Customer Reviews Merrell Vapor Glove 5

Great introductory barefoot shoe, wear them to work.. wear them to play disc golf ... wear them to get the trash... great everyday shoes if you're looking for that minimalist feel.. I have average size feet and no complaints about size. The soles eventually will start to separate from the body of the shoe but I have put my fair share of wear into them so I'm sure it's nothing out of the oridnary

Best minimalist ever, I use it everyday for almost nine months

I find them more comfortable for tread and circuit training than thick sole and heal trainers.

At first, I was skeptical of the tongueless design, but these are a nice upgrade from my VG3's. More stylish and comfy enough to wear running and everyday. Good work, Merrell!

I ordered these two months ago and have put this pair through a lot. From half marathons to use every single day. I cannot recommend these more.

Wide toe box for better stability, very minimal which is great for biomechanics, rugged, elegant.

Minimal running does not require great emphasis on a certain part of the sole of your foot, though a precept of minimal running is that the whole foot engages with the earth; generally without the heel strike of jogging, or the toe strike of a sprinter, but you can add that in too. It does give you extraordinary choice over foot strike, center of gravity, stride width, how much you bend your knees to lower you seat, etc; depending on the terrain - this is why you will hear sometimes that running over rocks feels great -and actually you can get a good foot rub or a bit of a stretch on a large root, bearing in mind that you should learn to use your "center" and other muscle groups to support your body. The flexibility of the Merrell Vapor Glove 5 is optimal for anyone who prefers the use of the whole foot and sole employed more like the hand in rock climbing. In minimal running you can go from walking to running. or running to the classic jog, it's your choice. The minimal running literature and how-to videos can help you to understand, but since minimal running, especially off-road, can be a source of freedom from obsession, free yourself, don't sign up for a new bible. If you want to drive yourself to cover miles, you can do it - I'd recommend running on the soft: dirt, grass, trails.. If you want to take a slow pace, stay in a vertical center of gravity, lower your seat, and reduce the width of your stride. If you ever wanted to dance for miles, explore minimal running. If you are "out of shape' explore walking/ running: you can roll in and out of minimal running with slight changes to lowering your seat and quickening your pace (not necessarily your stride width), and elevating off the ground, then back to a walk in one fluid movement. The Merrell Vapor Glove 5 has a nice flexible arch and you can invert your foot and stretch your arch as with dance shoes. The grid on the sole needs to be able to catch the ground a little better. The fabric is awfully thin and my toe joint will eventually tear a rip in the inner side.

I've tried all kinds of barefoot shoes over the last several years, and in my opinion these are the best by far. I use them for everyday wear or walking/running on roads. (Though some people like them for trail running, I prefer the Trail Glove 4 for that. The trails where I run sometimes have stretches of large gravel, which doesn't feel too good through the Vapor Glove's thin soles. The Trail Gloves offer a bit more protection for that. But on smoother dirt trails, the Vapor Gloves work just fine.) My only complaint is that it's so hard to find these anymore! I assume it's the same supply chain issue that's effecting all sorts of products. But if they ever come available again (for a non-marked up price), I plan to buy more for when my current pair wears out. But I've already put several months of mileage on these, and the tread still looks and feels as good as new! So, either way, I'm confident I'll get a lot more life out of them.

Best barefoot trainer and trail runner so far. The flexibility of the Vibram sole is amazing.

These are by far my go to shoe for every activity. I wear them as my everyday shoe, I run in them, I hike in them. They are perfect for my needs. Toe box is wide, but not clown shoe wide. Fits great. The tread will grip any surface. Fantastic shoe.

Excellent and comfortable model for all types of sports!!!

I had been running in another brands shoes, ankle, knee and hip pain. Switched to these and now I want to wear them for everything. I hit 9.5 miles in them while training for a half marathon and had zero pain!!! I wear them when deadlifting and squatting heavy in the gym. Will be buying these again, THEY ROCK!!!!

My 4th pair of vapor gloves(first of the new 5) and are by far my favorite,they are very light and the one piece tongue makes them feel amazing cause it's always in the right place,I wear them for everything outside of work(don't meet guidelines there but I do wear Merrells)

Love these shoes. I'm a size 16 medium width and I went with size 15. Great out of the box. No claim to be waterproof so you need to be careful with puddles. Thanks Merrell LP

I've worn vapor gloves 2, 3, and 4, but this is by far the best. Fit is a little smaller than expected (size 13). Basically, I could get away with wearing socks with the previous versions, but have to go without socks with the VG5. This isn't really a problem, though, because of the soft seamless interior. On top of that, this is the first shoe I've ever worn that did not need to be broken in. Felt comfortable from day one, and continues to feel good after about 100 miles of city running. Merrell, please listen to your customers when they tell you that you have a winner on your hands. Don't change a thing. 10/10

As a barefoot style runner, the Vapor series are my favorite shoes for daily street running. This update improves on the previous version which is still a pretty great shoe. The fit is better while still being easy to put on and remove and while maintaining good shoebox room for toe spread. The outsole is improved and gives a more even feel during ground contact while still being very sensitive. And in addition to getting higher style points, the removal of most of the front rubber bumper is welcome. I don't know how they can improve on this version!

When you have a winner, stop changing it. Just leave it alone or just change the color palette or something. VG is a very good shoe that will do a good many things.

I've had at least one pair of every iteration of the VG and this is the best. The stretch collar is beyond comfortable. Wore these to Disney and after 9+ hours on my feet, there was zero pain or fatigue. Please keep making these.

I've owned a pair of every version of the Vapor Glove. They are my favorite shoes. Light, comfortable, and durable. I wear them everyday. I just got my pair of VG5s a few days ago and they are the best version yet. I really like the stretch collar. Please don't stop making the Vapor Glove.

Merrell, these shoes are great. I've worn a lot of the vapor gloves and trail glove shoes, and these are by far my favorite. I wear them daily for every activity, trail running, lifting, shooting, hiking. I've already put a couple hundred miles on these and they're holding up great. I will be buying a second pair soon for when my current pair has finally had enough. Please, continue with this minimalist design and I'll keep buying them. Also, if you guys could come out with a minimalist hiking boot, that would be pretty cool...

I have been wearing these around town. Super comfortable and they fit perfect. I prefer these over my TG5s, about tied with my TG4s. The TGs provide a little more foot protection from gravel. I wore my VGs on a 5 mile moderate trail. I was super happy with them. They were grippier than I expected for having almost a smooth bottom. They are super light weight and my toes never felt jammed up on the decent. Very stable, which one would expect from a minimalist shoes. At the end of the hike my feet were a tad sore from the rocks, but was expected for how rocky it was and the first time wearing this thin of shoe for a while. Definitely a solid shoe. Will most likely be my go to for gym, running and easier trails.

I've been buying Vapor Glove shoes since their first iteration, and have bought 3 pairs of each gen up to the third one as I skipped VG4. Perfect shoes if you have Morton's Toe, and these feel better to me than KSO Evos. I have read reports of these running large, but the sizing has been the same for me ever since the first vapor glove (skipped 4 which are reported to run a half size larger). Vapor Gloves are at their best comfort-wise when they are worn out in my experiences, and these shoes get the closest to that feeling out of all other VG iterations out of the box. Definitely recommend, and I'll definitely be getting more when these wear out. Also, the TSLA knockoff shoes are noticeably worse than these in just about every area. Bought a pair just to see if I could save some money, and these are worth every cent.

If you like bare feet but need to have shoes on these shoes are for you.

Just ran in my first pair of the Vapor Gloves. Loved the fit, toe box, lightness, design. I have previously worn Xero Trek sandals, which where not durable at all, and NB TR shoe, which was more rigid but got discontinued. I thought about stocking up on NB before they sold out, but glad I gave Merrell a chance. VG is much less supportive, which I appreciate. I still have not run on a trail, but having worn shoes with this little protection, I know what awaits me. Looking forward to it. I hope Merrell continues making them forever. I have read feedback about their trail glove model and will probably do trails in these shoes for now.