Product Details
- Size: 10 D(M) US
- Color: Castle Rock/Adventure Yellow
- Brand: Merrell
- Model: Barefoot Embark Glove GORE-TEX®
- Fabric type: leather-and-fabric
- Dimensions: .75 pounds
Features
- Synthetic leather and mesh upper
- GORE-TEX®Performance Comfort footwear lining protects feet and keeps them dry
- Merrell Omni-FitTM lacing System provides a precise, glove-like fit
- Microfiber footbed treated with Aegis® antimicrobial solution resists odor
- 4 mm compression molded EVA midsole cushions
Merrell Embark Glove GTX Trail Running Shoes - Men's Castle Rock/Adventure Yellow, 10.0
Product Description
Take on the roughest terrain without weighing down your feet with the Merrell Embark Glove Gore-Tex. This men's trainer has a 1mm shock absorption plates that protects your foot by distributing weight, so even though the shoes have a lightweight, glove like fit you don't have to worry about stepping on roots or rocks. Gore-Tex® lining protects feet as well as keeping your foot completely dry. Barefoot, Minimal, or Trail Running; with the Merrell Embark Glove Gore-Tex the only word you'll want to use to describe these running shoes is favorite
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Best. Shoe. EVER! Can I give more than 5 stars??
By Rainy Day Runner
Let me first start off by saying that I have very normal, boring feet. No funny shapes, not wide, no bunyons, no oddly shaped toes, etc. They tend to be very forgiving. I was looking for a shoe I could trail run and hike in. I have run in normal Merrell trail shoes (more like a beefy hiking shoe) and felt like the arch was way too high, and heavy. I have also run in my Asics 2160s and they work fine, but got soaked and muddy in the Washington winter mud. I'm a fan of minimal shoes and own several pairs of Fivefingers. I love them but I don't love it when they are covered in mud and fill with murky, muddy water. In essence, I was looking for something minimalist (4mm heel drop or less) and waterproof.Now enter Embarks. Wow. Amazing. They fit my foot like a...uh....glove. I will say that I plan on using socks with them. Not because the interior is uncomfortable, but because I am not a fan of sweaty, smelly feet. I used these today on a popular, very technical, super muddy trail. The are the perfect balance between my Fivefingers and a beefier trail shoe. The sole is quite stiff, which was good for the rocks and also help preserve energy. The upper is very lightweight and the laces can be adjusted to provide tightness wherever you want it most. The tread was enough to keep me from sliding on the uphill. (I always wear Kahtoolas on the downhill) But the best part was that my feet stayed COMPLETELY dry! I never had any sensation of any water seeping in. It was weird to step in cold mud, have water cover the entire toe area, and stay totally dry. LOVE IT!The flat heel drop will allow me to still trail run with a fore to midfoot strike, thus reducing stress on my joints. They weigh virtually nothing so my feet felt at least 2 lbs lighter. I cut time off the hike this morning just based on that and it felt great! I will be doing a half marathon trail run in a few days so if I notice anything different, I will post an update. If I don't, then just know that I continue to love them.Update 4/1/2012:I ran a very wet and muddy half marathon trail run yesterday in the Embarks. I can say that for the first half of the race, my feet were totally dry and felt good, despite going through many puddles and lots of mud. By the second half of the race, the only wetness I could feel was from the water soaking my socks and seeping into the shoe. My toes still felt totally dry. Next time I trail run in them, I will combine them with a low gaiter to keep my socks from getting soaked. I think this will ensure that my entire foot stays dry. It was nothing short of awesome to step in a puddle and not feel any water touch my foot. This trail had a fair amount of rocks, and at the very end, I could feel that the pads on the bottom of my feet were just a bit tender, due to the lack of padding. This is expected with this shoe since it is a minimalist shoe. I would say if you prefer to do a full heel strike, get a different shoe like the Cascadia. These shoes support a midfoot strike perfectly.The laces stayed consistently tight the whole time. The tread worked well on uphill portions where the lateral tread at the front of the shoe bit into the trail. It appeared that I slipped less on the trail than other runners, likely due to my foot placement, but also in thanks to the grip of the sole. The tread pattern also shed the mud quite well and didn't cake up. All in all, I'm very happy with them!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.Big splash of success in BWCA: Kevlar minimalist shoes.
By Jeff
Recently used these shoes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area while co-leading a tour group. Since going 'barefoot'with running and walking (minimalist shoes), I no longer own any old, clunky leather hiking boots or the conventional-wisdom expensive, heavy, technical boxy BWCA footgear. Of my remaining VFFs and other minimalist footgear, these Merrells had the sturdiest soles so I took them and crossed my fingers.Unbelievable. BWCA portage trails can be ridiculous with jagged, rain or wetland-wet granite shards, downfall wood, mud, unnoticed stick-up-tripper stumplets and roots, steep inclines and descents. And you're doing this with a 40-80 pound canoe on your shoulders, and/or full packs and Duluth packs. The opportunities for slipping, a jabbed foot sole, stubbed/gashed toe or twisted ankle are endless.While my colleagues trudged and stomped and swore and slipped up and down portages, over logs, boulders and muck, I nearly danced up an over the same portages and obstacles. Including sure footing over wet rocks above and under water. (You have to use some common sense here: these shoes will not forgive a stupid foot-placement on an underwater mossy rock in the rapids, okay?)Ankle support. You know, the great thing about being a barefoot walker/runner is you actually develop strong ankles and individual foot muscles because you are USING them, unlike the flaccid, pudgy feet of most folks wearing plastic "foot coffins" all day long. As a barefoot runner/walker, you quickly learn to watch where you're stepping, use all the available ankle angles and lower leg muscles, joints and connective tissue. (I'm a certified sports/medical massage therapist). In other words, you develop strong, skilled, muscular, capable feet well equipped to handle nearly any surface. You don't NEED "ankle support" if you have (or develop) strong ankles. Cave men/women and warriors throughout history didn't need "ankle support." "Ankle support" usually translates as "splinted, unmoveable ankles" like wearing a lesser ski boot. Which of course drastically reduces the ankles natural range of motion on sideways slopes, up or down hill angles. You clunk along like Frankenstein wondering why your feet hurt and your legs are so tired. Hmmm. Maybe we need more "ankle support" :) Could this conventional wisdom have anything to do with the fact that the big clunky hiking footgear sells for more? That the Frankenstein boots create a dependency on their own product because they allow/promote weaker ankles and flaccid, sensitive feet and soles?I wear thin smartwool socks with these Merrells and have zero issue with blisters or chafing. And in BWCA my feet were basically underwater ten hours a day. They did stay dry until the water was over the ankles, of course. With all due respect to the complaining customer above, only an amateur would wear a brand new, unbroken-in pair of shoes or boots on a challenging outdoor trip. That is just begging for trouble/injury. Any runner or outdoorsperson knows you don't test new gear the first time in a new/remote/risky situation. So I knew these shoes well before I hit the trail, but as winter running shoes only.At one point in BWCA, we had to slog through an African Queen/Bogart-Hepburn scale wetlands, hip-deep in muck, lilly pads and cattails dragging the canoes. I could not see the Merrells because they were three feet below the surface in a foot of mud. A lesser design could easily have come off, sucked back in the muck with each step forward. But they held on tight. Back at camp they dried quickly and were all set for the next damn day's worth of portaging. At home they cleaned up easily with water and a little scrubbing.I bought these for winter/snow running originally, to keep feet dry with gaitors and warm socks. Which they do: I have "cold" feet even in summer (6'-3" and 170 lbs) but these keep my feet toasty warm and dry in thin and deep snow in near-zero temps.Buy these. I wear with thin socks, but once broken in these would be fine for bare feet. (Mine ran a size too big: buy a half- or whole-size smaller than normal). I prefer the VFFs for skin-in-shoe running as they are much softer and flexible on the inside, give you a better ground feel. But for tough terrain, rocks and safety, these are worth every penny. Like, Kevlar minimalist shoes.JeffSouth Bend, IN
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.Great Winter Barefoot shoes
By Faith Dusky
Since I got these a few months ago I have thought that I should write a review...but after yesterday, I cannot wait any longer. I have been wearing barefoot shoes almost exclusively for about eight months, and these Embarks for three months. I live in north central Wisconsin, and I have worn these through snow, slush, rain, slush, and snow. I was happy from the start that they keep my feet dry. These have been my everyday, everywhere shoes, not running shoes. So the kicker that made me finally write my review... I was out playing with the kids when my husband brought out the snowshoes. I was too lazy to go put snow boots on so I just strapped myself in wearing the Embarks, and went. I fully expected to have to turn around soon and get different shoes, but I was impressed to see those shoes did just fine. The snow averaged 6 inches, sometimes less, sometimes more. I stayed out for maybe 45-60 minutes. I fell a few times- my jeans got wet, but not my feet!I haven't tried wearing these without socks, because it is too darn cold, but they are perfectly comfortable with my winter socks. I agree with one reviewer that says these are not a real thin barefoot shoe, and I think that is just the nature of the beast ... for this shoe's particular purpose.Very happy with my purchase. I would not have been able to continue wearing barefoot shoes throughout winter withoutthem. Another note, I am a female with large feet and, sadly, can't fit into the women's shoes, so I am left with the men's options. I have the black/blue Embarks. They are not pretty by any means but they are attractive enough without looking too manly... or so my husband assures me.
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