So these are the real deal minimalist trail running shoes - I've tried a lot and even other Merrell minimalist trail running shoes and these are much better, no stiff edges, nothing uncomfortable, these are literally like running in socks. But there is enough between you and the trail that you don't feel the sharp rocks if you step on an edge. I run about 30-50 miles a week in pretty mountainous terrain, it's steep up and steep down, lots of rocks - lots of places where you're basically jumping from rock to rock. And so I've learned to step lightly, not heel strike so hard, although sometimes I have to. And I notice that on days where I'm running real hard and it's a lot of up and down (my iphone average 'stair flights' a day is around 100-150 or so if that gives you an idea) Days I go 10+ miles and 200+ flights, my heels hurt sometimes the next day.
Maybe I'm still getting used to these shoes and I know my running form isn't perfected yet, I still heel-strike too much going downhill.
Sometimes I have to wear my Nike Free the next day after a hard run with these. And it's funny because the Nike Frees now seem to me like these huge clunky overly padded shoes with so much arch support my feet feel like they're wrapped in thick styrofoam! But I remember when my Nike Free felt like total minimalist shoes when I was transitioning from traditional running shoes. Now I'm so used to these that even Nike Free feels like too much padding and I can't imagine even wearing traditional running or hiking shoes now.
So I have to say, these are definitely not for everyone. I run and hike with several different friends. They all think I'm nuts for wearing these shoes, they all like a lot of thick padding with tread, ankle and arch support. Of which these have none. But I absolutely love them - these shoes make me feel like I have wings on my feet - I love them and will never, ever go back to any sort of traditionalist running shoe.
I'd run barefoot if I could - but every time I do that, I end up with cuts on my feet from sharp rock shards so these give me just enough rubber between my foot and the trail so that I don't get injured, but I barely even feel the shoe on my foot. I also like the slight rubber lip that comes up over the toe - you don't feel it unless you mistakenly stub your toe, in which case it protects you - I was so glad for that rubber lip a couple of times!
And the feel is great. I have very wide feet and I'm part Native American and some of us have an extra bone on the sides of our feet which make a lot of shoes really uncomfortable and awkwardly fitting. It's hard for me to get a good fit - if it's wide enough to accommodate the extra bone, then they're too long in the toe or loose in the heel.
These shoes fit slightly long for me, just a tiny tad big in the toe, but perfectly everywhere else, so I'm not dinging a star for it, because my feet are a little weird and they are still incredibly comfortable - I just lace them down really tight my toes enjoy the extra space to really spread out. And I love the way the laces lace up - really easy, flat, not too short, not too long and they don't come undone. Best laces I've tried.
All in all, my favorite shoes ever. If you like real minimalist running shoes and wish you could run barefoot - these are for you! And if you find the Vibram toe shoes doen't work for you (they don't fit my toes) these are a great substitute. I like the minimalism of the toe shoes, but they just don't fit me right and actually feel sort of stiff - these are the best of both worlds!
But they take getting used to. Even if you're used to minimalist running shoes - don't go out and run 10 miles up and down steep terrain the first day you get them (like I did) I literally could barely walk the next day. I didn't get any blisters or chafing - I've never gotten that from any minimalist shoes, no matter how far I got. I just had sore feet from the lack of padding - I just wasn't used to it.
And I was used to minimalist shoes before this, I'd been wearing New Balance Minimus for about a year and Nike Free for a couple years before that and I have another pair of Merrill Minimialist. So be forewarned! Now, if you're running on dirt and it's not super steep rock, that's probably different. It's the running on the rocky trails that still get my little tootsies a little sore, so I'm careful.
And of course, like all minimalist shoes, these come apart pretty easily. Interestingly though, it's usually the sole that goes first for me and the rest of the shoe is fine. In the case of these shoes it was the opposite - the sole is totally solid, it's not coming apart, wearing down, or wearing through.
However, I'm getting holes in the material itself - where it nicked a rock it created a hole and and also the material is pulling away from the rubber sole on the sides of both shoes. So these really don't last long - I've only had these a couple of months. But I'm super rough on them, almost every day on really rough terrain, so I'm not going to complain or ding a star because these shoes are just so awesome.
I'll be buying another pair soon. And these are going to be my favorites for a long time, none of the cons are enough to make me start wearing another brand or style. Oh, and I wanted to mention a couple more things. I know this is a long review but I'm trying to be comprehensive. I notice that my toes don't hit the end of my shoe like almost all my others do, no matter how big I get them, how tight I lace them, the fast and steep downhill gets me, especially towards the end of my run. All my other shoes, I have to retie (in double knots) at least once or twice, sometimes 3 times in a run. These, I only have to tie once, and they stay and my toes don't hit the end. I was bummed because I was getting a couple of thickened toenails from this before. And they'd kinda be sore too. Now my toenails are growing out nice again, and they don't hurt! I can go back to wearing my cute peeptoe shoes when I go out at night - yay! So that was a great plus I was really happy about.
Also, they don't slip at all. The tread is sort of amazing. It looks like there's zero tread, nothing to grip on slippery rocky terrain, but they're amazing - they're totally grippy - and maybe that's because I'm used to minimalist shoes and gripping with my feet and toes, but I go up and down some really steep stuff that sometimes I have to use my hands (it's that steep) and I've never slipped in these not once, even on steep rocky terrain in the rain (knock on wood!)
One last thing I should mention though. These aren't the best to wear when I go power-hiking with a friend of mine. She hikes really fast - faster than some people run. When I'm hiking with her and we go about 8-9 miles - I wear something with a little more padding, maybe my Nike Frees or my other Merrill Minimalist shoes that have a little thicker sole. Otherwise, my feet hurt. Because the strike when power walking/hiking is pretty hard - much harder than when I run, I tend to lightly bounce. Power hiking with my friend I tend to hit too hard for these shoes. So just something to keep in mind.
Hope I've given a good explanation of these shoes. If they are what you are looking for, then you're going to be ecstatic! But if they're not, you probably won't be so happy with them. Good luck and Happy Trail Running!
Reviews with images
They don't feel right and they bump my toes. :(
I have a pair of the original vapor gloves, they took a while to get used to, but I love them. I love 'em so much I've almost worn two holes in the sole and the treading's gone where my feet hit the pavement. The original vapor glove was lightweight, so flexible that I could roll one into a ball and stuff it into the other shoe, and gave excellent ground feel. (I guess the ground feel is even better now that I've worn down the sole to almost nothing at my contact points.) (First photo is my worn out vapor gloves, 2nd is the new ones.) They also seemed very unstructured- they kind of "cave" when my feet aren't in them. So given my great experience, I decided to try a new pair.So I ordered a new pair, put 'em on as soon as they arrived. I really wanted to like them, but they don't feel right. The new vapor gloves seem really inflexible, although I can roll them up with a little more work. I ordered the exact same size, but the sizing is a little small, or they made some modifications to the shoe which no longer allow it to fit my feet- I have long toes so I ordered half a size up in merrell's from my normal size . The rubber that goes over the toe box hits my toes in a very uncomfortable way. The sole feels thicker and less flexible on my feet- but I'm not sure if that's my imagination or not. And I don't really get good ground feel compared to my old shoes. They added some more thickness in the soles, I think, and a little more structure, they don't feel like a glove to me. I know people complained, but I liked the old ones just fine. Maybe they need a little more break in time, but seeing as how my toes are bumping into the toe box just walking around, I think I'll either order a larger size or try something else. Updates after I get a better size.
