Trail Glove 5 3D

I actually found them less breathable than my trail glove 5. The upper is pretty thick and padded for some reason. In addition to making it not as breathable as it could be, it retains water and doesn't dry as fast. I wanted to love them, but not a fan of the thick upper material.

After wearing my Merrell TG5 to the point where the outsoles were basically smooth and the uppers had multiple tears, I finally switched to a new pair of shoes - the Xero HFS II. I figured with the similar stack height, it might be a spiritual successor of sorts to the TG5. Other than a couple of times wearing them casually when brand new to get used to them, they have only been used for running and I've put about 200 miles on them so far. I'd say it's probably 70% pavement and 30% trails, including a 23 mile trail run this morning. I got these for my trail 50K coming up in October, but don't always run the trail (obviously). I can easily run there from home on my long run days, but not worth it for my shorter runs (<10 miles). The structure of the shoe is holding up very well. Not issues with any pressure points or holes where the toe bends. They're not the widest shoes out there, but completely comfortable for my foot shape and size. No issues with hot spots or rubbing. I tend to wear my shoes loose enough that I don't need to untie/tie them, but just slip them on. They're still plenty secure for running, including at 5K race and marathon tempo pace (8:00-ish per mile and 9:40-ish per mile, respectively). I do tighten them when doing sprint/interval training though as there is a little slippage if I don't. I got white b/c it was on sale at [Sierra.com](http://Sierra.com) and super cheap ($40). Don't get white. Between the sweat and dirt/dust, the mesh upper is a gross grayish-brown. I will oxyclean them at some point, but it's gross right now. Sidenote - you may have noticed the insoles sticking out of the shoes in the picture. I always remove the insoles to let them dry faster. Helps minimize odors. Trust me, it works. The outsoles are wearing very well, or not very much. I really think this is largely a form issue more than anything else, although my relatively light weight (155lb) does factor in. You can see that the wear is pretty minimal after a couple hundred miles. It definitely baffles me when people report shoes wearing smooth after 50-75 miles. I have to believe there is a lot of friction (twisting, braking, dragging, etc.) being introduced due to poor running form. Including my upcoming race, I should put on another 200-215 miles on these shoes. I'll do a 400 mile update, if anyone is interested. tl;dr - the HFS II is a fine long distance running shoe and, given proper form, the outsoles look like they will last a good long while.

In my experience, I found the HFS II sizing to be on the small size, despite what their website says. I bought my normal size and it was snug. I went up half size and it felt better in every dimension. I do agree that it is a little lower volume than my trail gloves (I had the 1, 3, and 5), but still comfortable with loose lacing. Looking forward to the next 200!

Im looking for an alternative to altra mt king 2, stack between 1-2 cm but not 5 cm stack? the merrell trail is to narrow for me but other than that pretty perfect with a firm and rather low stack.

Topo Pursuit has replaced Lone Peak for me. I felt Altra's quality has drastically declined and Topo is a good alternative. I am mostly a Merrell Trail Glove person these days, Pursuit is the one trail shoe I own that's not barefoot style.

Merrel Trail Glove, theyre amazing

Fellow Pennsylvanian here... and this struggle is real! I'm somewhat in the same boat as you as I've been trying to find shoes that are protective against the rocks and roots of our region while also being durable enough to get your money's worth out of the shoes. Here's my progression of footwear over the past 5-7 years or so along with some insights you can take as suggestions. None of these options are zero drop though except the Merrell trail gloves. Adidas Terrex - Pros: good coushion, plenty of padding and protection against rocks. Cons: not wide enough for my feet and they changed the cut of the heel stabilizer to be too high. Merrell Trail Glove - Pros: out of box comfort and very light. Cons: not at all good on rocks. Asics Gel Venture - Pros: out of box comfort and good tread. Cons: not durable, not wide enought, bad quality control. Merrell Moab Speed 1 - Pros: great durability of shoe body, available in wide sizes, and sufficient protection against rocks. Cons: tread is not durable. However, this is probably my favorite trail runner and I wish it was still in production. Its a 500 mile shoe with 300 mile tread. Brooks Cascadia 13 and 15 - Pros: quality tread and good rock protection. Cons - not as wide as I'd like in their 2E size and the heel lock fabric deteriorated quickly causing blisters on my heel. New Balance Hierro V7 - Pros: good coushion and heel support. Cons - that damn flappy thing on the heel, lack of padding in the tongue, durability. Brooks Cascadia 16 - Pros: great rock plate, awesome tread, and wider toebox in 2E size. Cons - shit quality. Regardless, I went through 3 pairs and just dropped the 3rd in the trash after hiking up Old Rag in Shennandoah a week ago. 500 mile tread on a 250 mile shoe body that is not worth the cost. Merrell Moab Speed 2 - Pros - lightweight and PA approved rock plate. Cons - durability and the redesign in general. Wore these on a 260 mile section hike and they messed up my feet and gave me blisters on top of my toes. Was fully refunded though. Merrell Nova 4 - arrives in the mail today in advance of a 120 mile AT section in central Va in a couple of weeks. Might move onto Topo Terraventures or Ultraventures next.

I get way more trail feel out of my wrapts than my trail gloves. I had to go to a bit more support than my vffs and vgs and the wrapt fit that middle ground for me. Down side is I have the leather ones right now. I dislike trail gloves and altras because I get no road feel in them

Or Trail Gloves. If they even still make those

Oh that’s a bummer but good to know! I have an old pair that are basically like being barefoot but with tread instead of skin.