Merrell Trail Glove vs. VivoBarefoot Neo Trail?

[chuckcwall]

Hello everyone! While I have been enjoying my mostly barefoot lifestyle here in western Mass, cold weather is rapidly approaching. I was hoping to collect a few opinions about these shoes:

Merrell Trail Glove vs. VivoBarefoot Neo Trail

I'm looking for a closed-toe, zero-drop shoe that could be used for a variety of activities, such as hiking, trail running, and just general walking around in the winter. I have not tried on either shoe yet, so of course fit will be an important factor. I think I have average-shaped feet, although my toes may be spreading a little wider from barefoot running/walking. These shoes seem comparable in price, although Merrell may be a little cheaper.

In your collective wisdom, what would you recommend? Are there other shoes of this type that I should consider? Thank you very much!

 

[DavidP]

I have the True Gloves and

I have the True Gloves and have never much liked them much because they are too snug for my forefoot and I don't like the feel of the raised arch. On roads they don't have as much "feel" as other shoes I've tried. Other than the narrow forefoot maybe they are fine if you run only trails.

The two shoes that I now run in (when I wear shoes) are the VivoBarefoot Neo and Ultra. Both are about perfect for my foot. The Ultras did not have enough protection on sharp gravel trails for me. I made perforated 4mm vibram cherry insoles for the them to pop in as needed. The drilled holes keep water from trapping between the shoe and insole and I expect make them cooler.

I was very excited about the Neo Trail, and ordered a pair a couple of weeks ago. After a few days of wearing them around the house I returned them. They are overall very flexible, but had a really stiff toe spring that just felt uncomfortable and annoying. I had so hoped for a Neo[/b] with just a more water resistant upper and maybe beefier sole, but the Nepo Trail seems way over engineered. There is a lightweight trail version, the Breatho, coming out in the spring for which I have high hopes

I want a shoe that is flat and has ground feel like a huarache, but stays more secure and covers my foot. So my recommendation would be the Neo and some smartwool or Iniji socks for colder runs.

Quoting from a review of the Neo by the Maple Grove Barefoot Guy, "I was also surprised by the ground feel of the shoes. I had expected it to be diminished because of the shoe's lack of flexibility during my initial tests. But even with the insole in, I couldn't perceive a difference between the ground feel in these shoes compaired to my trusty Vibram KSOs. I was very impressed with this aspect of the shoe.

I was also impressed with the grip of the outsole tread. After running over some pavement I took the shoes over snow-covered trails. I found the tread to give me some nice added traction on ice and snow. Of course, the shoe has nowhere near the traction of my Merrell Trail Gloves on snow and soft trails. But then again, I didn't expect it to. Rather, I think this shoe will serve as a nice all-around trainer that functions very well on pavement, and adequately enough on trails to be used for most applications." ()

Here is his review of the Neo Trail



~David

 

[saypay45]

David, thanks for the

David, thanks for the link.

The Neo Trail and the Trail Glove are vastly different shoes. They are both great, but the one you will prefer depends on your individual tastes and what you're looking for. I have reviews of both on my site. I would say take a look at them and use that to make your decision. And let me know if you have questions.