Merrell Men's Bare Access 3 Trail Running Shoe

I'm not a career runner or athlete or anything like that, but I got these shoes to help get healthy with the wife by doing a few miles of walking here and there.That said, for continuous walking / running, these shoes are very comfortable. They're light, breathable, and naturally and comfortably wrap around your foot.However, they are not made, at all, for standing in. There is minimal heal support on these shoes, with the belief that, if you're walking briskly or running, you won't be planting your heal anyway. Over time, this trains your brain to push the front of your foot forward and walk on the balls of your feet (as you should; it's been shown to be healthier). The caveat is, that if you wear these shoes because they seem comfortable, then start doing something that requires you to be on your feet for long periods of time, you will quickly regret it. They cause you to lean back ever so slightly, which in turn causes you to correct to stand up straight. That, and the lack of support under the heal, causes your foot, especially the arch, to ache after a couple of hours.Even still, they're quite good for walking long distances in. Running, I wouldn't know. So take my review with a grain of salt.

I've had these shoes for a little over a month. I had intended to work them into my rotation of running shoes, but was waiting on my other shoes to wear down a bit more. So, in the meantime, I was wearing these shoes as an everyday walk around shoes. First, upon arrival, the shoes were extremely stiff and the heel was very hard. Fortunately, after a few hours of walking around, they loosened up. Now, I noticed that the right sole is separating from the shoe and all of the silver stripes on the sides are coming off. I am a very firm supporter of Merrell shoes and have had no issues in the past with durability. However, I will never again purchase this model.

After a short few runs both soles started delaminating. I have had a couple other models of running shoes from Merrell and have been happy with them. Maybe this is a rare problem. I have contacted Merrell and notified them of the problem. It has been several days and have not heard anything back yet. I will update later.The overall feel of the shoe I was happy about. Great toe room in this model as their other shoes. They are very lightweight and comfortable. If they replace the shoes with a quality lasting pair my rating will be 5 stars.

Just read "Anatomy for Runners" and wanted to switch to a minimalist type shoe to allow the foot to work as nature intended: with flatter-foot landing, wide and free toes, and the foot's natural "arch shock absorber design" (huge arch supports in a shoe prevent the natural flex of the foot arch on impact). I'm happy with these, and it was a relatively easy transition from my Asics Kayanos.I've had many Merrell shoes in the past, and always liked the comfort, fit, and style. After a couple weeks with these (and my first half-marathon with them yesterday), I can say I'm very happy.They're super light weight yet have some cushion, which is nice on rough road portions of my runs. Even with the cushion, my feet still get good sensory feedback from the road, and my toes are open/free and comfortable. They fit as expected, and I'll be using them for all my road runs!

These are minimalist shoes. If you don't know exactly what that means, either don't buy them, or do some research. I find these to be a solid choice for those who want a bit more cushioning, but still want the 'barefoot' feel. I've had three pair of these shoes over the last few years, as well as 2 or 3 other pairs of Merrell minimalist shoes, and I like them a lot. I really like New Balance minimalist and two shoes, too, but with some old injuries, I usually need just a bit more cushioning, while still staying in the minimalist style. These work great for me, and they may work for some runners who wish to use them as transitioning shoes, as they try to adapt to a minimalist running style.

I had a different model that had half the cushion, which I loved. If you are accustomed to going much closer to barefoot, it may be too much cushion. If you are used to standard, elevated heal running shoes, it may not be enough. They are truly zero drop, which is great. The rubber on the bottom of the shoe is so thin, that I wore through it in no time flat. I sometimes scrape my left heal due to an old Achilles injury, but I've never had a shoe wear through so fast. I ended up having to use Shoe Goo to cover the "bald" spots. This allows me to continue to use them.

Plenty of room in the toe box compared to other brands (Brooks always runs tight for me in that area). Arch support good. These are lightweight trainers so I expect them to wear out in 6-9 months of use like my other Merrells. Wish they lasted longer like other brands I've use (Brooks, Asics, New Balance). Have not found a better fitting low to no-rise shoe for me, so will stick with this as long as they stay true to what they've made in the past.

I find the shoes comfortable and I like the arch support, but that is just the shape of my foot. My biggest problem with the shoe is the sole simply wore out too soon, after approximately 1000 miles of walking on the a paved walking trail in my neighborhood. I expect much more. My second problem with the shoes is the sole is slippery on some surfaces. I find the shoes tend to slip on pine needles and when the surface is wet. It is fine when I walk but I wonder if I was to be running on the same surface. It is probably fine on dirt trails but I wonder about wet rocky surfaces.

This shoe is fantastic for my problematic feet. They are supposedly a mens shoe but I am female and a size 7 with a slim foot but they were exactly the right length, and the additional width gives you lots of toe space but without feeling loose. They are so light to wear yet supportive you almost forget you have them on your feet.They look great and have worn well over the course of the many miles I have walked in them since purchased. I have since bought another pair in a different colour way as I wanted a pair for walking in rough terrain and another pair for day to day wear.The mesh sides are what allow the shoe to be breathable but on wet terrain it does not keep the water/moisture out! I have had to hand wash the shoes on two occasions using a very delicate detergent but the shoes washed and dried very well without suffering any damage.The price I paid ie £50 was great as I have seen them for at least £20 more elsewhere. I would never pay the full price though even though they are probably worth that.Fingers crossed I can still buy them for as long as I like to wear them and at the price I prefer to pay!

Great cross over/transitional shoe for those trying barefoot or simply an extremely comfortable sports shoe. I really like 'em and have no reservations in my recommendation of these shoes, great.

Has to be a 5 star based on comfort, durability and uniqueness. Was looking around at some shoes for running and free weights and they perform for sure. They arrived ridiculously fast and feel great - the front piece has great ventilation and the improved stability is noticeable. Just as comfortable with ankle socks as they are barefootWon't be my last pair of Merrells, I'm sure

Love these, so I bought several other pairs to make sure they last as long as possible before the "style" changes and the next one is not as suited to my feet as these are.

Husband loves Merrell shoes, bought the previous version in a shop, so knows exactly what size to buy. Excellent all around, best of its type!