As a person who has spent far too much time obsessing over footwear for my weird feet, I never find any shoe perfect. I'll always find some flaws, something, however small, that prevent that 5 star rating. But I just can't seem to find flaw in the Trail gloves.

The hype is all that and more with these. The balance between ground-feel and protection is in total symmetry. A little less input than my VFF komodo sports, but far more protection from sharp stones and sticks. You notice everything and will still hurt your feet if you're not careful where you step, but they filter out the worst of the sharp parts while maintaining great proprioception.

The footbed is slightly tacky and holds your feet like glue - you don't slip forward on descents like in many other shoes. The upper breathes brilliantly and the lacing locks your foot in tight. The inside lining is soft on the foot without uncomfortable seams or pinch-points (and I am a princess and the pea type of person when it comes to that stuff). The outsole grips tremendously, but like most will still slip on wet and slick surfaces like metal grates, wood, and tile. I've yet to find a shoe that doesn't though. For all other surfaces it clings like a spider to a wall. I prefer them with thin socks to keep the stank down but they feel amazing to wear barefoot.

But the best part - something I didn't expect - is how it almost seems to guide your feet into proper midfoot/forefoot striking. No other shoe I've ever worn has so effortlessly mimicked a true barefoot stride. Even the other Merrell barefoot shoes don't do this as well, though close. When I first tried them on and walked around in the store I thought "These feel weird and slightly unstable - there's no way running in them will work for me". So I put them back and forgot about them. After a year of running in New Balance MT10 shoes (amazing shoes, brilliant all-rounders) I wanted to go to something with zero drop and a little more strike protection but with less cushioning for better ground-feel. So on a whim I tried the Trail gloves again after spending some time reading about them. Again, I noticed how strange they felt to walk in at first - the rounded heel makes walking feel slightly funny at first. But these aren't walking shoes. They're running shoes. So I ran. Just a short jaunt across the store. And within the first few steps, I knew they were exactly what I'd been looking for. After a few runs in them I am only falling more and more in love. Plus, they now feel comfortable to walk in, and they're great in the gym for squats and dead-lifts. My barefoot form has never been better, though my calves are still adjusting to zero drop.

So far they feel good on both road and the groomed trails I've run on. The forefeet definitely strike a little harshly on hard surfaces but it's not uncomfortable. The strike-plate worsens this, but they are still surprisingly flexible in the forefoot - much more than my NB MT10's. Speaking of the forefoot, the wider toe-box is such a blessing for my wide-toed flipper feet, and the tighter mid-foot and narrow heel grip my low volume foot very well. Sizing is true - I measure a 10.5D US (27.5 cm/10.8" heel to longest toe) and fit a 10.5 in the trail glove with or without socks. For reference, I fit a 10.5 in all the merrell barefoot shoes, and an 11 in the NB MT10.

The arch - several people have complained about the tightness in the midfoot and are concerned about arch support in a minimalist shoe. This is fair - the midfoot is more narrow than most shoes and people with really wide feet will probably either need to size up a half size or buy the wide version. It DOES loosen quickly though, so if it only feels a bit overly snug and not painful it will probably loosen up to the perfect size. This tight midfoot helps hold the shoe to the foot to prevent the foot from moving inside, a problem for a lot of minimalist shoes. It also gives the sense of having "arch support". In truth, I would describe it more like an "arch reminder". It reminds your foot to land properly rather than heel strike or over-pronate. The EVA foam in the midfoot softens fast and isn't thick enough to actually provide support - you can bend it down with your thumb. The force created by your entire weight pressing down on it with foot landings is not going to be supported by it!

My only regret is that I waited so long to buy these. Don't make my mistake, try them yourself if you're at all into minimalist running. While they're probably not perfect for everyone, they about the closest thing I can imagine.