through all of this, i tried to pay attention to the toe situation. i had quite a variety of terrain including asphalt, grass, gravel, wooden walkway, big rocks, mud (one slick spot where i almost biffed), sand, and trail. I ended up going for a 5-10 mile run yesterday afternoon. Barefoot runners and hikers looking for additional options to the Vibram FiveFinger line.īelow are additional photos of the Merrell Trail Glove:.If this sounds like you, you have to try out the Merrell barefoot line If Vibram FiveFingers are gloves for your feet, the Merrell Barefoot line are like Mittens. If you wear mittens while snowboarding or skiing.Individuals who love to run in the rain and looking for a bit more protection around their toes.Has wide feet and is looking for a running shoe to let his toes spread out, but isn’t quite sure about standing out with FiveFingers.Who Should Buy These?īased on my experience I would suggest these shoes to anyone that: Merrell’s barefoot line fits this very important criteria. When that area of the shoe hits the ground it places the weight of the strike toward the mid-foot instead of allowing you to stay on your toes.Ī major aspect of barefoot running is having proper running form so that you protect yourself from injury. I credit this to the thicker soles at the toe area of the shoe. I never found myself running up on my toes and only felt a few heal strikes toward the ends of my runs as I got tired. Running FormĪs I mentioned earlier, the Vibram soles with a zero-drop heel and the large toe box make for a great running combination that helps you keep good running form. I do feel that they work similar muscles to other barefoot shoes as I could feel the lower calf and foot muscles ache a bit towards the end of a run. This happened twice with the Trail Gloves during the week and it really puts a damper on that portion of the run.Īfter a week of running in the Trail Gloves I have no blisters, rubbing, or soreness. There is nothing worse during a long run where you’ve hit your stride than to have to stop and tie your shoes. I understand now why Vibram FiveFingers offer shoes with laces sparingly. The only draw back for long runs were the laces. My feet stayed dry and didn’t slip inside the shoe at all. In light rain I didn’t slip or slide at all on asphalt, concrete, or the grass. At each and every turn the Trail Gloves have performed great. I’ve varied up my running routes to see how they feel in city routes, trails, and wet and slippery conditions. I’ve spent the last week running in the Merrell Barefoot Trail Gloves and have loved every minute of it. I usually wear size 11 US and the Trail Gloves in 11 US fit perfectly. Part of the difficulty with FiveFingers is finding the exact size to fit your feet. It seems that Merrell shoe sizes compare nicely to the average shoe. It seems like a lot of tread when compared to the tread on my KSOs, but I didn’t find that the extra tread distracted too much from the ground feel. The soles on the Trail Gloves feature a significant amount of tread that help the shoe grip to the trail, rocks, and other outdoor obstacles. These soles are an added benefit to the shoe as very few companies can come close to the quality and durability with making soles that can match what Vibram offers. Vibram SolesĪs we’ve mentioned previously, the Merrell Barefoot line features Vibram soles. The shoe is made up of high quality material and has held up fine during my more aggressive runs. ![]() I also felt that the laces help keep my feet back in the heal of the shoe when moving about while allowing my toes to take full advantage of the Toe Box. Most of the Vibram FiveFingers and other barefoot shoes elect to go without laces but I think they fit well with the Merrell line – as it seems Merrell put an emphasis on making this line of shoes appear to be similar to “normal” shoes. The first thing I noticed about the Trail Gloves is that they come with laces. There is a special protective coating around most of the toe box that helps protect the shoe from more rugged terrain or when you may drag it across the ground during a run. The shoes feature a mesh cloth for most of the makeup of the shoe with an inner-lining made of soft fabric. I elected for the Olympia & Black style and feel that while these shoes sport the “Trail” name, their style follows that of many modern running shoes. Merrell sells the shoes in four colors: Yellow & Black, Amazon (Another shade of yellow), Black & Orange, Olympia (Blue) & Black. It has a much more traditional shoe look than some other barefoot shoes but still has all the benefits you’d expect from a minimalist shoe. The Trail Glove model is a great looking shoe.
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