Shoes?

[jmbrimley]

Hey Jason, I know that you get a lot of questions on minimalist shoes, but I guess I might as well throw one more on the pile.

I am running BF as much as possible, and when I'm not barefoot I'm in my KSOs, all day every day. But I am a wildland firefighter, getting ready for the summer season. We do a lot of trail running, and since this is my first BF year, I don't know where to look. I've been looking into the Merrell Trail Glove, they look great, but I'm also interested in the Terra Plana Barefoot line. I'm interested in mostly the Evo, Evo II, or the Neo, but I'm not sure if any of them have the traction that I would need running trails. Any advice anyone would have would be appreciated, Thanks guys!

[Anthony5450]

You can go into any running store and look at the flats available. Find something less than 6-7 ounces with decent tread and you'll be find. With a minimal heel-toe drop, it'll be great for trail running.

Good luck!

http://www.sprinttriathlontrainingprogram.com

[macmhagan]

I think you will find in Jason's posts that he loves the Evo II and the Merrel Trail Glove, but you will see that the Trail Glove is winning out.  I have never tried any Terra Plana so I don't have a comparison there.  However, I have run trails in my Sprints - bad idea!  So I called the Merrel store in Huntington NY and ordered over the phone the Trail Glove.  I have only been on one run and wore them around in the snow - I have yet to run a trail - but I can tell that these will be the best trail shoes ever.  The traction is amazing.  If the mud is really deep Jason recommends the Inov8, but for everything else the Trail Glove will be perfect.  I will be wearing it as my daily shoe - I am going to buy a pair in leather for work as soon as it is available - I bought a pair for my 9 year old daughter as well.

[jmbrimley]

I think you will find in Jason's posts that he loves the Evo II and the Merrel Trail Glove, but you will see that the Trail Glove is winning out.  I have never tried any Terra Plana so I don't have a comparison there.  However, I have run trails in my Sprints - bad idea!  So I called the Merrel store in Huntington NY and ordered over the phone the Trail Glove.  I have only been on one run and wore them around in the snow - I have yet to run a trail - but I can tell that these will be the best trail shoes ever.  The traction is amazing.  If the mud is really deep Jason recommends the Inov8, but for everything else the Trail Glove will be perfect.  I will be wearing it as my daily shoe - I am going to buy a pair in leather for work as soon as it is available - I bought a pair for my 9 year old daughter as well.

Thanks macmhagan, I'll have to look into the Trail Glove. That's what I was leaning towards anyway, how true is the sizing?

[macmhagan]

Sizing was easy.  I wear a 10 and the Merrel 10's are perfect.  I thought at first the toe box was too big (it is roomy), but once I ran I realized it was perfect.
Robert at the Huntington store was great - he held back a size 9.5 and 10.5 in the same color until I got the shoes and called him to say if they fit or not.
Best to have your European size available for a good cross reference.

[Jason]

The Trail Glove is my current favorite.  The combination of fit and function is the best on the market for me.  I always recommend trying a few pairs at the stores... what works for me may not be universal.  However, most of the people that have tried the Trail Gloves love them.

[jmbrimley]

Cool Jason, thanks... Just curiosity, do you have any plans on reviewing the new Altra shoes? The company is based just a few miles from my house, they seem pretty cool, you might want to check them out!

[dmcchesney]

The Adam by Altra looks pretty sweet. In the video, the guy mentioned the insoles has shock absorption and the other one has arch support....? other then the insoles it look like a nice shoe. Hopefully they will ship one out to Jason so we can get a review on it.