Merrell Barefoot 2011 Collection Sneak Peak!

home
dig in» barefoot shoes | forum | guides | stories | YOU.
toe shoes?
about
store
deals

Merrell Barefoot 2011 Collection Sneak Peak!

By Justin on Aug 16, 2010 | In Barefoot Shoes | 25 comments »

Merrell Barefoot 2011 Collection Sneak Peak!

Thanks to our friends at The Shoe Mart, we've been given a sneak peak at the upcoming 2011 Merrell Barefoot line-up via some photos they've shared with us. The new Merrell Barefoot's feature a Vibram sole and will come in three varieties each for men and women (The Trail, True, and Tough Glove for men; the Power, Pace, and Pure Glove for women). We take a first look at this line-up after the jump!

» Read about the 2011 Merrell Barefoot line!

About the Author — I founded BirthdayShoes.com in April 2009 on realizing just how much I enjoyed having "free feet" - I mostly wanted to use them for weights, sprints, and plyometrics (I'm not much of a runner!). I'm a Googler by day and minimalist footwear aficionado by night; you can find me 'round Atlanta. If you want to catch up with what I'm doing outside of the site here, follow me on twitter @bdayshoes or @justinno or check out my personal site JustinOwings.com.
Justin+ has written 904 articles and 437 comments.

there's got to be something more, right?

Find minimalist/barefoot shoes online via the store. Find recent sales/deals on them here!
Subscribe by email and get your weekly BirthdayShoes fix plus news alerts OR subscribe by RSS !
If you're looking for other barefoot/minimalist shoes reviews, go here
Talk to hundreds of minimalist shoes fans on the forums!

« Relaxing in Vibram Five Fingers Bahamas Style

Finnish Girls Hike Alps in Toe Shoes »

25 comments

Comment from: mayanorange [Visitor]

that power glove is terrible!! Glad I have big feet... might take advantage of the men's line...

08/16/10 @ 10:48

Comment from: JohnnyIdaho [Visitor]

These look very promising. If they are like the VFF Treks but with enclosed toes, I could be very interested. The only injury I regularly sustain while running in VFFs is hooking my stinking pinkie toe on stumps and branches, it hurts like hell. I might have to give these a whirl.

08/16/10 @ 10:48

Comment from: rhicks [Visitor]

Can't wait for these to start shipping. That black/red True Glove is mine.

08/16/10 @ 11:20

Comment from: Jonathan [Visitor]

I saw the pure glove and thought, "oh, they make a sprint trek now..."

Depending on how 'minimalist' they are given all that midsole, it might be an alternative for those that work somewhere that doesn't allow vffs perhaps?

08/16/10 @ 11:33

Comment from: [Member]

I'm liking the Tough Glove for a business casual minimalist shoe.

08/16/10 @ 11:37

Comment from: Z [Visitor]

"the upcoming 2011 Merrell Barefoot line-up..."

And by that they mean, shoes.

Nothing compares to the 5's.

08/16/10 @ 12:17

Comment from: Ty [Visitor]

I'm hoping for an early release as I agree with Justin on the business casual appeal of the leather versions. It's something I think those of us with real winters to deal with have been looking for to supplement VFF and TP wearing to the office. I also think the trail glove might be a perfect minimalist shoe for biking for those of us flat pedal riders.

08/16/10 @ 12:40

Comment from: Michael [Visitor]

I'm interested to see these in person or hear some reviews after someone gets there feet into them. Weird that they chose this photo to promote their "barefoot" collection. The woman doesn't seem to be running in the minimalist style. Major heel strike going on.

08/16/10 @ 12:58

Comment from: dirk [Visitor]

Not everyone wants to be seen in VFF's,or even fancies separate toe pockets. These shoes look like a very nice alternative, and now that Vibram's made its name in minimalist circles, it will be easier to convince people this is a good product

08/16/10 @ 13:17

Comment from: UHJJ [Visitor]

Didn't an earlier post mention Merrell purposely went with a narrow foot last? If so I wonder how the shoes handle "barefoot" running, and the splaying that is needed in the forefoot.

08/16/10 @ 14:37

Comment from: oodoow [Visitor]

thanks for info, brown toughglove looks really awesome

08/16/10 @ 15:09

Comment from: Rich [Visitor]

I have long liked merrell and will definitely gave these a try. It doesn't look like these will be quite as minimal as VFFs, but I can definitely see myself liking these for either running or casual use.

As for all the comments about the leather one - they're so close, but it's not good enough for me to get away with at work. No stupid elastic things, please, and no visible logo on the side. These are nice looking but not really "business casual."

08/16/10 @ 18:13

Comment from: Mary [Visitor]

For some reason I really like the Power Glove. I am definitely going to have to look into getting a pair. I like how it had a rugged form, yet opens up for a more natural feel, as well as the opportunity to breathe.

08/17/10 @ 00:36

Comment from: Adam [Visitor]

Personally, I went 'barefoot' in VFFs to wiggle my toes and feel barefoot. The concept of a minimalist sole shoe isn't quite so appealing.

08/17/10 @ 07:41

Comment from: Walkslikefox [Visitor]

Well I'm thankfull I'm a tall female with big feet! The mens shoes look really nice, I like them all. The womens...unpleasant all round.

08/17/10 @ 08:39

Comment from: pieter d [Visitor]

Merrell shoes were my favourite shoes (still are, if we're talking conventional shoes). Curious to see and feel them.

The woman on the picture definitely needs some more barefoot experience: heelstrike!!!!! ;-)

08/17/10 @ 12:08

Comment from: Matt [Visitor]

I love Merrell shoes, but these are LAME! I'm a KSO wearer.

08/17/10 @ 14:11

Comment from: Rana [Visitor]

I like the Power Glove - especially as a winter alternative to VFFs - though I'm not sure what I think about the lack of a tongue yet.

The Pure Gloves are something I could see persuading my mother to wear, who has bad feet, but who would never ever wear a VFF.

08/20/10 @ 12:07

Comment from: Jeff [Visitor]

My favorite are actually the Pace Gloves, but I am a guy. They look more minimal. Why did they make the mens and womens running shoes so different. I like the heel on the pace glove, looks like it would rub less and it whole shoe looks more breathable.

Hope they make BIG women's sizes. The black with white stirpes could easily pass for a guys shoes too.

08/26/10 @ 21:58

Comment from: Christopher Cashell [Visitor]

As long as they don't screw it up (overly thick sole, excessive heel, etc), I'll buy at least one, and probably two pairs of the Tough Gloves.

Our dress code at work prohibits VFF's, sandals, and most other decent footwear. These, however, I'm pretty sure I could fly under the radar with.

09/28/10 @ 17:10

Comment from: Bryan Troyer [Visitor]

I am really excited about all of the mens models, they look awesome! Very interested to know about the heel to toe drop, hoping it is neutral. Not so sure about the womens models though.

09/30/10 @ 02:28

Comment from: K-Money [Visitor]

i think the difference on these and fives vs something like the NB Minimus is room for you foot expand out. In a barefoot'r my foot changes 2 sizes so I need enough flexability in the upper and sole to give and flex as my foot changes sizes.

11/05/10 @ 21:19

Comment from: EdH [Visitor]

These appear to be available. Just go to Merrell's site at www.merrell.com and search for glove. All 6 pop up.

12/12/10 @ 10:02

Comment from: Bekah [Visitor]

The Merrell Barefoot collection is available now in the Merrell SF store on Union Square... I just saw them today!

01/15/11 @ 00:20

Comment from: Jo Thompson [Visitor]

I hope they make a Tough Glove in leather for women for this fall and winter!

05/18/11 @ 21:52

Form is loading...

Comment feed for this post

The content of this site is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License.

Note: This site is not owned, operated, or otherwise affiliated with Vibram or Vibram FiveFingers. The site is intended for entertainment purposes only. Per FTC regulation, it should be assumed that products reviewed on BirthdayShoes were provided to the blogger(s) for free or at discounted cost. Though this is certainly not always the case, we'd rather be in compliance with FTC rules & regulations governing bloggers and product reviews under the assumed "most biased" letter of the law. That said, if it's not immediately obvious, this site is a fan site for minimalist footwear such as Vibram Five Fingers, which is to say that there is a stated bias in favor of these products. Despite our stated bias, between the hundreds of user-submitted stories, the thousands of forum posts (both positive and negative, warts and all!), and the in-depth resources and guides, we do our best to provide in depth information on all products reviewed. In the end, though we strive to be a helpful resource and believe in integrity and honesty, we expect you to do your part — reading the research and making educated decisions (Read: take responsibility for your actions!). We have also passed on reviewing products (not VFFs per se) that were provided to us for free but did not "cut the mustard." If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact us!

©2017 by Justin Owings