Merrell Men's Bare Access Ultra Trail Running Shoe

This is a review for the bare access ultra, mix master 2, and mix master tuff. First off, I was trying to find a good hiking/backpacking shoe. You might be thinking, why a running shoe and not a boot? The conventional wisdom for hiking may be to buy a boot with plenty of ankle support. However, since using barefoot style running shoes for a couple of years now I find that unnecessary. Traditional hiking boots also add a ton of weight and ankle support is not necessary if you have strong ankles, the shoe just gets in the way. So on with the review.Out of the 3 shoes that I tried I liked the mix master 2 the best. The ultra was lightweight and I felt it did not impede my natural motion. I own the bare access 2 which is one of my favorites and upon weighing the two shoes I found they were almost exactly the same. This is impressive considering the ultra has much more cushioning. So, it is a light weight shoe that comes in a decent color and offers some interesting features. However, This shoe had the worst lacing system and too much arch support. The point of the arch on the foot is partly for some shock absorption. By creating a high arch support the shoe takes away some natural bounce from your feet. After wearing them around the house for 30 minutes my feet wear surprisingly sore. They are well made and I think the idea Merrell had was right on the money. These may work well for some but not me. The tuff also sounds like a great idea but in the end I liked the mix master 2 more. The tuff are the heaviest of the 3 and the bottom of the heel sometimes scrapes slightly when the foot comes up. They offer good traction and are fairly comfortable. They also have the best lacing system of the 3. The color I had (ice/parrot) was horrible, but on sale. Why anybody wants bright green shoes I will never know. Overall, the tuff is a decent shoe but not for my purposes. The mix master 2 was definitely the best one. This was the second lightest, did not impede my natural motion and was very comfortable. One of the downsides I initially considered was that it was not zero drop. However, after wearing it, I did not notice this at all. I have not taken the mix master on a trail yet but I am looking forward to seeing how it performs. All three shoes were purchased in an 11.5 and I have found Merrell to have very consistent sizing. I tried on a Moab ventilator in a store last week and this is one of the few shoes that was very different, probably a whole size too small.