Customer Reviews Merrell Trail Glove 4

This shoe is simply amazing for a minimalist shoe. I purchased this shoe so that I can take a lightweight pair of shoes to supplement my boots on backpacking trips. These have all of the right features: comfort, support, cushion, glove like fit, grippy Vibram sole, breathable, and lightweight. They are also the cutest minimalist trail runner I have found! Keep in mind that this is a minimalist trail running shoe, so you can't compare it to a standard running shoe. This shoe is designed to be worn barefoot. It does provide the best cushion and support of any minimalist shoe I've ever tried. It actually has decent arch support, unlike most minimalist shoes. It conforms perfectly to my feet with a roomy toebox, while remaining fitted in the midfoot and heel. There are no seams or irritating edges on the inside of the shoe. I've honestly never put on a shoe that fits so well. You can hardly tell that you've got them on, even with the durable Vibram sole. These shoes are made very well. I have plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, and mild bunions, and these shoes work great for me. Most minimalist shoes don't offer the support, structure, and vision that these do. They are ultralight trail runners, weighing in at 12 oz per pair for a women's Sz 8. I love these shoes and bought a pair for my husband as well!

This is literally the most comfortable athletic shoe I've ever worn. It fits so well and moves with me so perfectly that I feel like I'm wearing nothing, like my feet suddenly became magic miracle feet that never ache and always work properly! Realizing as I write that this sounds a little too glowing, like a fake review or even a sarcastic one, so I'll tone it down, ha! But I am buying another pair now to stock up for the future, as well as two of the other colors! Now, I am NOT a runner and the longest jog I take is usually from the car the door in the rain, but these are heavenly for walking, doing the gym (cardio machines, steps, and circuit training), my housework, and playing with my kids. They are a perfect medium between the ultra light Merrell shoes (like Vapor Glove...2, I think it is?... of which I have two pairs; they were my previous favorite!) and less light like Vapor Glove 4 and other brands. They fit snugly but pinch nowhere (on me anyhow) and in contrast to the lady above, my orthotic inserts fit just fine, even with a lift on one of them! The shoe is very elastic you see, and fits snugly without slipping while still having give for fat feet days, or extra squishy socks. It's freaking amazing. For heaven's sake please keep making them, Merrell.

SMELLY SHOE ALERT! If they didn't stink, they'd be perfect. These shoes are SO comfortable. I wear them without socks (as they are designed). On cooler days, that's mostly fine. As soon as the temps climb to the high 60's, my feet start feeling hot (the shoes aren't super well ventilated), and the smell is overwhelming once my shoes come off. I've resorted to sprinkling baking soda into them regularly. It may have been wiser to buy a half size larger to wear them with socks. I never had smelly feet before these shoes. Quite the experience...

I bought these to go on a boating and hiking trip in the San Juan Islands. They are super comfortable with a generous toe box. I wore them with and without footie socks and they have a nonskid sole that keeps you from sliding down a mountain or off a boat. I love these shoes.

Merrell changed their sizing in the middle of their production! I have had two other pairs of Trail Glove 4 and wore a 9 1/2 in both. I just got a new 9 1/2, and my toes are curling in them! I checked the size sticker on both, and their 9 1/2 went from 43.5 Euro size to 40.5! It's running at least a half size smaller. SOOOO back these go. I had the same size issue with their Trail Glove 5, which was even more odd sized and ran a whole size larger for me. It was also an entirely different shoe, with an added arch support! The whole reason people are buying these shoes is because of the "barefoot" design, and the arch support ruins that! I hope Merrell has gotten the negative feedback and will return to making this as a true "barefoot" shoe!

I got these shoes for knock around and light to moderate trail hikes. They are as reported by others, simply amazing. Very lightweight, comfortable and true to size. My feet run a bit wide normally but these fit perfectly. They are the next best thing to going barefoot. Try a pair, you won't be sorry. Highly recommended.

I am in my 70's with “problem” feet (bunions and hammertoe). I'm very active, walking at least 5 miles a day. I have worn these shoes mostly on hard surfaces (concrete or asphalt) for 2 months. I have had absolutely no issues with rubbing or foot pain. They are extremely comfortable and also not at all clunky looking. Per Zappos' advise, I ordered a half size larger, and I'm pleased with the fit. I tried wearing them with thin socks but prefer the feel of wearing them barefoot. They are cute, well-fitting, versatile shoes that I wear for exercising and also out to dinner. Merrill has a winner with this shoe! I'm thinking of buying another color (currently have the green/gray). Zappos gets an A+ for service!

I love this shoe. Perfect for aerobics, weight training, speed drills, jumping, lateral lunges and movement. I wear it with no sock. Size is perfect. The design of no tongue and the elasticity of he lacing makes it easy to put on.

I have extremely narrow feet and I loved the fact that I can tighten them as much as I need to without any bunching of fabric. They are incredibly comfortable and fit true to size. They are also super cute. I highly recommend these shoes!

Beautiful, flexible shoe. But runs really small. Be sure to order 1/2 to 1 size larger than normal.

Wore them straight out of the box on a 5 mile hike. No problems!

This is a very odd fitting shoe. One side of the tongue is stitched to the shoe. Since I could not center the tongue over the top of my foot, the laces laid to the side rather than top. The whole shoe then pulled to that side and made my foot roll. I do not have a high arch, and normally shoes are too loose over the top of my arch, but not with these. And yet the toe box was huge. This is the part that is usually tight on me. These are so cute in the photos but the weirdest fit I’ve ever seen. I returned them and will keep looking. My faith in Merrell is shaken.

I absolutely love these sneakers!! I wear them almost everyday for workouts and casually. I strongly believe that the “barefoot” alignment has helped reduce my knee pain and kept my back more aligned. My chiropractor has commented on the improvement and easier adjustments. I went up 1/2 size when I bought the black about a year ago, but I bought my true size in the red. The black pair is great for my workouts. It’s comfortable with socks. I plan to wear the red casually without socks, but really thin socks would still work comfortably.

Great shoes. Fits well and has excellent support.

I have had a pair of Merrill barefoot running shoes that I retired from Zumba use and just wore as a walking shoe. After five years, they were getting worn a bit unevenly so I ordered both this shoe and the Vapor Glove thinking I would decide between them. Well I ended up keeping both. This shoe has a little more structure without being the giant clodhopper that most athletic shoes are. It works great as a court shoe for pickleball. The gray is a nice color that goes with most casual outfits. Like all Merrill barefoot shoes, the toebox is generous. Allover a great walking shoe for me. Note: If you love highly padded and structured shoes, this is not it. I go barefoot most of the time and don’t like having much between me and the ground, so take that into account when weighing my comments.

These are so incredibly comfortable I spent an entire day running errands as my first outside-the-house wear after I decided to keep them. These were an afterthought to another order, but I ended up keeping these instead of the others (New Balance Minimus). I don't run, but I put plenty of walking miles on my shoes. I have wide feet so didn't hold out high hopes for these, since wide isn't an offered width, but they're plenty roomy. Likewise, my very high arches are happy. Great shoe. I chose High-Rise (grey and aqua) and really like the look. More colors, please!

This is my second pair of these shoes... I wore the first pair out! They are great for my weight training sessions with the trainer as well as for wearing on walks, vacations, anytime comfort is paramount. These are barefoot shoes, which is what I wanted, and they had no break-in period for me. Love them!

I absolutely love these. They were comfortable the first time worn and I have worn them with and without no-show socks. Extremely lightweight and also a wide toe box which is great for my bunions. Highly recommend these!!

Love these cute sneakers! Very comfortable, have good arch support, but are not bulky at all. They are wider in the front but narrow in the heel which works for me. Definitely meant to be worn without socks.

Overall, this shoe was what I was looking for. Ordered 8.5 (normal size) first but it was too short.

I bought these for a trip to hike in the Darién gap that I was so lucky to get to do! I hiked only about 25km in two days through rainforest where the majority of the path was being cleared. I wanted them to be lightweight, dry quickly, have good grip (both to the ground and my feet) and they delivered on all counts. Some of the others chose a heavy boot like they are used to in the North (despite my advice) and really suffered from weight and heat. That said, if you need ankle support these are not a good shoe for you. I also have average arch strength and found these to be sufficient. After the trip I found myself wearing them ALL OF THE TIME, they are really comfortable and stylish enough. I also have used them for fieldwork in vineyards and on hikes in the U.S. and have found them to be great in those instances too.

These are my very favorite shoes for trail walking even multiple hours. Overall the shoes are soft but protective and very very comfortable. They are an improvement over the previous trail gloves that I had which I liked but eventually came apart . I like the new lacing and tongue design because it gives a better opportunity to adjust the fit. They fit perfectly. I accidentally got the opportunity to try the vapor glove when they were sent to me by mistake. The vapor glove was much wider and softer and generally larger and had almost no protection for rocks, whereas the trail glove gives me plenty of protection on the very rough terrain where I walk daily. They are narrower than the vapor glove which for me is good—Merrill’s can be too wide for me sometimes.

Merrells fit my wide foot much better than their competition (still wish they'd spring for an official WIDE option though). These extremely comfortable and light weight shoes are perfect for moderate summer hikes and after a couple of five-milers are holding up great. Will make them last as far into winter as I can.

Love Them! My legs don't hurt at the end of the day or at night when in bed!

I love them. They were comfortable from the first second I put them on.