Merrell Men's Vapor Glove Trail Running Shoe

I already have a variety of Merrell Barefoot shoes. The Water Sock. A couple pairs of the Trail Glove and the Road glove. I know how these shoes fit, I understand how they fit. I love them. Love the flexibility and the ground contract/sensation in the entire barefoot zero-drop shoes.Read tons of reviews on the Vapor glove. I wanted them as an everyday shoe. I picked the black since they are not flashy, and I could wear them to work, even as business casual. I love lightweight shoes. If I could wear moccasin slippers to work I would. I had high expectation for these shoes. During the reviews I have read how they fit larger than the both the road and trail glove. Based on that input, I did order 1/2 size smaller than I wear in the road/trail glove. How do they fit (even at 1/2 size smaller than other Merrell barefoot shoes)Width: these shoes are narrower than both road/trail glove. Dropping 1/2 size, was still ok for me. But if you have wider than normal feet, that could be a potential issue. the shoes are flexible, so even if a little snug, they flex/stretch and are not uncomfortable.Length: even at 1/2 size smaller, they still are noticeable long. Probably could have dropped 1 full size, but the width might be more of an issue. If you have the luxury of finding these in a store, then it would be easier to tell the correct fitting. Even though slightly long, its not be problematic at all. I've not run any great distance in them, but laced up, the extra space in the toe area is nice for me.Durability: I love the vibram soles on all the barefoot shoes. I expect these to hold up exceptionally well, just like the trail and road glove. The tread are minimal. Perfectly have for walking, street/path running, and everyday wear. Treads might not be aggressive enough on some sloppy trails, but I've not tried them in that environment.Color: Like the Black. More of a dark, charcoal grey. the stripes/swoosh are not super pronounced.Flexibility: amazing. You can roll these shoes up and ball them up in a fist. you could probably roll the pair up and stick them in a pair of socks if you wanted. Yes they are that flexible.How do they feel: Its like walking barefoot. I have the road and trail gloves and I love the earth/ground feel in those. But these vapor gloves, take it to a new level. If you are looking for ground feel/contact. I would put these shoes up in a competition again just about anything. Amazing feel.If you like Merrell Barefoot series, these will not disappoint. Just order at least 1/2 size smaller. if you like looser, flexible, yet very comfortable shoes (aka slippers), then you might also just hit a home run with these.

Once upon a time I bought a pair of Merrells (I think they were called Chameleons). While the shoes have seen better days, after several years the shoes are still rock solid (just walked 5 miles in the snow with them yesterday). With such quality, I expected quite a bit from the Vapor Glove shoes.I normally wear a size 10.5, however the Vapor Glove was way too big for my foot at this size. After a couple of returns, I finally found the perfect size for my foot; 8.5, a full TWO sizes smaller.While I know Merrell shoes are sold at a premium, I was still surprised that these shoes cost $80 considering you're basically getting a sock attached to a very thin sole.With the sizing settled, I finally began the gradual process of switching to running in these shoes. My feet didn't acclimate quickly as it took about 2 months to even transition to a light jog. Certainly not the fault of the shoe, and I did enjoy having a closer connection to the ground. However, the shoe began to fall apart right as I was starting to jog. Both shoes had noticeable holes in the fabric where my big toes are and on the side of my little toes. These only got bigger as time went on.I started to think I received a defective pair of these shoes, so I bought another pair. This was not a wise choice on my part. Right around the 2 month mark both shoes AGAIN started forming holes, but in different areas. This time the holes were on the sides of my big toes and in the middle of the toe box area.I must say I am quite disappointed in Merrell. Charging $80 for something that falls apart so quickly is something to be shameful about. If you're searching for a pair of minimalist/barefoot running shoes, I would highly recommend you stay away from the Vapor Gloves.

This shoe is the best minimalist shoe that I've encountered to fit all of my needs.They are very comfortable, flexible, and take up very little space in a suitcase.They are surprisingly durable for how thin the shoes are. They can be worn without socks, quite comfortably.When they get really dirty, I throw them in the washing machine and then hang them to dry.They don't fit the same as my Merrell Trail Gloves, but when I figured out the sizing issue, they were wonderful.The only downside for the thin sole is that it's been quite easy to bruise the bottom of my foot when trail running on a terrain with really sharp, pointy rocks.If you liked the Vibram Fivefingers, but don't like the independence of your toes or the fact that it's difficult to get a precise fit for an irregular foot, it's a great alternative.I'm on my 4th or 5th pair and will continue to purchase more as I wear them out.Unlike with traditional running shoes that should be replaced every 400 miles or so, these only need to be replaced when they fall apart because there is no foam to break down.