Merrell Men's Trail Glove Trainer

I originally ordered 9.5, half a size larger than my normal shoe size after reading a few reviews. Unfortunately this was not correct and returned them for a size 9.0 which fit beautifully.

I have been running on-and-off for the past five years and this is my third pair of running shoes. I bought these primarily for a recent trip to the USA where I was going to be doing lots of trail walking in very hot places. They appealed to me because they were very lightweight with good ventilation and pack very small. Oh, and they look great for running shoes, and the lacing system is one of the best I've tried. My old Asics were a bit long in the tooth and had always felt a bit small, so I figured I might try this new-fangled barefoot running when I got home from America. Now, I don't rigidly adhere to the mid-foot or forefoot-only strike technique; I run pretty much like I always have. Whilst the sole is nothing like as padded as my spongy old Asics, the 4mm between you and the pavement soaks up enough impact to keep you comfortable. But it's offroad - on the trails - where these puppies start to shine. I understand that there are other much thinner running gloves, but these are thin and flexible enough to give feedback about the terrain without small stones and roots causing pain. This means you can use your toes to give purchase when running up inclines, using tree stumps and clumps to lever you up. I have been bitten by a few larger rocks, particularly under the arch of the foot, but this is more user error than shoe. In short, I'm running further and easier than I have before, with fewer of the aches and pains of very padded, supportive shoes. The bad: whilst they initially feel good worn without socks, they soon become very, very sweaty around the sole and arch of the foot. Worn tight as intended, the air which flows freely through the tops of the shoes cannot penetrate underneath. This overpowered the Aegis® antimicrobial treatment very quickly, and after just a few hours of wear they absolutely stank. The build quality is okay, but the inner lining is starting to come away from the base of the shoe where it is stitched. Overall I really like this shoe and can't see myself going back to heavy, padded running shoes. Not sure how I'd feel after a longer run but 5k on concrete is perfectly doable. I'm a UK 8.5-9 in casual shoes and 9.5 in these is perfect, giving me plenty of room in the toebox even with socks on.