A Return from Trail Glove 7 to Normal Shoes

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Within the last week I tried to wear shoes that I bought two or three years ago. I tried them on because although I love the Trail Glove 7 shoes I don't like their durability. I find that they last from four to six months before being worn enough for my heel to hit the ground hard enough to become painful.

In theory I should work on my stride, to change how the foot strikes the ground, and ensure that I have a softer, more gentle foot fall. In practice the shoes feel fine until the soles of the shoes get worn beyond a certain point, and that's when impacting the ground begins to hurt, especially after walking for an hour and a half or more.

The Issues

During the COVID honeymoon, when it was great for walkers, and hikers to go on two to three hour hikes every day, I took advantage. Over time I noticed that I was wearing through shoes fast so I replaced them regularly.

Worn Inner Heel

I often put my shoes on without untying the shoelaces so the inside of the shoe, where the heel rubs the back of the shoe gets shredded over time, and eventually the plastic is exposed and this provoked blisters. That's one of the tells that I would need to swap shoes.

Worn Soles

The second tell is worn soles. I walked so much and so far that within months the tread would be gone, and eventually, when the rubber was gone, and my shoes would become wet from beneath if I stepped into a puddle, then it was time, once again to change shoes.

Rubbing the Top of my Foot

I really liked the Merrel Moab Three, or shoes with a similar shoes. They're good for daily walks and hiking, where you don't need ankle support. I walked with these for thousands of kilometres over many, many years.

Over time I noticed that the top of my foot, near the toes was rubbing against the inside of the shoe, to the point of risking blisters. Initially I thought that they had changed the design or materials of the shoes, and that was why they were more uncomfortable but now I think the conclusion was wrong.

Plenty of Cycling

This summer I have cycled a lot, especially by my standards. Usually I would cycle 1800km or less and this year I cycled five thousand two hundred and eighty. This isn't to highlight the cycling, but rather to highlight that my feet were used differently.

I went from a high impact sport like walking and hiking, two to three hours a day, to long bike rides. My feet had time to rest, recover, and I believe, to shrink again. The shoes that felt uncomfortable are now comfortable again

And Finally

I walk a lot, so I like shoes that are cheap and easy to replace. Barefoot shoes are not cheap and easy to replace. They are niche, so I order them online. If I can revert to cheap decathlon shoes, once again, I will be happy.

#barefoot #durability #merrel #price #shoes

New #barefoot walking shoes tested:

#Merrel Vapor Glove 6 Leather.

Very comfortable, warmer than my other walking shoes. Can recommend.

https://www.merrell.com/US/en/vapor-glove-6-leather/58035M.html

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This Autumn is different because I have worn running, shoes, normal shoes, and Trail Glove 7 in the rain. I was very happy with the Trail Glove 7 during the entirety of the heat wave. I had no issues with them but now that we’re moving into winter I feel the need for shoes with greater ground clearance for when I walk through puddles, or streams of water running down roads while the rain falls.

A few days ago I walked in a wet forest on a rainy day with the Trail Glove 7 and although I expected to feel that they were completely inappropriate I didn’t. I found that they felt comfortable when walking through scrub, on the stony path and when they were wet.

These shoes will not protect you from thorns and other spikes. The base of the foot is safe but the top of the shoe is made of soft fabric that could be pierced. Despite this I didn’t feel as uncomfortable as I would have expected. In fact, I felt comfortable. I just had to be slightly more careful than usual, about where the top of my shoes scraped.

Avoiding Deep Puddles

The one unpleasant bit was when I was walking through deep puddles. Once or twice I felt the water rush into my shoes and wet my feet. It’s unpleasant for 20 seconds or so, until the water in contact with my feet warms up, and then it’s comfortable again.

A big fuss is made about the need for shoes to be waterproof, and in the middle of winter it will be essential. but this Autumn I feel fine, so far.

For years I have walked with waterproof shoes so I am in the habit of walking through deep puddles and I often experiment with their failure point and think “oups” as I feel water trickle into the shoes. With normal shoes puddles have to be several centimetres deep for water to run into the shoe. With barefoot shoes they need to be a few millimetres deep.

Waterproof Shoes Collect Mud

Although waterproof shoes are great in the rain they have one disadvantage. Their tread is excellent at collecting mud so although I have two pairs of shoes that are waterproof one is worn out and should be recycled and the other collects mud too easily and I think it’s at the limit of giving me blisters.

If I could walk in the mud I would be less exposed to cars. If I was less exposed to walking by cars I would not have stopped walking two or three of my favourite routes. The most enjoyable walking period was during 2020, when, thanks to lock down, roads were almost empty of cars.

Waterproof Shoes Dry Slower If They Get Wet

The problem with waterproof shoes is that you need to help them dry, if the interior gets wet. With non-waterproof shoes, if they get wet, you wear them until you get home and by the time you take them off, after a short drive, they will be almost dry, and by the next morning they will be fully dry.

I have got three pairs of shoes wet in recent weeks and I haven’t had to worry about drying any of them.

And Finally

I was pleasantly surprised to find that these shoes felt fine walking through the woods on a rainy day. I didn’t worry about the soles of my feet at all. I found that walking through scrub wasn’t more uncomfortable than with normal shoes. When rain falls vertically onto my shoes I don’t mind. It’s when I have to walk to the side of a path rather than straight through a puddle that I see the limitations of my barefoot shoes. In theory I could spend over one hundred and 50 francs to get waterproof barefoot shoes, but I can get normal waterproof shoes for 35 CHF. I have hiking boots for when it’s snowy and I have comfortable shoes for when it’s dry. It’s for Autumn and winter rain that I need to be responsible enough to wear cheap waterproof shoes.

At this time of year, especially on rainy days, when you’re forced to walk in the grass by cars, it makes sense to wear waterproof shoes, to keep feet comfortable and dry. If walking paths existed between villages and towns, rather than walking along the road side, I wouldn’t need waterproof shoes.

I could wear hiking boots but if I wear those, and I drag mud into the apartment building, neighbours will complain. I wear inappropriate shoes for the weather, because if they get muddy I can clean them in seconds, because we live in the age of drivers, and drivers never encounter mud.

https://www.main-vision.com/richard/blog/trail-glove-7-in-autumn/

#autumn #barefoot #cold #merrel #puddles #rainy #trailGlove7

Reading Time: 2 minutesTable of Contents

I really like the Trail Glove 7. I have walked and run in them for over 500 kilometres and so far they are still relatively fine. the soles wore out where my feet apply the most pressure to the ground but other than that they're fine. The top is without holes, without bleaching from the summer sun and without fraying on the sides of the shoes where different fabrics join each other.

Fast Drying

If you get these shoes wet they will dry quickly. You don't have to worry about the shoes getting wet. With other shoes they're waterproof, which is great, if the outside is dry, but time consuming to dry if the inside gets wet. Shoes that dry fast don't need to be waterproof.

Better with Socks

I tried wearing them without socks, and although some people dislike the feel of socks, I did like the feel of the inside of the shoes without socks, so I almost always wore socks with them.By wearing socks the shoes still smell fine, despite two hour walks in the middle of the day during heatwave days. They're breathable.

Walking Sensation

For the most part these shoes feel fine when walking. If you step on stones you sometimes feel them through the soles, but that's normal of most shoes. I found that at the right temperature these shoes feel smooth, almost soft, when you're walking in the right conditions, like warm tires on a bike in the right conditions. They are comfortable.

Traction

When walking on dry surfaces they feel good. I never felt that I had too little traction. If I remember correctly I tried walking up a 45° cement surface without slipping, and other steep gradients without losing gradients, including dust covered stones and cement.

I did feel a loss of traction on a wet surface on a rainy day once or twice but that's because the tread is completely gone. As these shoes get older and the tread wears away it makes sense to wear newer shoes on rainy days, and older shoes on dry days.

Overall comfort These have become my everday shoes. I wear them everyday, I even wear them for cycling when I am not riding alone, as I don't need the support offered by carbon fibre soled shoes.

The Cost

You can get other shoes for 40-60 CHF but in my recent experience with such shoes I found that they rub the top of my toes, and the moss at the back of the heel gets worn away exposing the plastic that then causes blisters. With these shoes, except for the wear pattern on the soles of the feet, they're fine. With other shoes I felt that my feet needed to get used to them, and within 200 kilometres the rear sponge would be worn through. With these they're fine, so you get at least twice the distance.

And Finally

These are comfortable, durable shoes that I can wear whether I am walking with others or alone. I can wear them whether I am hiking in the mountains, or walking across fields. They even feel comfortable for running despite offering so little support. Instead of going for 300 franc shoes I went for shoes a third that price,and now I can run five kilometres without my knees refusing to continue. I find them to be very comfortable shoes. They work well for my walking style.

#barefooot-shoes #lifespan #merrel #trail-glove-7

https://blog.main-vision.com/500-kilometres-with-the-trail-glove-7/

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Since the 7th of May 2023 I have been wearing Trail Glove 7 Shoes for most of my walks. During this time I have walked in towns, villages, fields, the mountains and more. They have felt comfortable for almost all of this walking. As I am not familiar with this type of shoe I have been keeping an eye on the wearing out of the shoes.

Heels and Blisters

Usually with most normal shoes I wear out the rear part of the shoe, to the point that the soft material that pads the back of the heel is worn away to expose bare plastic, which then wears against the back of my feet, and leaves blisters. My solution, to extend the life of those shoes was to protect the rear of my foot from rubbing. This isn't an ideal solution. That's what encouraged me to try barefoot shoes.

Toe Box Spacing

For some reason as I wore new iterations of shoes that I previously really liked I found that the sides of my feet would sometimes rub against the side and adapt a way to protect themselves. I didn't like the idea that normal shoes were damaging my feet. Designs that had been fantastic in the past, became uncomfortable to wear due to either poor design, or bad materials.

The Trail Glove 7

These are very comfortable shoes for the first 400 kilometres. They provide just the right amount of heel padding for the heels. After 400 km I believe that the sole of the heel is worn just enough for heel strikes to be felt in the bone, after a walk.

Over the last two days I have walked in rainy, wet conditions. Due to how worn out the soles of the shoes are I felt the shoe slide from under me. I expected that this problem would occur. The tread wears out within 120 kilometres depending on walking style and surfaces. After that you're happy to have warm, dry weather, Slipping is less of a risk in such conditions.

The rest of the shoes look fine. There are no holes on the top of the shoes, no fraying or any other signs of wear.

Mud Grabbing

As I wrote before the tread of the shoes wears down quite fast, where our feet apply the most force to the ground, but remains intact everywhere else. The result is that if you walk in muddy conditions, as I did yesterday, the tread traps mud and you're stuck having to clear out the mud with a skewer or tooth pick, rather than a brush. Brushing doesn't work.

And Finally

Although I think the support from the heel of the left shoe is gone I will continue to wear them until they get a hole. I wore a pair of hiking shoes until the foot support was worn smooth inside the shoe, and the soles were also worn out. I have worn other shoes until the toes of the soles of the shoes were punctured. I plan to do the same with these shoes, to determine their endurance. At the very least I want to get them to five hundred kilometres.

You know it's time to replace shoes when you walk through a shallow puddle and your socks get wet, from the bottom of the shoe, rather than the sides.

#barefoot-shoes #merrel #minimalism #trailglove-7 #wear-and-tear

https://blog.main-vision.com/trail-glove-7-after-440-kilometres/

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Since the Seventh of May 2023 I have walked more than 360 kilometres in the Merrel Trail Glove 7 and the experience has been good. For a long time I enjoyed wearing normal shoes but recently they started either to rub the front of my feet, or the heel would get worn away to bare plastic and I'd consider protecting the heel from friction damage when walking.

global wear on trail glove 7 after 60kmNot Goldie Locks

The first Merrel Barefoot shoes I tried were the Merrel vapor glove 6 but they felt too thin. I could feel too much of the road's surface, especially on weather worn former tarmacked roads that were breaking apart to become mud paths once again. Stepping on stones would be painful so I chose to experiment with the Trail Gloves. The soles are just a little thicker but I found them very comfortable to walk in. So comfortable that they became my every day shoes. I thought that the soles would wear out because of the thin indentations that had little material, and they have.

The Wear137 kilomètres later

The wear and tear has occurred under the heels and under the front of the shoe, where the most pressure is applied when walking. The center of the shoes are still fine, with little to no sign of wear and tear. The inside and sides of the shoes are also still fine. I think that I can get them to five hundred or more kilometres, despite most of the walking being road walking.

Three hundred and sixty kilometres laterExperimenting with Trail Glove 6 and Meindl Pure VisionTrail Glove 6

Because I was so happy with the Trail Glove 7 I decided to try the Trail Glove six shoes and Meindl Pure Vision shoes. With the Trail Glove 6 I found that they are very tight around the part of the foot that gater straps would hook under. I was worried that they would give me cramps as a result. So far this hasn't been the case. They felt okay on ten kilometre walks, although they're annoying to put on.

I also get the impression that with these shoes I tend to hit the ground too hard, with my heel strikes, so the heel begins to hurt very slightly near the end of walks.

Meindl Pure Vision

The Meindl Pure Vision shoes use a system similar to Boa for lacing. You tighten and loosen the shoes by sliding something on thin cables. These are marketed as secondary shoes for hiking, cycling and more. I believe that they are meant to be used as an alternative to wearing hiking boots during hiking breaks, for example to catch trains, buses or go shopping and to restaurants. I don't think that they're intended for long distance walking.

We often read about people taking crocs on long hikes for camps or town days. I believe that barefoot shoes are both lighter, and more versatile, so more interesting to carry as spares. The pure vision shoes come folded in a bag that you can attach to your bag with a carabiner, for when you are tired of wearing hiking boots.

One Hundred Days Later

Yesterday I checked my feet and they seem better than they were when I started the experiment. The damage that other shoes seemed to have started to do to my feet is gone and they now feel good. These shoes are extremely comfortable to wear, light, and compatible with the style of walking that I am used to. I do feel that the way I put my feet down has changed a little. Rather than heel strike I now tend to put the side of my feet down first, before rolling the entire foot to the ground. Near the ends of walks my legs do get tired and I sometimes heel strike.

I don't know whether the slight pain I feel in my heels is because the Trail Glove 7s have worn so much that the base no longer provides the heel with adequate protection or if it's because I played with the Trail Glove six shoes. The Trail Glove six feel less forgiving of my walking style, as do the pure vision. That's why I wear those two shoes when I walk with people, rather than alone. People walk slower than me, so I can afford to wear less forgiving shoes as my strides are shorter.

I recently read First Steps while walking with various shoes and it's interesting to learn about how the human body has had to evolve to enable walking upright/bipedally. Since beginning this experiment with "barefoot" shoes I have worn normal shoes for walking just once. I have tried one run, and felt fine.

More Tiring

I alluded to it before but I want to make it clear. I think that these shoes make walking more tiring because they require a different technique. I like to walk fast, and fast walking requires striding., but striding, with barefoot shoes results in violent heel strikes. If I am not careful I will damage my heel bone. That's why I think that three pairs of barefoot shoes are fine when I'm walking with others, and the last is better suited to me walking alone.

And Finally

I tried barefoot shoes out of curiousity. I didn't want to get back to basics, and I didn't want to resolve any theoretical problems. I was inquisitve and spontaneously decided to try such shoes. I consider the experiment as a success. I like the Trail Glove 7 best. They forgive me for my walking style.

#barefoot #merrel #shoes #walking

https://blog.main-vision.com/three-hundred-and-sixty-kilometres-in-trail-glove-7/