Product Review: Trialling a Trail Glove - Footwear engineered for the Great Outdoors

We were recently tasked with the opportunity to road-test a pair of our new Merrell kid’s trainers. As a grown-up ‘Merrell convert’ my expectations were automatically set to a very high standard. I was optimistic and hopeful that my semi-feral, 7 year old, who at times does literally climb the walls, would feel the same sense of freedom and comfort in his trainers as I do mine.

The first fantastic thing about these shoes, is that kids want to wear them. Quite often at HLS HQ we have customers tell us ‘I don’t think my child would wear them’...and who are we to deter our little people’s sense of style and free-will? Design is a key-factor in the manufacturer’s objectives, these trainers look contemporary and cool. Available in sizes UK10- UK6, in a range of appealing colours, Merrell have hit the perfect balance of healthy vs hip.

The Trail Gloves are recommended for a narrow-medium foot and are probably most comparable to Plae in terms of fit. They offer a massive amount of flexibility and nothing gives me more satisfaction than a shoe working so much in unison with the natural movement of feet. My little guy can be a bit of a reluctant shoe wearer. He usually kicks them off in the car, at the park and as soon as we enter a house. These are lightweight enough not to bother him and are his go-to shoe for everyday wear...known as his ‘comfy trainers’. They are light and breathable enough to be worn throughout summer, yet would probably dry off pretty quickly should you be caught off guard in a downpour.

Please, please do not be deterred by the laces, they are a faux feature, the shoes are easily put on and flung off, using a single Velcro strap, which affords a nice amount of adjustability across the top of the foot. Despite being zero-drop, these are possibly the grippiest form of footwear in our house at the moment, perfect for tree-climbing, rock-hopping and generally burning off never ending amounts of excess energy. Due to the non-marking sole and ease of use, I can also envisage the Trail Gloves being a very popular choice for school P.E bags.

We’re over a month in and in terms of durability the Merrell’s are holding up really well, they feel like a remarkably well-made, high quality product. I think they will appeal to sooooo many of our customer’s, being Vegan-friendly, competitively priced, lightweight, ‘most barefoot’ and zero-drop, the list goes on and on. I know that we will definitely be continuing to have our daily dose of exercise in this fabulous bit of footwear!!!