The human foot is designed for running, and our immediate impression when slipping the Vapor Glove 4 onto our feet was that this minimalist shoe is in no way attempting to change that fact. Unfortunately I lost one of my trail glove shoes on a recent vacation and Merrell no longer makes that super light trail glove model (with wide toe box and minimalist zero structure almost like a water shoe), so I got this one. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. With no midsole cushioning and a short stack height, the Vapor Glove puts your foot right against the ground for maximum responsiveness. The added feature of version 4 is the padded collar and tongue. Fortunately, Merrell boasts a pretty solid warranty program, with awesome customer service available to help sort out any problems that might arise with these shoes. How can we improve GearLab? Although we suppose that's not really the point of a barefoot-fit... With minimalist design in-mind, the Vapor Glove 4 shoes are impressively lightweight. Google it. Great quality barefoot shoe. The upper is a combination of a tightly woven Cordura-mesh, a neoprene tongue, and a thin mesh-lining that wraps around the back of the foot behind the heel. The shoe seems very narrow. Merrell Vapor Glove vs Trail Glove. Check out our latest spring 2019 review of the Merrell Trail Glove 5. Not a natural fit for the human foot. Great minimal shoe for the price. Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2020. Our species has changed since the caveman era and nobody has to run from Saber tooth tigers or mammoths on a daily basis, or track our prey for days on end running through fields and woods. Have only worn the trail glove so far. Anyone have both and have a preference. With our foot locked in place thanks to a tight-fitting heel cup, the rest of the foot had the freedom to move around comfortably within the shoe, adding to stability and an overall sense of balance. Merrell Vapor Glove 2 are a very popular and one of the most affordable options. But I have integrity, dammit! I got these to replace a totally worn out pair of New Balance Minimus. Every step counts, and this shoe will ensure that you stay on top of your posture and gait. The sole is excellent. Merrell Vapor Glove 3 Luna Leather; Review Summary; Customer Reviews Merrell Vapor Glove 3 Luna LeatherWrite a Review. Like them just wish they lasted a bit longer, Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2020. For those that know and like these type of shoes these are pretty. The new version of the Vapor Glove introduces some well thought out changes such as a new midsole pad to add additional protection against debris. Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2019. When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support, Super lightweight, exceptional ground-feel, freedom of movement, Inconsistent grip, short stock laces, potentially short lifetime. The Merrell Vapor Glove 4 3D has a zero setting. For a trainer designed for roads, the Vapor Glove boasts an impressive amount of traction on both pavement and dirt trails. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Rating Summmary: 46 total reviews. The Merrell Omni-Fit lacing system gives a glove-like fit. Running over rocky trails was sometimes a little rough for the supple soles of this shoe, but the incredible flexibility of this shoe allowed us to grip and push off with accuracy. I returned them and got the new ones and the reviews were right. As you know, my preference is to run trails whenever I can, but I still get my share of road/track running in while training. The men's Merrell Vapor Glove 4 shoes are minimal trainers for your everyday runs, workouts and cross-training sessions. The outsole of this shoe is designed with shallow lugs and wide channels that quickly dumps water, and also easily sheds loose rocks and sticky mud. I'm a big fan of Lems, regularly wearing Primals and Boulder Boots. Without a doubt, this hits the mark for those who want to feel barefoot while still having to wear shoes. When the Trail Glove became too much shoe in its 3rd revision, I started running exclusively in Vapor Gloves. Add in a substantial rubber toe rand and well-placed patches of TPU on the edges of the forefoot and around the heel cup, and you have a shoe with a long-lasting top half. The Merrell Vapor Glove 2 is a lightweight and breathable trail running shoe. I skipped trying the Vapor Glove 3s as the uppers seemed less durable than the 2s, and the 2s were still available for purchase. Archived. This applies to the upper as well as to the sole. I am a size 8 wide (actual foot size) and usually size up to a 9 for my running shoes (Road- Asics Nimbus). Updated January 3, 2020 , 7:10 am As an active proponent of minimalist footwear, I am always excited to try a new offering in the category. First year transitioning. Enough of the rant, just buy the shoes for the gym cause they’re sick. They're in the top 3 bestselling running shoes and have many popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Nike Flex Experience 5 or Adidas Energy Cloud 2. The wanting to ‘run the way we were born’ idea is bogus in my opinion unless you’ve been barefoot 99% of the time since being a child. Review Breakdown: 55 % 5 Rated 5 stars out of 5. While these lugs do alternate to help improve traction in both directions, the Vapor Glove is not very grippy running downhill on loose terrain, and we did not feel as confident in keeping our pace up as we might in a typical trail running shoe. The Vapor Glove 4 excels in the barefoot running category, thanks to its lack of midsole and ridiculously thin outsole. You can even recreate the classic image of a barefoot shoe, on which the shoe is completely turned and pressed. A low-profile and completely flat platform make this shoe very stable for weight lifting. The upper is a bit cheaper and seems like it wouldn't as long as the sole though. I should mention, I don’t run or jog, if I did I wouldn’t use these. We noticed that all of these factors promoted better running form. Merrell Vapor Glove 2 are $20.69 less expensive than average running shoes ($60.64). These airy shoes glide over the pavement but are equally suited to hardcore trail runners — just as long as you remain aware of each step. However well it runs, it is difficult for us to rationalize the concept behind Merrell's Barefoot 2 design. 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