Soft Star Shoes was one of the first companies that I discovered when I started searching for a truly minimal shoe over a year ago. Their products always caught my interest but as a beginning barefoot runner I just couldn't commit to buying a pair of RunAmocs. They were a bit too radical in appearance, minimalism, and honestly price. Now, as a more seasoned barefoot runner I was excited to see that Soft Star was introducing two new models, the DASH RunAmoc and the Moc3. Soft Star graciously offered to provide me with my choice of either model to review and test and encouraged me to explore their website so that I could make the choice that would fit me best. I was very impressed by the Soft Star Shoes “Elves” (as they call themselves) who were nothing but gracious and helpful while I made my tough decision on which model of shoe to choose. I was finally won over by the Moc3 due to the fact that the shoe was a slip-on and that the sole was a 2mm Vibram specially cut to allow extra flexibility while running.

I know that I have stated in an earlier post that I probably wouldn't do a review of the Merrell Trail Glove due to the fact that there were already so many reviews out there and that they are all so nauseatingly positive. Well, I'm going to recant that statement and do a review anyhow, but with a bit of a different spin. I do not run in my Trail Gloves and I really have no desire to. I have put a few miles on them and they performed beautifully. My main issue with running in them is that they were designed to excel on trails and at this point in my running life, I live on asphalt. Another issue is that I am fully in love with my huaraches and the more natural running experience that they provide. The Merrells are an awesome minimal running shoe but compared to the huaraches, they still have a lot of structure and therefore they alter the way your foot interacts with the ground. I personally prefer the way running in the huaraches makes my body feel and therefore have not taken the Trail Gloves out much at all, I probably have 10 miles of running on them. Why do I ramble on about why I haven't run in my Trail Gloves? Because I wanted it to be fully clear that this is not a review of running in them, but a review of wearing them daily for general use. They have become my new favorite shoe for general use and I love them dearly.