What a great product! I had recently decided to try the route of minimalist/barefoot running to strengthen bones and muscles in my feet and adjust my running form. I've been plagued with severe shin splints almost all my life, primarily due to hard heel-striking and perhaps some structural issues in the leg or hip area. Anyway, I did a LOT of research on minimalist shoes and the Vapor Gloves definitely stood out from the crowd. Decided to try them out, and after running in them almost daily (short 3 to 5 miles runs) for the last one month, I can honestly say these are the best running shoes I have ever owned. In fact, they're so comfortable that I spend most of the day in them, even at work. If you're new to minimalist running and in the market for shoes, the Vapor Gloves are a slam-dunk no-brainer choice. You'll be glad you did.

these shoes fit great and do exactly what I need them to do on the road. the sole gives great traction during wet and dry conditions and feel great during the warm KY days.

I recently got into minimalist running and after a long search for the "perfect shoe", I think I found it in the vapor glove. The shoe looks fantastic and is extremely flexible. Running with them is very light and airy, particularly with the wide toe box. They are great for travelling too given the weight and flexibility of the shoes and are comfortable to hike with. The shoe does run much larger than I expected. I normally wear size 9 running shoes but had to go all the way down to a size 8 (and there's still ample room between my toes and the tip of the toe-guard).

This is the most minimal shoe in Merrell's lineup. As an aspiring Ultrarunner, my training and racing mileage demands more cushioning than this shoe offers, but than again, that's not what I bought it for, nor what it was built for. Rather, I wear this for everyday wear and short fast speedwork, so as to strengthen my feet and allow me to get by wearing more minimal shoes (like the Trail Glove, Mix Master, or upcoming Ascend Glove) on longer training runs and races. In addition to my logged training, I walk a lot as part of my daily life, going to and from campus, and as part of recovery and tapering. So I do about 20-30 mpw in these walking, with interspersed "sprints" to catch a crossing light or a bus! Then, when I put on my training and racing shoes, which might otherwise feel "thin," my feet feel wonderfully invincible. So I can cushion my body for long miles, while avoiding the muscular atrophy that inevitably sets in with the prolonged use of overly protective footwear. I prefer zero drop in all of my shoes, but demand it in my non-training/racing/heavy hiking shoes. I've also used these for light hiking during the recovery period from my last race (the Lake Sonoma 50 Miler, which I ran in my trustworthy Mix Masters), and they worked great. Some would say they run big, and while I could probably fit into a size 13 comfortably in these (something I can't say about most shoes), I'm happiest in the 14, which is my size in just about everything (but only because hardly anybody makes anything in 15, which is probably my size for a lot of the models that don't offer the super-comfy Merrell Barefoot toebox).

These have become my go to shoe for the whole day. I just finished an eight mile run in them, and they were fantastic. Be sure to order a half size smaller than you usually do. I had to return my first order. I would love to see more color options for these shoes. Brighter ones. I like the green in the women's. Maybe a yellow? I have the orange, and love them. The only complaint I've had is that the stichting holding the tongue to the toebox is a bit rough on the skin, forcing me to wear socks, but I'm hoping this mellows out in a month or so.