Merrell Fanatic Trail Running Shoes (For Men)

I run 5 miles a day in these shoes and then I take them to work where I am a trail guide, hiking about 10 miles a day on top of the running.

These shoes fit great, and the Vibram sole is very aggressive. Great for day hikes and scrambling. Then, a week after owning them, the sole starting delaminating from the midsole. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT from an otherwise great brand.

The cross (horizontally) ventilated soles catch & hold dirt. Take them off outside to save problems with the houskeeper (wife). Not enough arch support (for me). Otherwise great shoes.

These shoes are yet another great example of Merrell's exceptional footbed designs, which seem to suit my dogs perfectly. The soles and footbed on the Fanatic provide exceptional support and insane grip. My only gripes relate to the lacing system and the show sizing. The lace is a one-piece elastic job that is held tight by a plastic locking tab. The tab locks very well (too well?), but unlocking it to loosen the laces is diffcult, even for someone with decent grip strength. This said, once you find the right tightness to allow the shoe to be slipped on easily while keeping the shoe secure once on, the issue becomes moot. The sizing issue is a more general one with Merrells of late. I find the sizes to be a moving target. I have several other pairs of Merrells in various styles-- the sizes that offer a comfortable and secure fit range fron 9 to 10.5. That's silly.

A lot of discussion on closing these shoes. The tie does work, you need to use FORCE. Slightly annoying, but they are so comfortable and ,once you get used to them, easy to tie, that I still give it 5 stars