Review of Merrell Trail Glove

My new pair, Merrell Trail Glove, on the way to barefoot running.

Well, that was a rather windy, 3-shirt run this morning, especially with the new Merrell Trail Glove (TG) shoes that felt so light on the feet (!). With wind chill in the teens, the windbreaking glove shell was definitely good to have on. My first impression of the TG was its lightness and small footprint (literally), even lighter than the Nike Free (NF) and which takes up less space in the suitcase. I was a bit concerned about the TG's narrow width and wondered if I should've bought the wider version. As it turned out, the shoes' firm lateral support took care of that concern. The wide toe box felt roomy and comfortable (why are they not all made that way?). The zero drop from heel to toe made the TG feel basically like the FiveFingers (FF), but without the fingers and with a bit more cushion; both the FF and TG result in a natural forefoot strike. The extra cushion makes the TG a good transitional shoe between something like the NF and FF. The cushion also makes for warmer feet during cold weather. I'm still transitioning to the FF and run in them about once a week. I think I can switch over to the TG within a fairly short period of time, during which I'll probably alternate between the TG and the (Shoe Goo'ed) NF.

Extending the life of my Nike Free (w/ Shoe Goo), before I got the Merrell Trail Glove.