New BalanceMen's Minimus V1 Trail Running Shoe, Black/Phantom/Plains, 14

I was looking for an ultralight alternative to hiking boots. I've had good luck on sizing with New Balance before, so I took the chance of ordering these. Overall the fit is a little small compared to other New Balance styles. However, the sneakers preformed better than I'd hoped.First these are either zero drop or are very close to it. I felt pain in my Achilles tendons after wearing these a few days. I had to go back to my regular shoes and let my tendons heal. I went back to these wearing the MT10V1 only an hour a day in the house. It wasn't long before I could wear them all day, even doing yard work or shopping. Then I headed out to do some trail runs and hike.Eventually I changed the laces out for Lock Laces. This improved the overall comfort by a huge margin.Finally after breaking them in for 3+ months, I headed out to the Pemi Loop for a 30+ mile hike on the boulders and mud of the White Mountains. I've included a picture to show you just how rough the trail could be.During my hike I wore a 20 pound pack. Since I took the time to strengthen my ankles and joints gradually, I never once felt I didn't have enough support in these trail runners on my hike. There preformed well beyond my expectations. Amazing traction on wet and muddy rock, scree, anything. Excellent trail shoes. My only word of warning is they are quite well ventilated. It was very easy to get water seepage into the shoe. This is not a criticism. Just an observation.I will buy these again and again. They are now my favorite sneaker.

I've been flat-footed my entire life and suffered through years of people telling me I should get inserts and orthotics and highly cushioned shoes blah blah blah. These shoes are the best shoe I've come across, and I've tried a lot of them, to include my fair number of toe shoes. I have extremely wide feet due to my collapsed arches (when I say collapsed, I mean when I get out of the pool, I leave rectangles with toes on the concrete, not footprints), and these fit PERFECTLY. The toe box is nice and wide, and not a weird (probably normal for most people) angle - it's mostly straight, so my toes have plenty of room to spread out and work, instead of rub against each other. This is my second pair, and I can honestly say my first pair lasted about 2.5 years before I should have replaced them, but instead kept running them until you could see daylight through the soles. I've worn them hiking, mountain biking, into rivers/ponds/lakes, bouldering, running, and to the gym all with no problems (except for on occasion I have had a stick jab me pretty good - never enough to break through the sole, but you definitely notice things most shoes hide). The only thing they can't protect you from, and this only applies out west (I had this issue in both Idaho and New Mexico) is "goat heads" on the trail/road/etc. If you've lived out west, you know what a goat head is, and it's not uncommon for them to make it through the soles of these shoes and give you a little sting on the bottom of your foot. It's even easier for them to really get you through the mesh upper of the shoes - goat heads go through that with no issues at all.All in all, these shoes are great, to include if you have collapsed arches. They do allow the muscles in your feet to really work so your feet may be tired more often than you think, but some work with a lacrosse ball will have you back on track. Definitely recommend these.

Bring it back!

These are my favorite running shoes -- my old pair has held up for at least 5 years, through 3 marathons, a trail marathon, and untold hours of gym time. The new pair has a slightly different color scheme; the mid-sole is a very dark blue, which doesn't show up terribly well in the product pictures, but still looks nice nonetheless.Going from my *fully* broken in pair to these made me realize how tight the heel area of the shoe is, right off the bat. Granted, these are made to support the mid-foot and heel, with a wide, flexible toe box that allows your toes to splay a bit and "grip the ground" as you run. I typically wear a US size 11.5 or 12; my previous pair of these was a size 12. I recommend going about a half size larger than you think you need, if you're not used to wearing this kind of minimalist shoe, just because of the "odd" shape -- that is, narrow heel, wide toe box.The materials are all very durable, soft in all the right places, and contoured to the foot so everything fits snugly without any loose bits to rub and give you blisters. While the sole isn't terribly thick, it still has enough cushion to add a little bit of comfort to every step, without seriously detracting from "road feel," or limiting mid- and fore-foot strike. All in all these are my favorite shoes, and I highly recommend them for anyone looking for a very comfortable - but still minimalist - shoe.