Merrell Men's Trail Glove 5 Hiking Shoe

I got a size 11. The toe box is comfortable roomy. The heel cups & holds nicely. The arch support is there, but isn't annoying. I would honestly say that these are one of the more accurate nicer fitting 11's I've found. (I'm 5'11' 175lbs, average athletic build, & wear 11-11.5's, wide if I can find them usually) I bought a pair of Merrel Vapor Glove 4's in 11.5 at the same time, & they're slightly bigger than an accurate fit sizing. These Trail gloves in 11 are pretty spot on. Also, a nice shoe so far.

After now probably 6 months I'm really very happy with these. I came from Asic trail shoes (which I'm half a size more in) and I also had a pair of New Balance barefoot running shoes I purchased maybe 4 years ago but never really got on with them. But following two knee operations and from that the need to make sure I forefoot run and therefore reduce the strain on my knees, I went back to my New Balance about a year ago. But to be blunt, I was finding it a little too hard going on the soles of my feet to run on anything but grass or roads and pavements. Bluntly put they are painful to run in off road as they don't have any support whatsoever. These by comparison are absolutely great in terms of support. I still feel that I'm as good as barefoot running but without the pain. They are just as flexible and don't raise your toes. I've realised how much Asics trail shoes do that as I've been wearing my old pair recently just for walking and they have been rubbing the base of my third toe of both feet to the point of being sore. The tread on these is exactly the same as the New Balance bearfoot shoes. i wouldn't say it's quite as good as what you get with a pair of Asics trail but no shoe is perfect. Overall, these have lasted so far really well with me using them both as a running shoe and as a daily walking shoe except in very cold weather as your feet really get cold. They give the impression they will last a long time. I read that some people found the sole uncomfortable on the arch of the foot. I actually experienced this particularly on my New Balance pair originally and I have to say I have also did initially feel it with these too initially. My theory is twofold on this. With the exception of people which have had particularly flat feet always, firstly anyone will feel disconfort running with this in a more midfoot fashion, as with the New Balance. Secondly, a colapsed or colapsing arch is suppsedly related to glute strength. I've had a number of glute strength related problems since getting back into running and as they have strengthened I've completely stopped noticing the arch. So in my opinion, if you want to forefoot run and are new to it, you got to make sure that you initially work on not just calf strength but also glute strength as they intimately linked. I also suffered achillies tendernitus which also ultimately proved to be simply down to glute muscle length and therefore strength; tighter glutes pulling on my calves which inflamed my achillies. Anyway, absolutely great shoe for forefoot running in my opinion.

Some of my favorite shoes. Thought they were long gone but lo and behold here they are! Great flat foot feel with arch support.

I've been wearing trail gloves since their second run. They're literally the only athletic shoe I wear. So I read the reviews, sized down a half size and bought these on faith despite the comments about the strange arch. I have fairly high arches, I thought it would work out. They did not. The problem is that the rise isn't only across the arch. It declined as it sloped toward the outer edge of the foot, but there is a distinct ridge all the way across the sole. I wore them around the house for an hour and I couldn't stand it anymore. I'll be skipping this generation.

The arch comment is accurate as compared to the TG4, but it isn't bad or sharp to me. I have a normal arch I think, definitely not high, and it just feels slightly more supportive and contoured than a flat shoe bottom, which I don't really think takes away from the minimalist effect. Also the sole feels sturdier / more rigid than the TG4, but it just feels like stronger material, not padded or thicker, again not a detriment to a trail barefoot shoe. A lot of negative comments, just want to comment that I like the TG5s after 2 previous pairs of TG4s.