Merrell Vapor Glove 5

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Overall

#107 in

Trail Running Shoes

according to Reddit Icon Reddit

Sentiment score67% positive
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Top Pros

Top Cons

Last updated: Apr 18, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit Iconimjms737
5 months ago

Guess it depends. I've used the following minimalist trail shoes so far: * Merrell Vapor Glove 1, 4, and 5 * Xero Scrambler Low * Vivo Primus Trail Knit FG I also recently bought the Vivo Primus Trail Flow, but I haven't been able to take them out on a trail run yet. I will be taking them on trail runs in Spain next month, and I'm planning on doing a review of them afterwards. Anyways, out of the shoes that I've tried: * The most fun: The Vapor Gloves are incredibly fun due to their low stack height, but you need to be much more mindful of where you step. They also don't have any lugs and only treads, so they are only really usable in non-technical, solid ground terrain. I love the 5th gen for everyday wear, but for trail running, the 1st and 4th gen are more enjoyable because they are more flexible. * The most comfortable: The Primus Trail Knit FGs are so incredibly comfortable, and I've done a 50K trail race and a self-supported 64K trail run in them. The knit material means that your foot will slide inside the shoe when moving laterally, so they are best suited for non-technical trails. The knit material also soaks up moisture, so they get super heavy (and they are already quite heavy at 400g) when wet. * The lightest: The Vivo Primus Trail Flow is only 219g, and while I don't know if they're the lightest minimalist trail runners of all time, they are incredibly light. For reference, the Trail Glove 7 is 239g, and the Mesa Trail IIs are 221g, and both are some of the lightest minimalist trail runners in the market. The Freet Calver is a whopping 526g. While untested in the trails, I love the treads of the outsoles, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the lightweight trail runners fare in the trails.

Reddit IconAggressive-Dust6280
9 months ago

Merell Vapor Glove for ever. (Always the "last year" model, to keep it cheap, they also became my "casual" shoes.)

Reddit Iconcavemansoup
5 months ago

Merrell wrapt are nice, i tried the merrell vapor glove too but i like how the wrapt are a little more rigid. Just wish the outsole lasted a bit longer. But i do walk on concrete a lot with them.

Reddit Iconeggsplore
11 months ago

Merrell Vapor Gloves might do it for you if you already like Merrell.

Reddit Iconextrasuper
9 months ago

I have medium - wide flat feet and love them. Half a size up (so usually UK10/eu44, but 10.5/45 in these. They are my favourite trail runners yet. Edit: pictured is Trail Glove, I have Vapor Glove which looks almost identical. Would assume similar fit but couldn't say for certain.

Reddit IconLilf1ip5
5 months ago

I think a lot of ppl use the Altra Lone Peaks but it’s too bulky of a shoe for me I really like trail runners and this one is a bit more bulkier than a Merrill Vapor Glove which I used before the Escalantes Vapor gloves only lasted me a couple months but the Escalantes have been great for about 8-9 months so far

Reddit Iconnahemesys
5 months ago

Best barefoot running shoes I have are Merrell Vapor Glove 4, they don't sell them anymore but there are newer versions. I run on pavement, gravel, grass, and they're awesome. Very little protection so anything under the sole that's sharp will hurt, but that's the idea isn't it?

Reddit Iconrhyghar
6 months ago

Merrel Vapor Glove is super minimalist and have held up really well for me. I find I need a little more support, but use them for Mountain biking and disc golf from time to time.

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