Merrell

Trail Glove 7 A/C Sneaker - Kids'

Nice but hard for son to get on.

The bare foot toddler water shoes were easier for my son to get on. These are much stiffer and hard for him to get on with the stiff heal. Well made great traction for trails.

Well worth it

Great traction. This is what I was looking for. The shoes were pricey, but on sale. The only reason I did not give a higher score is that they stained immediately. But they really helped my twins climb!

Too narrow

The toe box is significantly narrower than the previous model. I'm going to return them.

Perfect kid’s shoe.

Bought this for my 7yr old a year ago. They’re in perfect condition and have been great to develop her foot strength during everyday play and concentrated exercise.

Purchase with caution.

Toe separated after 2 weeks under normal wear. Sad.

Good Traction, A Few Suggestions for Improvement

I have bought several brands of minimalist, barefoot type shoes for my son. I am typically looking for: zero rise, flexible soles, good traction/grip, wide toe box. These shoes meet some of those criteria, I have yet to find a shoe that fits them all. What stands apart from the competition with the Kids Trail Glove 7 is the traction. It is superior. My son has Autism, low muscle tone, and low proprioceptive awareness (he has trouble knowing where is body is in an environment). The zero rise allows for maximum contact with the ground, increasing his body proprioception awareness, and decreasing falls, twists, and accidents. The traction also further decreases slips and falls. We will probably be repeat customers due to the shoes grip/traction keeping my son safer on the playground and hikes. However, the shoes are quite narrow. And I find the rubber soles to be quite stiff. I would love if newer versions of this shoe could keep its grip, but make a wider toe box, and increase the flexibility of the shoe (without giving me those slick vibram or otherwise soles). I noticed other reviewers mentioned durability. We have never had this issue, but my son is not very hard on his shoes. I will say they have been exposed to the elements a lot, as we are outdoorsy, and they have cleaned up well after being caked in mud, trudged through streams, and been on many hikes through the forest.

Good but not great, sadly.

We got these shoes a couple of weeks ago and the sole already unglued from the shoe. They’re very comfortable my son loves them but I’d say quality isn’t top tier.

Comfortable but Poor quality

Very disappointed with the quality of these shoes. I got them for my 9 year old son for school gym/recess and to run a 5K in. Less than 4 months later they are nearly ready for the trash. It’s super unfortunate because he loves them, they are comfortable and flexible with zero rise. These characteristics are hard to find in kid shoes. This is the second pair of this shoe I’ve gotten for him. I wasn’t going to since the first pair wore out really fast too, but he liked them so much that I was hopeful the second time around they would be better made. Kids should grow out of their shoes before they wear them out.

We’re a repeat customer for same shoe, great for ninja training

Please make more of these!

It’s hard to find well made, flexible soled kid shoes that are also stylish, comfortable at a decent price. My kid loves them.