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After the loss of my beloved huaraches from Invisible Shoes last fall on a rafting trip, along with being forced to wear heavy trail running shoes or work boots to go hiking or running on snow, ice and very cold temps, I broke down one day last November and went shopping for a pair of new minimal shoes that would keep my feet warm, but still be as close to barefoot as I could tolerate, having started my first winter in a real mountain town and not in Texas.
My search ended with a $100 pair of Merrell Tough Gloves. A lot of people have been asking me how I like the shoes, and after a few months of testing I feel ready to post a review.
Although the Vibram Fivefingers seem to be the footwear of choice for most paleo fanatics, I’m one of the unlucky few whose foot shape just doesn’t jive with these reptilian looking foot covers. My local shoe shop actually has a pretty good selection of other minimalist shoes in addition to the Vibrams. I tried on some Vivos, New Balance Minimus, and eventually settled with the Merrell Tough Gloves. Even though the price was more than I wanted to spend on a minimal shoe, it was on par with all the other minimal shoes and cheaper than the Vivos. What I liked most about the shoe was the way it fit-like a glove. I also liked the way the shoe looked, like an old school leather dress shoe or track and field shoe. All the other shoes had flashy colors and textiles and I figured if I went with the leather model I could not only use it as a road/trail shoe but also for casual outings or work. I have used the shoe for all of this, and more. Here are my thoughts on the remaining aspects of the shoe:
Fit For me, the fit is awesome. The toe box is wide. The laces secure the tongue securely to my foot. The sole is very flexible and the synthetic leather is soft. All Merrell barefoot shoes are vegan, in case that matters to you, BTW.
Performance The shoes are light and have a flat sole. There is just enough material to take the edge off rocks and rough terrain, but not so much that you don’t lose a feel for the ground. Having a shoe that wraps completely around the foot inspires 
more confidence than the huaraches for performing more technical or arduous tasks such as rock climbing, jumping, and tackling tougher terrain. I have ran everything from concrete to gravel road to dirt trail to muddy trail to snow and ice. I find the only surface these shoes don’t excel at is ice, but then again, very few shoes do. The shoes are not waterproof. In warm weather, this is no problem. Because they don’t have stuffing or lining they don’t really gain weight or feel squishy and dry fast. In colder weather, my feet do get cold when the shoes get wet, but it is tolerable. Much more comfortable than my huaraches would be. I once did a 2 hour hike in 16” of powder up and then down a 1200’ gain peak in town. They did surprisingly well for a shoe not really designed for such a thing. The sole is made by Vibram and has tread pattern that does well on varied terrain. You can see in the picture that the treads aren’t bulky, more designed for street and hardpack trails, but you also notice the deeper treads at the toes. This is helpful for steep loose stuff and rock climbing.
Durability So far so good. A few scuffs on the synthetic leather from rubbing sharp rocks, but no tears and most importantly, all glues and stitching are holding up. I probably have a good 500 miles on them over about 5 months through varied terrain and conditions, including lots of wet snow and mud days. The shoes are still going strong.
Versatility Like I mention above, one of the other main reasons I went with this model was all the different things I can do with them. I can train, race, play, during the day, and at night take them out on the town. The very first thing I wore these shoes for was a 10k Turkey trot. I’ve worn them to interviews and although I don’t have an office job, they would be completely suitable for such an environment. I love wearing them for day to day stuff like grocery shopping, trail hiking, going out to dinner, etc. etc. All the while, I know my feet and leg muscles are getting a great workout wearing a minimalist shoe and I’m constantly working on my proprioception.
Value I still don’t understand why minimal shoes cost more than normal running shoes when they utilize less technology and materials, and I still have a hard time forking out $100 for a pair of shoes like this. For me, the main thing that makes it worth it though is how long these shoes should last and also that I can do so many things with them. It’s not quite a do it all shoe, but pretty close. This, and they do keep my feet a lot toastier than huaraches do. I got a deal on mine at $100. I think online they may go for $120, but if I were you I’d try to find them locally to make sure you find a pair that fits well.
Overall I think these tough gloves are a pretty good minimal shoe. If you don’t like the leather look, they also have other models, all with basically the same sole but different colors and looks. They also have men’s and women’s specific models. If you are purely a road runner, go for the Pace, Pure, or Road gloves. They also have more function specific shoes like walking around town or playing in the water. You can view the entire Merrell barefoot collection on their site:
http://www.merrell.com/US/en/Barefoot
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