Mesa Trail: Trail Running Shoe (Men)

Bought these late last year and I've probably done a couple of hundred km I them... the outsole is trashed; slipping on parts of trail like I'm wearing a pair of sneakers. Good shoe for trail in theory, but seems like your paying anywhere from 50c to a $1 for each km you travel. Past hikers have lasted years and over 1000km for similar price. Would recommend if they were about a third of the price.

After many year of running in regular shoes, I was getting serious foot/shin pain - enough to stop me running. I bought the Xero Mesa Trail in the hope that I could continue running. I've had them about a month now, and I must say I am very impressed. These are the first 'barefoot' shoes I've owned. I've been taking it very easy, getting used to the new running style, but I'm already running with no issues. These are easily the most comfortable shoes I've had. They are light weight, and are very well made. I run on a mixture of road/rocky-trails, and the grip seems perfect for this. Together with the flex in the sole I never feel like I'm slipping. I love these so much that they have become my default walking shoe too. My only slight gripe is that I find the tougue tends to slip to the side when worn; this very pretty minor though and doesn't affect the fit at all (it may be the shape of my feet). I can 100% recommend these.

After having bought some sandals in the mid 2010’s I’ve been a convert to barefoot style footwear for work and fun. I’ve mostly run in VFFs for many years, and had Vivobarefoot shoes for work/leisure. The problem with VFFs is that they have a defined toe pattern, and if your second and third toes are longer than your first, you either stub your toenails in your normal sized shoe, or wear a shoe that is too big if you size one up, making your other toes slip out of their pockets. After switching to vivobarefoot for running, their problem is that their shoes are very wide even in the middle and again have a defined shape at the front. I found myself sliding around in the upsize, or again hurting my toes in the normal. For the last year I’ve used Merrell but they are very narrow and have a strong arch, I could literally feel my feet tighten with every week. So, I’ve come back to the brand of my first barefoot purchase. Xero shoes have come a long way from those early beginnings and their shoes actually look nice now while still being true to the barefoot huarache principles! I bought the Mesa in my normal size. It runs a little small I think, and the toe protection is a little low for my toes, so I took out the insole giving me a pretty good fit. Doing up the laces tightly the run on flat and uphill is just awesome, when going downhill my middles toes just so slightly touch the front but I don’t think it’ll lead to bruised nails, time will tell. One thing I will keep an eye on is the big toe protection, I find the little lip there too small and if I lift my toe it protrudes just next to it, on the soft mesh. I’ve had this with the the vivobarefoot and Merrell ones too, so may be specific to my foot shape or my big toe pointing a bit inwards from my early years wearing narrow-toed shoes; I’ll have to monitor if the mesh will rip there as it did with others. Perhaps some toe splayers will help me avoid this. The running has been so pleasurable though, a big uplift from the tight Merrell shoes. I can feel my feet contour bigger rocks, I can feel the smaller ones pushing my soles which will help gain some more flexibility of the tiny bones there. The ground feel without the insole is great without hurting. And the traction on Australian rocky/dirt trails is splendid. I don’t know if I’ll be able to prove the 5000 mile guarantee but looking at my old sandals, they are still going strong! Laces are good too, they stay on well once tied, something that doesn’t apply to most previous shoes; they always loosened or came undone. So a solid 4 stars, some extra use and wear will determine if they are 5 stars, I am pretty confident they will be!

Plenty of grip and nice and light. Very comfortable.

Great shoes to wear, comfortable fit, durable upper. Unfortunately the lugs wear quickly and are hollow when worn down, exposing the innersole. Wouldn't recommend for gravel or rocky surfaces.

I am at the upper limit of Women's sizing and I would have preferred this shoe in Women's US11 if it wasn't so short in the length. Foot volume is perfect in women's version. I upgraded to Men's US10 to get the length and they fit well however I have gained some unneeded toe box width. Would love to see a Women's US11.5 and US12 in this shoe. All up the Men's version will do at present despite wrinking at toe mesh. They do feel very comfortable and I can understand why you would go to bed in them. Very sock like. Not tested on trail but I like them indoors.

These feel like they aren’t even there! So light and comfy and a perfect anatomical fit for my foot. Xero shoes Australia sorted out a mixup with the sale very quickly and gave me a great deal. Xero are a great company to deal with and these will be great for my next crazy challenge!

Shoes is everything I look for in a minimal trail shoe. Light, rugged, slight cushion, wide toe box. Would like to see a slightly more aggressive lug option. Shame because my shoes are too small. I’m a size 13 and have never had sizing issue with countless other shoes I’ve owned before this. Maybe size up

My 1st time wearing “barefoot” style shoe. Have found them to be very comfy an whilst they felt a bit strange to begin without all the heel an arch support, I find them to be a very good shoe and I am much more aware of my foot placement when running