necessary?

Furthermore, do any non barefoot acolytes (or green barefoot acolytes who haven't spent months deliberately toughening their feet) have any experience with high mileage hiking in these shoes with an ultralight load (total bag <20lbs)? Is the rock plate more or less necessary for hiking than running? It seems the increased speed of running would make it more necessary for that, but the increased load of backpacking might balance or reverse that.

Basically, is this potentially a viable all around 3 season UL shoe that might be used in place of foam-filled traditionally-lugged trail runners? I wear a wide size 15 so my options are quite limited. I tried V5Fs occasionally along the Big Game ridge trail last year and couldn't stand them: took too long to put on, sucked in dirt and pebbles, and were excruciating on any but the softest terrain.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

[Pete Anderson]

I picked up a pair of these earlier today. After only ~4 miles I can already see the foam part starting to get torn up like it is in John Harper's pictures above.

Has anybody been using a Merrell barefoot shoe for a decent number of trail miles? There are plenty of reviews online but they're all by runners… Of course durability will be great if you're running on a road or easy trail and the only part to touch the ground is the vibram. No surprises there. It's the super rocky trails that seem to pose a problem.

It just seems very easy for rocks to abrade that little section of foam because the vibram is so narrow in the middle of the foot. I'm sure avoiding putting all my weight on that part of the foot over sharp rocks would help and also be more comfortable, but sometimes you kind of need to do that for the sake of balance.

Also, afaik, minimalist shoes don't have minimal prices because it's the R&D, transport/distribution, advertising, etc, that are the main costs in producing shoes. Materials and (unfortunately) labor are not the major factors.

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