I have been wearing Vibram Five Fingers for over a year now so I am used to going barefoot for weight training, boot camp and short runs (on and off road). I wear my fivees snug fitting and without socks but sometimes I get cold feet when outside. I have started to run longer distances and thought that I would order these as an alternative, just for a change. I read the other reviews and took their advice and ordered 2 larger sizes just to try the fit with some (five toe style socks). With socks I only needed up size by a half size and they were a perfect fit, not too snug. I went out for 6 miles the first time, some road and off road and my feet were very comfortable and warm too. I hope that I don't encounter the same problems as others with shrinkage and material coming away - but only time will tell. The service from this website is great and I am sure that if there are any problems in the future they will be supportive.

Really light, comfortable shoes. Fantastic for balance. Highly recommended.

I just wrote a review for the bare access arc - which is a fantastically comfortable shoe and is almost made for my feet. These are almost up there except for one small flaw: the elastic 'heel band'. I have no idea why it's there. I only know that the male version didn't need one, the bare access didn't need one... and neither does this one in my opinion. It irritates and hurts my achilles and this is relieved instantly by wearing my other shoes. I'm really hoping we get a tweaked version of this shoe as it's so close to being perfect, but unfortunately it's my second choice at the minute and I only wear it occassionally. It's so close to being perfect that I'm thinking of doing some modifications on it myself and seeing if I can fix the achilles ache it gives me from the elastic. I envy those of you loving this shoe without the achilles issue...as I love this shoe but it just doesn't love me back. I might try wearing them around the house to see if that helps slacken it off? Apart from this (which won't effect everyone), the fit is fantastic - snug and secure but not too tight, I love how durable they are, they grip great on trails, roots and loose soil, although could be a better grip on wet slippery rock underfoot. Really plesaed to have these in my running cupboard, but would be over the moon with an updated version without the elastic.

Bought these back in July as I was looking for a lightweight trainer I could wear to work and comfortable to walk in at the same time. I went for my usual size and found them a perfect fit but still with loads of room to wriggle my toes! I did ease into them gradually and now when I return to what I consider to be my other comfortable shoes, my feet yearn for the Pace Gloves! I am not a very sporty person but since I started wearing those, I have found walking thoroughly enjoyable and have been able to increase the amount of walking I do without my feet suffering. Now I have tired feet NOT painful feet! I was even able to wear them with a massive blister on my little toe on a 7 miles walk without feeling any pain! Love them so much I ordered my second pair which I received today ... Which brings me to the downsides ... unfortunately, after only 3 months of wear in urban settings, the sole is definitely wearing out. Considering I use them mostly for everyday wear, durability is poor, which is disappointing from Merrell. The other thing is with the weather becoming wetter, I have found them to be quite slippery ... I wish they would offer something like this but with a waterproof membrane and better durability!

I have just bought my second pair of these shoes. They are really comfortable and I feel they provide better freedom for my feet and toes than five fingers. I have had wear and tear on my previous pair (soles coming away at the toe), but I wouldn't consider it unreasonable considering the time that I had them for (about a year). I have read a few of the reviews on this site suggesting shrinkage. I didn't experience this (I did was them on a 30C machine wash several times). I did however experience a size and a half increase in the size of my feet since my barefoot training began! I have done a lot of my barefoot running with no shoes and have found these to be an excellent alternative to no shoes when I feel terrain is too rough/muddy or the weather is just too cold for me. I also use them as my everyday shoes.