I was so excited to hear that Merrell was putting out a minimalist style of hiking boot, that I bought these as soon as I saw them listed on their site. Ever since I started running in barefoot/minimalist style shoes, I've been looking for a boot that would give me a little more ankle support for long distance hiking/backpacking while still allowing my feet to contact the ground naturally without a big drop from heel to toe. Only one other company I've found makes a similar boot and after trying it, I was disappointed with the quality, so I was super excited to see Merrell offer the Proterra boot, as I've always been a big fan of the quality of their products. First Impressions: --Very lightweight and good looking. I got my boots in the "Brindle" color which was a little lighter than I expected, but still looked good. --The 4mm heel to toe drop was not as noticeable as I thought it would be. I thought I would prefer a 0mm drop, but found that the slight heel lift was not concerning to me. I've only been a barefoot runner for about 8 months now, so the veteran barefooters out there may disagree with me on this. --Toe box was slightly narrower than I would have preferred, but still better than most hiking boots that I've worn in the past. I wish it were slightly wider. --Insole is removable and I've worn the boots without the insole to get a little more contact with the ground, I've had to wear thicker socks to keep the boots from sliding in my feet which negated removing the insoles in the first place. For my first big hike in the boots, I ended up putting the insoles back in place and work my thinner Injini toe socks. This past weekend, I wore these boots on their maiden trip to do a 9 mile day hike at Pinnacles National Monument. This was a mostly flat hike with a couple of fairly steep inclines and descents tossed into the mix. The terrain was varied and included sand, soft earth, gravel, and granite. The boots did very well on this hike. I definitely felt much more in contact with the ground than any hiking boots I've ever worn before. Keep in mind that these are boots - you won't get the same feel of the ground in these that you will in the Vibram Five Fingers or even the Merrell Trail Gloves, but still is much better than other boots. I really enjoyed having more ankle support in the granite and gravel sections of the hike. I also really enjoyed how light these boots were. They were extremely comfortable and I had no issues at all with rubbing or blisters, whereas I normally have a terrible time in normal hiking boots. After this trip, I feel that Merrell has almost hit a home run with this product. However, I do think that there is one very significant flaw that people need to be aware of when purchasing. The sole of these boots is too slick! When hiking on granite - especially granite that is moist or wet, you need to be VERY careful in these boots. I had a couple of close calls that could have ended very badly for me. I do a lot of hiking and have worn a lot of other boots, and none have had the types of issues with traction that these had on this short trip. I'm not sure if the issue lies in the design of the soles or in the type of material that they made the shoes with, but I sure hope they address this issue in newer versions. I'm not sure that I would feel comfortable taking these on a major multi-day trip with steep and narrow trails. Final assessment 1-5 scale: Comfort - 5 Looks - 5 Weight - 5 Quality of build - 5 Fit - 4 Stability - 3 Traction - 2

Fit, finish, quality are all excellent. HOWEVER as the others have already noted, if there is ANY drop it is NOT barefoot as claimed. The reason we buy minimalist shoes and boots is that we WANT to feel the ground. Heavy padding, drops of any kind will effect this and possibly alter hard won months of training with true minimalist footwear. PLEASE rethink this boot. Improve the sole material, and get rid of the heavy insole and ANY drop. You guys either over thought this one or did not have the guts to go full out. I am guessing it is the former because I can always count on Merrell to do great innovative things with their footwear. COME ON PEOPLE! Oh, and you seriously need a wider toe box. Seriously!

I have been a frequent buyer of Merrell shoes, I think this is my 8th or 9th pair. I have to say that these are the lightest, most comfortable shoes. Did not take long to break them in, one day of average use was plenty and they seem to be well constructed. It really is shoes like these that make me a loyal Merrell customer. Keep up the good work and I will continue to buy them.

This is a great light weight hiker that is very stable and low profile. Also very breathable and durable. I absolutely recommend these to anyone looking for a new light weight hiker.

just returned from 3 days on the AT in no. GA where we started in rain, hiked through 4 inches of snow then the aftermath of melting snow and these boots did it all. they gave plenty enough traction in wet conditions and kept the moisture out when hiking in the snow or the mud. my right ankle was broken long ago, so i need more support than a true bare foot shoe. however, i have a terrible shin splint in my left leg that can be helped by a shoe that promotes more of a forefoot strike. so i was looking for a minimalist feel with maximum support. i don't "break shoes in." either they're comfortable or they're not and these were the best piece of equipment i could have had. i am extremely picky with shoes and have worn merrells and keens in the past for hiking, working and nights on the town. these shoes are light, but sturdy; ventilated, but water tight, and they look great muddy. i don't know what else to say but thank you to merrell. i just ordered the low top version. one question: where'e the green color from the video?