“Normal” looking minimalist trail runner

I love the new balance mt10. V2 is supposedly better. I've had a few cactus spines through the sole but otherwise they've been great for all conditions.

Sean,

Thanks. Are you referring to the Minimus 10v2 Trail? Looks promising, though I would prefer zero drop. But this may be the one.

I've had my MT 10's for a while now and have definitely enjoyed them. I have never worn socks in them either and they are super comfy shoes. I do have a few gripes about them though:

-They stink once they get wet. I mean they really really stink. The entire car reeks from the ride home and they have to live outside.

-The inner liner has gotten a bit funky. It's kind of bunching up in some places and almost feels like it's separating in places.

That being said I really really love these shoes. Even with the 4mm heel to toe drop it's barely noticeable. They really don't feel that much different from a pair of Merrel Trail Gloves I have and I think they're zero drop. The rubber also seems to be pretty sticky when boulder hoppin'.

I've run on soft trails, golf courses, technical trails up in Montana, and recently did a 9 mile hike here in Southern Arizona. Again other than the smell and potential durability issues these have been one of my favorite shoes to run and hike in for a while now.

Hope this helps a little!

If you're coming from FiveFingers I don't think you'll find the MT10's to be nearly as minimal. I don't find the MT10 to have very good grip either. Mine are v1, so perhaps that's changed. They're the most comfortable shoes that I own, but I'd recommend something from inov-8 over them for backpacking or running. Inov-8 also offers much more minimal (oxymoron?) shoes than the mt10 too.

I have MT00s and Merrell Trail Gloves. I like the trail gloves much better and you can get them in toned down colors. The Trail Gloves have rock guards in them and a roomier toe box. You can actually use them on a trail. The 00s are fine for light trail work but to minimal for much else, almost like wrapping your foot in paper with a light sole. Good Luck.

I picked up the Merrell trail gloves Marshall's for $39.99. I really like them and they look pretty normal.

they breath well, dry quickly if you get them wet and are very comfortable without socks. i can wear them all day walking on a hard surface with no foot fatigue. i was told that the vibraham sole for the trail glove was designed to be similar to the sole used on teh 5-fingers.

Someone above mentioned the Trail Gloves have a rock guard in them. That would seem to fly in the face of the minimalist shoe the OP is looking for.

I've never used Trail Gloves though, so I'm just basing my thoughts on other shoes I've had that claimed to be somewhat minimalist but contained rock plates (think MT110, and Salomon Sense). They were substantially stiffer than similar shoes without rock plates.

Actually the only shoes I've worn that felt similar to the five fingers also lacked a midsole (never mind just lacking a rock plate).

The vivobarefoot shoes in leather look really nice, but leather isn't so good in wet weather. And they have poor traction.

Nathan, I'm not a stout minimalist–– I actually love the rock plate in my Vibram FF Spyridons for hiking. I found the KSO and Bikila lacking sufficient protection for me when hiking on rough terrain.

I tried on the Trail Gloves and the NB MT10v2. I'm leaning toward the NBs but I understand why some people prefer the Trail Gloves.

I would love to purchase a pair of Inov8s in a muted color scheme. Perhaps the TRAILROC 255? 6mm is more drop than I like but not much different than the NB MT10v2. The TRAILROC 245 could work but a is a bit loud for me to use as my one pair of shoes when traveling.

"Nathan, I'm not a stout minimalist–– I actually love the rock plate in my Vibram FF Spyridons for hiking. I found the KSO and Bikila lacking sufficient protection for me when hiking on rough terrain."

Ok gotcha. And I didn't even realize some VFF came with a rock plate. I had a pair of Bikilas and have been ignorant enough to assume they were all similar.

So given that you can deal with a bit more protection (less minimalism) I will recommend the F-Lite 195s from inov-8. You can get those in black or grey. The grip they offer on rock blows the MT-10 out of the water. They're my go to shoe for most of my running and hiking 20 miles or less (per day). I've found i prefer a rock plate or stiffer shoe for longer days on rough terrain, particularly if a lot of technical down hill is involved.

Nathan, the F-Lite 195 potentially looks like a great fit. I didn't see these on the website since I was focused on their "off road" line. These work for hiking?

Yes I really like them for hiking. They're very light and flexible and the rubber is the stickiest I've come across. The less aggressive tread pattern and high flexibility of the sole give them excellent grip on rocks (wet and dry). I have zero confidence in my MT110s anymore because their grip is so much worse by comparison.

I originally thought they'd discontinued the shoe too because I could no longer find them amongst the running shoes on the inov-8 site, but a search turned them up under "cross-fit."

Believe it or not I had never even heard of cross fit until I came across it looking for these shoes on their site. Now I swear I couldn't go a whole day withou some mention of the sport.

I got several hundred hard miles out of my last pair too (and still used them as river shoes this weekend), so don't be too concerned about the longevity of the sticky rubber.

Try the La Sportiva C-Lites. I love this shoe and if you take the insole out before you start using it you'll get a nearly zero-drop trail runner that's durable and doesn't scream as you fly down the trail.

I have Merrell Mix Master 2. They are not quite "minimalist", but have almost no heel rise and feel like a minimalist shoe – sort of half way there. I also have fivefingers but couldn't hike in them for long.

My only complaint on the Merrell is the tread. It find them to be very slick on wet rocks – but then again most shoes are.