Merrell Trail Glove 8 review

The Merrell Trail Glove 8 is a great option for:

• Individuals seeking a minimalist shoe that we endorse for everyday walking and hiking.
• Anyone that loves minimalist footwear who want a trail-ready shoe that delivers a natural, ground-connected feel.
• Runners interested in trying a zero-drop, barefoot shoe that moves easily between roads and trails.

Those planning to walk or run longer distances may find the limited shock absorption of the Trail Glove 8 uncomfortable. If you want a bit more cushioning without the high stack of modern shoes, we recommend the Altra Superior 7 instead.

We also believe that runners seeking an ultra-natural barefoot experience will be better off with the Vibram FiveFingers V-Trek.

We expected the Trail Glove 8 to fully prioritize ground feel over cushioning, and our shock absorption test leaves little room for doubt. It scored just 61 SA in the heel and 57 SA in the forefoot.

Those numbers translate into limited impact protection, especially on rocky descents where the foot repeatedly meets hard surfaces.

Merrell uses a thin FloatPro midsole made from basic EVA foam, and the rebound results reflect that choice. We measured 51.6% energy return in the forefoot and 51.7% in the heel, both below average. There's no standout bounce here, but that isn't the point of a Trail Glove anyway.

Our calipers revealed a heel stack of 15.2 mm, only slightly higher than Merrell's advertised 14 mm.

That's an exceptionally low platform compared with most modern trail shoes, and it keeps the foot close to the terrain. The result is a more direct sense of where you're landing, although there's much less material separating the heel from sharp rocks and hard-packed ground.

The minimalist design continues beneath the toes, where we measured exactly the same stack height: 15.2 mm.

A simple subtraction gives us a drop of exactly 0.0 mm, a rare case in our lab where the actual measurement perfectly matches the advertised specification.

Merrell truly delivers on its zero-drop promise here, and we love to see it.

FloatPro isn't intended to deliver a sinking-in sensation. Our softness test returned 39.1 AC, very close to our current average, confirming a relatively balanced underfoot EVA foam.

The cold-weather result was more encouraging: after our freezer test, the midsole became only 11% firmer. That's a better-than-average change and a useful strength for trail running, where temperatures during winter can drop dramatically.

The side profile of the Trail Glove 8 shows a fairly flat midfoot, only a modest rise toward the toes, and a very low heel. We believe this is the perfect setup for a minimalist model built to let the foot bend naturally and Merrell played it safe here.

Minimalist shoes are often associated with generous room, but that's not always the case in real life.

We measured 96.2 mm at the widest point, which lands very close to the trail-shoe average. But let's take a few more measurements...

The good news (for those looking for toe splay) is that the Trail Glove 8 opens up more toward the toes. We recorded 78.3 mm near the big toe, a roomy result. 

Our gel mold revealed a very generous 29.8 mm of toebox height.

That's useful for runners who dislike upper pressure on the toenails, particularly during repeated trail descents.

Merrell has replaced the EcoStep rubber from the Trail Glove 7 with Vibram TC5+, one of the biggest upgrades in this version. Naturally, we were eager to see how it performed in our traction test.

We measured a friction coefficient of 0.69, an impressive result for a shoe at this price point. While Vibram Megagrip would be too expensive for this category, we believe TC5+ is a smart choice.

Our measurements revealed 3.0-mm lugs, slightly shallower than average but deeper than the 2.5-mm lugs we found in the Trail Glove 7.

We think this strikes a great balance for packed dirt, gravel, and routes that combine trails with pavement, whether running or hiking. In our view, it's an ideal setup for the Trail Glove, and going any deeper would be a mistake.

The new lug design features wider spacing and delivers better traction on trails, replacing the maze-like pattern from version 7 that we found somewhat slippery.

In addition, we like the full-length rubber coverage and the FLEXConnect design, which uses horizontal grooves to promote natural forefoot bending and maintain the shoe's highly-flexible character.

If you're a RunRepeat regular, you know that hard facts > biased feelings. And the Merrell Trail Glove 8's flexibility is backed by numbers, with an impressively low reading of just 9.1N in our 30-degree bend test.

At 7.4 oz (210g) on our scale, the Trail Glove 8 is lighter than version 7 and also beats most competitors with ease.

That's especially welcome because Merrell still includes a full-length Vibram outsole, protective TPU overlays, and a well-padded collar.

There's more going on in the Merrell Trail Glove 8's upper than its minimalist profile might suggest. It combines mesh with TPU reinforcements for protection. But... could those extra details hold back ventilation?

Not by much, according to our smoke-pumping machine and digital microscope. The Trail Glove 8 earned a strong 4/5, with generous airflow through the material.

The Trail Glove 8 leaves stability entirely up to your feet, offering no assistance to keep them centered.

That's not a drawback at all. In fact, it's exactly what we expect from a minimalist shoe designed to deliver a natural feel. However, it's worth keeping in mind if you're looking for any kind of lateral support.

The shoe is exceptionally easy to twist, and our custom-built machine confirmed it with a torsional rigidity reading of just 7.1 Nm, far below average. This flexibility allows the sole to adapt readily when the ground isn't flat and helps to deliver a true natural-feeling experience.

We gave the heel counter a 1/5 in our test, which perfectly aligns with the shoe's barefoot-inspired philosophy. There's no rigid heel cup forcing the rearfoot into position, but once again, this means zero support from the shoe.

Measuring only 105.2 mm across the forefoot, the Trail Glove 8 has a noticeably narrower platform than average.

The compact platform adds to its nimble, barely-there character, although runners seeking a broad base for stability will find less surface area here than in most trail shoes. However, the ultra-low stack has its advantages, including less need for a wider midsole.

The heel follows the same compact formula. We measured just 81.0 mm!

The upper of the Trail Glove 8 looks fairly delicate at first glance, but the reinforced front is really tough. After our Dremel test, we awarded the toebox 4/5, an above-average result that deserves praise.

On the flip side, the heel lining scored just 2/5 in our durability test, leaving plenty of room for improvement, especially for runners who tend to wear through this area.

The Vibram TC5+ outsole delivered a strong result in our abrasion test. After putting it through our Dremel test, we measured a wear indentation of just 0.8 mm, nearly twice as good as the result we recorded in the Trail Glove 7.

In our view, this confirms that the switch to Vibram TC5+ is one of the biggest reasons to choose this eighth iteration.

We registered 1.6 mm of outsole thickness. That's consistent with its minimalist identity, where keeping the foot close to the ground matters more than building a heavy layer of rubber underneath.

Most shoes feature a removable insole, but the Merrell Trail Glove 8 is an exception, as its insole is non-removable.

The charcoal-and-gray upper looks good, but there's nothing on it designed to catch headlights.

The odd lacing system from its predecessor is gone, with Merrell opting for a simpler design that combines punched eyelets and lace loops, plus a central loop to keep the tongue in place.

One of the biggest weight-saving changes is found right here. Merrell reduced the tongue thickness from 8.3 mm in v7 to just 3.1 mm in v8, shaving off 5.2 mm of padding. Consequently, the shoe feels less plush and loses some step-in comfort, but we believe many runners will appreciate the trade-off, especially since it still felt pretty comfortable to us.

Merrell uses a burrito-style tongue, which is fully attached on the medial side and partially attached on the lateral side. 

This creates a snug, wraparound fit that keeps the tongue from shifting during runs while also providing better debris protection than a semi-gusseted design.

There's no heel pull tab on the Trail Glove 8.

The Trail Glove 8 retains the same US MSRP as its predecessor, which we appreciate given the upgraded Vibram TC5+ outsole. Moreover, it's a welcome exception in a market where most brands seem eager to raise prices at every opportunity.