Customer Reviews Merrell Vapor Glove 5

I bought the Vapor Glove 5 for use as a light weight, easy-packing, travel shoes. For that purpose it's great. Going to the beach, easy hikes and for use when my main travel shoes get muddy or wet. They are true to size. Normally, I buy a half size bigger because I have wide feet but these are wide enough and have plenty of toe space.

Replacing Vapor Glove 3's. As I have read elsewhere Vapor Glove 5's run a bit smaller than Vapor Glove 3's. I wear mens 10.5 in Vapor Glove 3's and mens 11 in Vapor Glove 5's.

I love the vapor gloves in general, they're the only shoes I wear. The only negative comment I have is the color of the "Rock" edition vapor glove 5 as advertised is nothing like what they actually look like. On the website, they have a blue color, but in real life they're pure grey and black.

Very comfortable for anyone with a wider foot. Washes well. Comfortable on any terrain with the exception of large gravel, which is to be expected.

Prefer bungee laces like older model. Changed these over to bungee.

All around Awesome. Sole is beginning to separate after about 7 months of daily wear.

I have had two pairs of these. I bought an size 8.5 because I have a pair of Trail Glove 5's that fit pretty well as 8.5's. The VG's were too small, so I bought a size 9, and I swear they fit the same as the 8.5, I even compared them to the TG's that are 8.5's and they look exactly the same. I don't know if they were mismarked or were marginally bigger, but they felt the same. The style is fantastic, and I love the glove style instead of having a tongue. If it wasn't for the wonky sizing they would be perfect

Great introduction to minimalist shoes! I've worn them almost everyday for the past 8 months. My only compliant is that the rubber is starting to detach on the outside of the left foot.

This is my first pair of barefoot shoes. They are comfortable for the most part, but they have caused a blister at the back of my ankle. The top of the back seems to roll in, and has rubbed my ankle almost raw. Hoping I develop tougher skin there, since I do like the shoes. I've been only wearing flip flops for several years now. This is my fist shoes in years

Been wearing Vapors for years. I'm a true barefoot runner, I only wear shoes when I don't know the road I'm on, it's too rough, or I step on a rock and need to recover. These are the only thing available out there. The zero drop, absolute minimal stack height, padding, and weight, nobody else has anything even close. Please do not ever discontinue! Fit always seems a little long, otherwise I'd give it 5 stars. Run naked!

These were longer than I was expecting and more narrow than expected as well. For reference, my go to casual shoes are vans. In vans sizing, i wear a size 9.5 with just enough room for them to feel comfortable. Without knowing how these fit and due to limited sizes in stock, i ordered these in a size 9. I have really wide, girthy feet. I noticed the outsole didn't quite hug the outsides of my forefoot (where my foot is widest). The length was about a thumbs width from where my to sat to the tip of the shoe which isn't outrageous. Overall i like the shoes and their sock like design. I'll be keeping these for short runs and gym days where a solid base from my feet up is paramount.

I've had these shoes for a month now and felt it was long enough to write a review. The first thing I noticed was that there is no "tongue" and its been replaced by a solid piece that makes sliding in the shoe like a bootie. This is a huge positive change from the last pair I had. Secondly, they are surprisingly water resistant! I love in South Eastern New Mexico where it's normally triple digits hot and dry this time of year, but last week I was caught off guard in a freak downpour on my cycle commute. By the time I made it home, I was drenched, except for my feet. On the down side though, these shoes don't have the same outsole compound as my previous Vapor Gloves and tend to slip on wet flat surfaces, not horribly, but definitely not as sure footed as the previous model. I also with they had the pull loop at the heel like the previous model. All in all though, I love this shoe!

My pair of the VG 3's lasted about 17 months. The tops were pretty badly worn and I got a small hole in the sole under one of my big toes. My pair of VG 4's lasted about 9 months. The tops were great. I got a large hole in the sole under one of my heels. The soles were much thinner on the 4's than on the 3's.

These shoes are the best! I've been wearing them since the vapor 1. Just got received my 5's and they're great but What happened to the toe cap? I'm afraid to train/hike/play tennis or basketball in these. The sole always comes off at the toe without it. We'll see how long they last. Please bring back the toe cap!

So I finally did a review vid on my chan*el regarding this shoe and all in all here's my thoughts: Style/Appearance: It is dope! way better looking than the previous models. I love the VG2 style and their color options and then the 3 and 4s came out but were not as cool looking. This new one is. Why? Mostly because of the earth tone/neutral colors and the rubber toe bumper removed. This means I wont stand out as much in casual wear. Fit/Comfort: The 10.5 fit snug from heel to toe. Quite accurate to the sizing in the previous model. I will say that you will feel the toes pressured on the new TPU toe protection at first BUT after a while walking in them, It gets better and more "loose". Speaking of loose, the heel is possible where I must say is a con. The heel area for me does not stay so well in place. Basically, it doesn't feel secure like how the previous VG models do. I do like the new sock-line tongue of this shoe. Although I wish it were a bit more snug to fit and shape the wearers foot shape and size. Performance: As I said, the heel and overall foot security for shifting directions or lateral movements is just not as good as the previous models but for sure, they have made improvements on the outer mesh material abrasion resistance, midsole feel, overall fabric, lacing system, and rubber sole. I have not felt any arch support so that's a plus compared to their Trail Glove 6 - :(, and this shoe is the lightest weight of them all (Size 10.5= ~174 grams) Overall, again, I love these shoes. I currently have the Black (updated) and Olive Green ones. Next might be the "Rock"/Grey color option. I hope this review was helpful and if you want more detail search my v-deo online.

It is a great shoe as comfortable as the 4 with a stouter sole and it feels like it has just a little more cushion . I'm glad it's fit and feel hasn't changed ; unfortunately, cannot same for trail glove 6 which is tighter across the top of my forefoot and harder to get on and off compared to my trail glove 5 .

Ive been a loyal Merrell shoe wearer since VG1 and 2, Bare Access, and TG 2's. There was a period where the quality went straight to $#$ and I started looking elsewhere for shoes. This year, I saw their new models and it sparked my curiosity. The Vapor Glove 5 fits truly as how our feet were intended to. I have narrow feet but these shoes have plenty of toe box space which may be a con for me and not for wide feet consumers. My issue isn't so much on width but the height. I not only have narrow feet but also boney. So yea, to ensure the shoe fits snug, i have to tie them tighter which then throws off the look of the shoe giving this awkward bump of extra fabric on top of toes. I do like the sock line style but would have liked it to stretch or be more snug to the foot. It seems loose. The final issue I have is that the heel does not do so well in staying in place. I do a lot of lateral movement and plyometrics and sometimes these shoes shift around more than i like. It almost feels like they are about to come off. Overall, I love the design and the sturdiness of the sole. Absolutely nice work, Merrell. I have the VG4 and while that one fits better on me this shoe looks way better and feels much more natural.

I was under the impression that these shoes ran small, always the chance you take buying online, but it seems that my typical size (11) would have been the fit I needed, instead of the 11.5 that I ordered. Kind of a shame now I have to use thick socks to make the fit. This may defeat the purpose of the shoe in the first place. Tldr: order your typical size, I wish I would have

Not as grippy as the vapor glove 4 as the bottom tread is different, these are more like the vapor glove 3 in feel. several street runs so far and very squeaky on certain terrains. these breathe a little less than the vapor glove 4 even without socks, so if you plan to wear socks expect to slip around in these. overall similar to the vapor glove 4, 4 star from me (endurance runner), make an air version with more vents, and wider lug pattern on the sole, and ill buy that one too

The barefoot feel of Vapor Glove 4 is gone. Merrell is on track to demolish all barefoot lines of their footwear and this one is no exception. The shoe feels dull. if you ever had a pair of cheap water shoes - this is the feel (and look) you will get from VG5. On a plus side, the rubber on the sole is sturdier so your foot doesn't feel each tiny pebble as much as it does in VG4. This new modification is definitely less pain but also much much less fun. It's probably a fair trade-off but a bit too skewed towards the dull side. To add a point of reference, I would say that in terms of sensitivity Vapor glove 4 >> Trail glove 2 >> Vapor glove 5 I would rate the grip of this shoe as 7 or 8 out of 10. It sticks to the rock ok, but not great. The feeling is somewhat secure but not overly secure. The grip feel is closer to the hiking boot than to a climbing shoe.

Truly a minimalist shoe, which is what I prefer and was looking for. I've been buying this model for a few years now. While I understand a thin sole is part of the deal, I find they where too quickly. I hope this year's model holds up better than last year's.

Have neuropathy? If so, these may be the shoe that you have been looking for. My boyfriend suffered nerve damage during surgery. As a result he suffers from both balance issues and neuropathy. These are by far his favorite shoes because he has enhanced feeling/feedback regardless of what type of terrain he is on which helps with his balance tremendously. I wish they were made better as the sole in the back keeps pulling away from the body of the shoe . In the event that Merrell is looking for someone to stress test shoes that have barefoot feel I've got the guy for you!

The style didn't look good once I tried the shoe on so I returned them.

I really like the minimal soles. I feel like I stand the way nature intended. My posture is better and I feel " grounded". Unfortunately, I find the uppers to be butt ugly, and only wear them at the gym. I would wear them all the time if they were better looking.

The shoes are nice, however the laces are terrible