NB Minimus vs. Merrell Trail Glove

It's true that I'm not really interested in minimalist footwear for the normally stated reasons like improving foot health and running/walking technique. I like these ideas, but not if it comes at the expense of a considerable learning curve where I'm not enjoying hiking as much because I'm watching every step.

My main reasons for wanting minimalist type shoes are:
1) Light weight
2) Quick drying (ie. less padding to hold water)
3) Less heal lift (I like how this walks)

I like the design of the Merrell Trail Gloves in the sense that they would hold virtually no water and of course they are extremely light. I do want rock protection though, so I'm going to look shoes from Inov-8 and the Montrail Rogue Runners. It sounds like trail running flats may be more what I want.

I have both the Trail Glove and the Minimus. I like them both and have tried them both walking the mountains. I found that soles of both are adequate for non-rocky areas, but the moments sharp rocks come into play, they tend to hurt quite a lot. Some people have said that the Trail Glove has a thicker sole than the Minimus… for it me is just doesn't feel that way… the Minimus feels much more substantial and protective in the sole. It also has better grip on loose soil and in dampened mud. The overall feel while using socks seems to work better with the Minimus. I now use the Minimus for hiking, but have relegated the Trail Gloves to city running.

I still prefer my FiveFingers for overall feel and sensing the ground. They still feel the most "barefoot!. They just have terrible traction and, for me at least, socks (toe socks) don't feel comfortable in them.

Minimalist shoes have minimalist protection. The movement is about putting LESS between you and the earth. Perhaps, the senses are the best rock protection. What kind of rocks are we talking about anyway? And protection of the sole of the foot or the side of the foot? On the positive side, the lighter the shoe, the more you can feel the rock before you commit full weight.

I do know what barefoot walking and running are about… have been doing it much longer than the present fad likes to call its own, including a lot of taking off of shoes and hiking barefoot or hiking in light sandals. However, I walk in the Japan Alps where there is a lot of volcanic rock, much of it needle sharp. High among the 3,000 meter peaks, especially when descending very rocky, very steep trails (grading is much more severe in Japan… often trails go straight down), even when you take care placing your feet, you're going to end up coming down upon sharp, pointed rock edges and even with a light pack, that hurts! Through the sole, not the side of the shoes. Do it long enough and you can end up mashing up your feet, even feet used to lots of barefoot walking. I do think that there are points when people go too far just because something is popular.

Thanks butuki!

You are brave to try them on such stuff! You aren't talking about the loose or embedded rocks/rock beds one encounters from time to time on the JMT, TMB, etc! Random Rocks on "good" trail.

Gavin, I've been curious about a number of the Inovs. In the past, I could only find them in Unisex sizes (which are of course Mens!). While they do come in small sizes, I always figured they'd be too wide/high volume. I'm gonna order a few from RRS along with a pair of Newtons (a little on the pricey side).

Loving Minimi more each little stint. Hating forefoot plate on 101 — too stiff. Once you've tried the Minimus, the 101 is just another clunker. Minimus feels more like my Bikala FFs (new to these too) than 101's. Getting in a few more miles. There is going to be an adjustment period for me. (That's what the "experts" say and I believe 'em now!) I am (was!) a heel striker so it's gonna be an overhaul. Would like to find a track coach in my area who has an interest in this natural running stuff and a good understanding of the mechanics of walking and running. I am now 7 mos post thoracic spine injury and only beginning to approach baseline conditioning. Sporting the Minimi, I am not much bothered by the occasional rock or rocky areas or various metal reinforcements poking through the dirt. (To clarify: I have not used them on any volcanic rock or razor sharp tufa yet!) Generally pretty conscious of the terrain as I walk/run so no big change in that respect. IT band and achilles feeling it a bit — new gait, lack of conditioning? But they feel so natural. Last 1/2 hour easy downhill in the dark. Left my torch in my pack to have to feel the earth! The earth felt good!

Kicking up my heels on the trail today! Minimi feel like ballet slippers! Guess, I'll have to rethink the skirt!

I am planning about 6 weeks of thru hiking beginning in about a month. Probably a bit early to seriously consider something like this for the long haul. Would love to find a slightly beefier but still flat trail runner — like training wheels. I like the stance — my posture feels nice. The not quite minimalist ;)

Have you visited toesalad.com and perused the directory? Click on the Directory tab.

Saucony Peregrine? How did Hartley hurt her thoracic spine?

Thanks John! I like the official description. Have you tried it?

Injury…let's hijack this thread why don't we? Wasn't there something about another Minimus thread getting hijacked? LOL The lesion is impressive the story is not! The cord has been spared and that is the bottom line! More later.

The Saucony Peregrine are excellent so far, considerably more underfoot protection and midsole cushion than the Minimus, more along the lines of the 101, a really good distance running shoe without being a behemoth clunker with all the silly devices shoe companies heap on trail shoes. The Peregrine are 'flattish' with a 4mm drop and stable low to the ground footbed . They're supposedly similar to the Kinvara, maybe in fit. I found the Kinvara 'mushy', deliberately so.

I've been running in my Peregrine pair for 2 weeks so far, 11 runs later they're the shoe I've been looking for as an everyday training and racing shoe while still maintaining a level of minimalism (ie. neutral, light, low heel/toe drop, flexible, simple upper). I can run in these all week and not agonize over my foot condition and focus on the running, with the Minimus I had to think too much and often my feet were pretty tired by weeks end. Minimus are a great short distance shoe, not ideal for running on rocky technical trails at length for me, took some breaking in of the shoe to realise that.

The outsole is pretty aggressive and tacky, my favorite feature set on the Peregrine, ideal for sandy and rocky aggregate trails. I didn't notice it until after a week of running in them, Saucony threw in a gaiter hook near the front of the shoe, so they're gaiter compatible. Gusseted tongue is a plus. Sockless friendly interior is also a deal sealer for me. The Peregrine probably don't meeting the strict standards of the barefoot lifestyle purist camp, who cares, for somone who just wants a simple flat shoe that provides protection and traction that can handle trail time, the Peregrine meets that criteria.

Hartley, I have not bought the peregrine yet, but will be trying them soon. I wanted to try them on before buying but have not found them locally. Eugene's mini review sounds pretty good.

Yeah, thanks Eugene. Excellent review.

John, If you join road runner sports VIP club (I forget how much it is…$49/yr maybe), you get 10% off everything, free 2 day shipping, if they don't have brick and mortar in TX, tax free and ninety days to return them if they aren't working out for you. The service is great! They have those ready return labels — it's a flat rate no matter how many pair you return in the package. And…they have Peregrines! http://www.roadrunnersports.com

http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/search/search-celebros.jsp?Query=Caveman&cm_re=hp-_-hero-_-caveman

Road Runner VIP Club NOW only $1.99 for first year! http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/RAC55/?cm_sp=header-_-vip_banner-_-joinvip That's insane!

Has any one tried the new MT20s? I haven’t heard anything about them.

New Balance MT20

They come in D and EE widths. It also looks like the lacing system has changed. Maybe these in EE will be better for wider feet?

Does anyone have any thoughts about the slipperiness of the soles of the Minimus versus the Merrells? I have a pair of Pace Gloves, and I love them except they're very slippery in muddy conditions or on damp packed dirt trails (which I deal with frequently, walking in the woods in New England). The Minimus seems to have a lot of the things I like about the Merrells and I'm wondering whether it would be better in those slippery situations.

I have both the Trail Gloves and the Minimus. I've tried the Trail Gloves on steep mountain terrain with slightly muddy surface and found them to be very slippery. One of the reasons I bought the Minimus was so I could do more aggressive mountain walking without worrying about slipping. The soles have better lugs than the Trail Gloves. However, I haven't been into the mountains with them yet, so I don't know yet. One worry is that the sole of the Minimus probably will gather clots of mud quite easily. The footbed is also thicker than the trail glove, so has a slightly less "barefoot" feel, but more protection on rocks and sharp edges.

The head-to-head comparison Ben suggested is helpful.

I tried both shoes, but found that the Merrell Trail Glove was a strong preference. The wide toe box feels great on my foot.

I recently did a trek of 84 miles in mine, and I loved the way they performed. I didn’t wear them without socks on my trip (because of the high mileage), but I find them to be comfortable with or without socks. To walk on snow I used Yaktrax to provide extra traction. Photos can be found in this trip report about 3/4 of the way down the report.

I've only used the Merrel, so I'm probably biased but I have to say I love my Trail Gloves. I've used them for a 4 day trek on a mountain plateau in Norway and I found them absolutely excellent.

On a dirt/mud I found them to be just fine. I think they could maybe have had the sole go a little higher up the sides as the shallowest puddle/hint of water on the path would inevitably end up inside my shoe.

Walking up a mountain which was just rocks and more rocks, not a hint of dirt, they really stood out. I found them to grip like glue, and together with poles I was feeling pretty much like a mountain goat, hopping from stone to stone. On the way down it was coming down buckets, which meant a little more slippy, however never out of control.

On very stony path I did occasionally stub my toes into protruding rocks, however I found that the lightness and they way the sole goes up over the front of the toes prevented any injury what so ever.

On our last day we were powering back to our cabin on a road and inevitably I ended up heel striking and the road pretty much chewed up the sole of my foot.

I'm going to get the new Embark Glove for a walk in UK in September as I'm keen to see how the Gore-Tex changes the shoe, also I'm figuring they might be a bit warmer as the slightest draft goes straight through the mesh top of the Trail Glove.