Customer Reviews Merrell Vapor Glove 5

I thought the Vapor Glove 4 was good, but these are better. As another reviewer pointed out, removing the arch support allows the foot to land naturally and absorb shock. The wide toe box, minimal cushioning, and great flexibility are welcome carryovers from the Vapor Glove 4.

Shoe is amazing just like the previous model and it fits true to size!

I just received my 1st pair of VG5. i have not worn them yet for a run. They seem quite comfortable, Toe box appears a little narrower than previous models but still wide enough. Better tread for my light trail runs. but mostly importantly, given that Merrell has backed off a bit from earlier days in offering barefoot style shoes, I'm really, really happy the Merrell is still making the Vapor Glove & Trail Glove. The Vapor Glove is close to a perfect barefoot style show imo. (And i've owned & tried most of them!) yeah, their durability is a bit to be desired. i either wear through a toe or a seam along the arch sooner than I would like. But that is OK for a such a great shoe at a good price.

I have had them for a month now and they are extremely comfortable running shoes. My Vapor Glove 2 tore after a year of use but this new design seem much more sturdy. The built in tongue makes them much easier to put on. No complaints.

As disappointing as the new TG6 is, the VG5 is a great shoe, and the only option for a lot of us die-hard TG fans. The shoe is light, comfortable, there's no arch support, decent grip, and decently ventilated. The tread will undoubtedly wear out quicker than a TG on the trail and hiking, but I guess its a compromise I'm willing to live with, given the other good attributes of the shoe.

I wear minimal shoes from all brands. These are my "cost-effective" shoes, but they are also the shoes that I wear the most. These have the exact same fit as the Vapor Glove 4... and they have the same arch support (which is nil... as in there is none). My only complaint would be that I wish they were more breathable, like from Vivo... but these are solid, especially at the price point! I typically wear a men's EU 44 for most shoes with socks. For the Vapor Glove 4 and 5, I wear a 10.5 and it is spot on. The 11 was just a bit too long.

I wanted to find a replacement for my battered Vapor Glove 3s that I bought after I destroyed my Vapor Glove 2s. After a few weeks of wearing them, the Vapor Glove 5s are my new favorite. There is minimal padding and zero drop in the shoe. Additionally, Merrell used a different material for the upper, which I like a lot because the old material seemed to wear down very quickly. The new material has the rugged feel of a nylon gym bag and seems like it will last a lot longer. I walk five to seven miles a day in the Vapor Glove 5s while walking my dog and find them supremely comfortable, wearing only a thin pair of socks.

Love these vapors. Fit great and feel great. There is a little more to the shoe than my vapor 3's but very lite and flexible. Soul is a little stiffer but for me better for on the road.

Fits and feels like your favorite pair of socks! Whether your going to the gym, or crusin' the trail, you'll be looking for excuses to throw these minimalists shoes on!

Compared to the previous gen, the construction appears sturdier, especially the top fabric. The sole felt more rigid at first, but it gets more supple with use and it offers the same "feel every pebble" sensation I enjoy so much. This new pair feels shorter, and I probably should have ordered a half-size bigger (I usually order 9.5), but it's still fine. Caveat emptor.

This version is a big upgrade from the vapor 4. I loved the 3's and was not impressed with the 4's. The vapor 5's are much more durable than the 4's. The soles are much more durable and the mesh upper is more secure to the sole. The 4's fell apart quickly while these have held up very well. I still have a pair of the 3's that are in excellent shape and I expect these 5's will hold up just as well. I wear these for work daily and am on my feet for 8-10 hours everyday. My feet feel great at the end of the day. These barefoot shoes are so much more comfortable than any other shoe. I would recommend these to everyone. You might consider going up a half size as these are more of a flat ended shoe. My usual size still fits great but there isn't much extra room at the end.

I am a nurse and wear these at work. I also have a set that I hike in, and typically walk around 10 to 15 miles a day in my vapor gloves. I have been wearing vapors since the vapor 2, and these seem the sturdiest, while still offering the minimalistic feel that I love.

Super comfortable, and the tread pattern is a leg up on the previous VG4s. Been wonderful for trail running and casual wear.

lightweight trail shoe, used them for river crossings on a backpacking trip and also to wear at camp (aside from my hiking boots)

I'm just going to put this into bullet form for the sake of simplicity. - I've been wearing vapor gloves/trail gloves for like 10 years now - The best model was the TG 2, but the VG 3 was a close second - Vapor glove 4 was trash - All trail gloves after the 2 have been trash - I can confirm that the VG 5 is a half-size large - I like the VG 5 so far; the sole is better, and it feels like the upper is sturdier - Regardless of the above, the reality is that I'm going to keep wearing Merrell's for the indefinite future. So, please, Merrell, if you read this, give me some fun colors.

Used these for several trail and road runs now....all I have to say is Merrell nailed it with these. I previously used the Vapor Glove 4s for about a year and feel that the 5s blow those away. These have a sock like fit and look and feel great. No issue with the toe box for me. Will be buying many more of these. I have the green and they are darker than they appear in the pictures which is a positive for me.

I love these shoes for the minimalistic look and feel. Ran 3 times on trails in them i and 100% sure now that the toe box is on the narrow side. I went with 1/2 up from my other zero-drop running show size, but now wish i would go 1 full size up, maybe this would give a little more space in the toe box. Should be great for shorter runs, but for everything above 12 miles i'd stick to my Altras. I wish these shoes have the Wide sizing option. Other than that, these are amazing everyday and/or travel shoes!

This is the best enclosed "barefoot" shoe available to date. After running in this, putting on a regular sneaker or shoe feels like a straight jacket. I did find these a bit narrow in the toe box, despite not having a wide foot and ordered my "regular" size instead of sizing up - 1 full size for running. That was a mistake and now I know to size up a size for these shoes. Other than that, I cannot think of what else I would otherwise run in. These foster running naturally - it expends less energy and feels like having much more padding than any of those highly designed padded "running" shoes that cause bad form and injury.

The Vapor Glove 4 was my first experience with Merrell barefoot shoes and despite various common complaints, they were the most fun shoes I have ever owned. The only complaints I had were the loud color designs and the fast wear on the bottom of the soles. Both of these issues have apparently been resolved in version 5. The design is much more muted and the sole seems to be made of a more durable material. I was initially worried that this would impact the ground feel. While not quite as transparent as version 4, the durability is a totally fair trade off. I'm surprised to see references to "arch" support in version 4. That was not my experience and version 5 feels the same. These are full on minimalist shoes. One note is that I went a half-size down for the version 4s per the advice of others. This was the wrong approach for version 5. They seem to have normalized the sizing so I was able to go back up to my normal size (after exchanging). Happy trails!

I bought these shoes when they became available. I've been wearing and running in Vapor Gloves since the original, orange, version. I've had each version since, except for version 4. I wear a size 9 shoe for my regular shoes (Vans and Converse), but I purchased these in a size 8. Since the first Vapor Gloves, I have worn size 8 for each version. The shoe last has remained mostly the same between versions and the fit is what I've grown accustomed to with this shoe over the years. I was surprised by the overhaul in the upper's design, especially because it has no tongue and now has a sock-like wrap around the foot. I thought it would fit more snug, but to me, it fits the same as previous models. The shoes are very comfortable to run in and are as fun as all the previous models I own.

TL;DR: sizing is a 1/2 size larger than the VG1,2,3. Upper is comfy. Arch support is gone and more like VG3. I have been wearing VG's since the first version and was excited to see that Merrell revamped them for gen 5. I have owned over a dozen pairs of the VG and run in them exclusively. I skipped gen 4 after reading complaints of the excessive arch support. On first wear, I can safely say the arch support is much closer to the VG3. Size-wise, they run in-line with the VG4 in that they are a half size larger than the VG3. I have worn a 10.5 in VG1-3, but opted to go with a 10 for VG5 after seeing the gen 4's ran a half size large. The photos show the VG5 next to a well-worn pair of VG3's; they're nearly identical in size. The shoes have no tongue and slip on like sock or water shoes, which I find very comfortable. I have very wide feet and they don't feel overly cramped. The toe box is in line with the VG3. It's not cramped, but not overly roomy either. Some of the rubberized parts that were on the VG3 are gone, specifically on the inside near the ball of your foot. This may lead to premature tearing like I experienced with the gen 1 and 2. The laces are not elastic like the VG3, which may be a bit uncomfortable, but time will tell there. I will update this review once I get some mileage on them.

I already have the next version. The Thanksgiving offer seemed very good to pass up, so purchased one of these. Very happy with Merrell barefoot series overall, they offer excellent flexibility and provide a close to true barefoot experience.

Met mark for minimalist shoe, just not daily wear.

I like them a lot. They run a little smaller than the trail glove 6 which I also have and like.

They are very comfortable and very light. I mostly use them for my gym shoes on leg days to give me a stable platform I can't get with my running shoes. Gave them a four because they are a little wide and lace up funny, but I have very unusual feet and they are still compfortable to wear. I would purchase them again.