Merrell - Agility Peak 5

This might be a fit thing. I tried the AP5s and found myself having very bad medial foot pain very soon into my run. Switched to the Salomon Genesis, and have not had it happen since. My podiatrist linked the pain to overpronation, and it was telling that I only had it with the AP5s, not with the SG5s I had before or the Genesis I have now.

Not similar necessarily, but as someone who loved the SG5s and was sorely disappointed by the 6s, I'm really enjoyed the Salomon Genesis. I also tried the Merrell AP5s and while they did feel very good they wound up giving me foot pain, probably from a slightly off fit

I have 600km on my pair. PROS: Easy to run, enough cushion, breathable and fast to dry, room in forefoot, rockplate AVERAGE: Outsole works great, but are better options for wet rock. Too high for really techincal terrain for my taste. In general i like it, if fits great and your everyday terrain is not supertechnical is a nice shoe. I may repeat.

Asics trabucos are wide and roomy. The speedgoats 2E are actually very narrow and low volume. Even the mafate speed 4 in normal width are roomier. I tried topo MTN racer 3. They are wide in the forefoot, but narrow in the arch/midfoot. Can't wear them Agility peak 5 is also wide and high volume.

I also have quite flat and wide feet, give a try to Asics options. Be careful with trabuco 13s upper, it breaks really quick, I would go for 12s. - I use a soft pair for recovery days and long not technical runs. I have being using hierro since V5, but V9 is not wide enough and V8 is not technical enough. I'm using Nike Zegama 2 now. - For high intensity and short fast runs Asics fujilite. Technical or not, they are great shoes. Im on a v4 pair. - mid to long technical runs Asics trabuco 13, I would go with the 12s because of upper issues, but Asics sent me a replacement so I'm with them. - mid to long not highly technical runs merrel agility peak 5. I just throw them with 700km. I'll take another pair soon probably. I have a mafate speed 4 pair, intended to use them for long technical outings in replacemt of trabucos, but they are too narrow and I'm not confortable longer that 2 or 3 hours with them. They are a nice shoe if they fit you

I have the Merrell Agility Peak 5 non gtx. Worth it and they dry pretty fast too.

I have two pairs. They are great and comfortable. One pair has over 100 miles on them and surprised how well they are handling. They are a higher stack. Might look into Mount to Coast T1’s. Heard they are comfortable too.

Merrel always has great sales on Agility Peak 5, and they are an awesome shoe.

Love them, an absolute steal on sales like that

I feel this way about the agility peak 5, and some of the sales make them an insane value

Fair critique, the plate does go up far enough to cause that stiffness

Merrell Agility Peak 5 has been doing it for me, got them for like $60 and they dunk on things like peg trail (god awful lateral stability), terrex ag speed (Achilles killer), etc.

I got Merrell agility peak 5s for ~$60 on a double sale and LOVE them. I have ultrafly, terrex speed ultras, peg trail, speed 3s, catamounts, and kjerag as other reference points too.

Merrell agility peak 5 would eat this up

Very slept on, they handle so many conditions very well and when they’re on sale it’s amazing value. Merrell isn’t going to win on sexy marketing and features, but they do the fundamentals so well.

Absolutely love my AP5. The plate is good, and they’ve got great stability IMO. You can get them on sale for dirt cheap most of the time too. Grip is great, eats up mud, roots, rocks, and comfortable on the road / gravel. But you won’t break speed records in them.

Nothing wrong, but buyer beware: the soles are very stiff. No flexibility.

I ordered a pair of the ap5 online and returned them because of the stiff sole, I prefer flexibility in the forefoot. But I also acknowledge it is just a preference thing, not a better or worse shoe design.

Bought a pair on sale online, the sole was extremely stiff and that's the reason I returned them, I like flexibility in the forefoot.

They can be found for cheap, but I returned a pair because the sole was incredibly stiff. I like flexibility, especially in the forefoot.

Some are saying the agility peak 5 but I found them to be way to stiff and “clunky” feeling. The closet shoe I’ve come to have that same stability, cushion and keep the fun bouncy feel have been the newest model north face vective enduris 4.

Yes I agree that they are slightly too high, but shouldn't be a major issue for intermediate runners. Although they feel slightly heavy and stiff, they are like you said easy to run at albeit at slow to moderate paces. I don't see any fit issues apart from them being slightly loose in the heels. I disagree a bit on the technical part as they are at least as good or even better than speedgoats in technical terrain performance. Really i have other trail shoes like the Peregrine 13, zegama 2, speedgoats 4 and 5, and the AP5 feels more technically inclined than the rest. The deeply lugged outsoles also seem more durable than the other shoes that I have including those with Vibram soles. That being said, although they are not super comfortable nor speedy, they get the job done better than most competitors at a better value for money. I love them.

I have 2 pairs of these, one Gore-tex and one not and I went TTS on both. I have pretty wide feet though.

I am very, very pleased with my AP5. Got mine on clearance at breatheoutdoors for dirt cheap ($100CAN). Their characteristics make them an ideal winter running shoe… the best feature is the design is more robust, and yes, the sole is a bit firmer than other shoes, but that makes them excellent for supporting my Kahtoola microspikes without collapsing, and keeps the Kahtoola front rubber strap from crushing my toes. That they are a bit heavier doesn’t make much difference when I have spikes strapped on anyway. The AP5 upper is more robust, which provides a bit more insulation from the cold. And I LOVE the metal gaiter clip in the front which seems to be disappearing from many other shoes. I’ll use a lighter shoe for summer running, but AP5 is my winter shoe going forward.

The AP5 is my winter shoe. I like that forefoot is a bit stiffer than my other shoes, so when I strap on Kahtoola spikes, the forefoot doesn’t collapse from the Kahtoola elastic and squish my toes. The upper is a bit more robust as well, providing a bit more insulation from the cold.

Yes, but expensive. If you want the best combo of affordability and durability, my vote goes to Merrell Agility Peak 5. A rugged shoe that can be snagged for much cheaper than Hokas.

I would echo this comment. Also a bigger guy, neutral gait, and my AP5 feel very stable. They are actually my winter running shoe because I find the foam and sole more firm compared to my other shoes, making them ideal for secure attachment of my winter spikes.

I run in Northern Alberta, so many months of winter running. Besides runners, I’d highly recommend spikes - I strap my on after the first snowfall and they stay on for the duration of winter. If it’s a lot of deep snow and ice underneath you’re dealing with, you want something like [Kahtoola Microspikes](https://kahtoola.com/traction/microspikes-footwear-traction). As for shoes, I switch to a more robust shoe with stiffer soles in the winter. That’s so I get a bit more insulation, and the soles will support the spikes (soft sole shoes with thin uppers will just get squished by the elastic from the spikes, crushing your toes and cutting off circulation). My winter shoe is the [Merrell Agility Peak](https://www.merrell.com/CA/en_CA/agility-peak-5/58229M.html) - tough shoe with decent insulation.

Merrell Agility Peak 5 with Kahtoola Microspikes

The AP5 is a really great shoes. The durability is ok but it's not like a Norda or a NNormal. I am on my 4th pair. I had problem with ripped eyelets. So I asked a cobler to put metals eyelets in my new pairs. Merrell send me a new free pair regarding this matter. I found that there is a breaking period. So I wear them casually for a week prior to run in them. Also I find that they killed it with the colors, they are absolutely beautiful. The brown and purple are the best looking shoes I ever had !