Zero Drop Running Shoes

This buying guide looks at the best zero drop approach shoes with solid sticky sole and zero drop from toe to heel.

1. Astral loyak (for men)
2. Altra’s graffon approach shoe (for men and women)
3. Merrell trail glove 4 (for men and women)
4. Xero terraflex (for men and women)

If you are looking for minimalist approach shoes, then read the reviews to find out more details.

Astral Loyak (for men)

The Astral’s Loyak is an minimalist approach shoe meant for the outdoors, in both wet and dry conditions.

What I like:

• Grip: It has the extra-grippy G.15 rubber sole that makes it so ideal for outdoors. Whether is it walking on wet rocks, or climbing jagged limestone, the grip is incredible. You almost feel like a gecko with these on your feet.
  

• Wide toe box

• Drys quickly: The shoes has holes for water drainage while having a quick dry mesh. Great if you need to step into water during your outdoor hike.

• Comfort: Despite its powerful sole, the shoe itself is comfortable with its soft leather and breathable mesh. You can walk around with these all day without much problem.

• Stylish: Another thing that makes the loyak suitable for casual wear is it slick design. Most outdoor or approach shoes looks bulky but these look very sleek.

• Stink resistant: Due to the shoes getting wet, a lot of them tend to develop some kind of smell. The Loyak is surprising resistant to this. You simply have to wash them after every outdoor usage to remove the foot smell.

What can be improved:

• Nothing

Sizing is most accurate but some said the shoes run a bit smaller than usual. I ordered mine with no adjustment and they fit well. I have regular feet.

Altra Graffon Approach Shoe (for men and women)

Altra is one of my favorite brands for zero drop shoes and they have finally released 2 approach shoes! One is called the wahweap and the other is this graffon shoe.

After trying 2 of them, I decided that graffon is the better shoe because it has a softer sole. The wahweap has a very stiff sole and I think using for everyday walking will be challenging.

What I like:

• Grip: Good grip on terrains like slopes, loose rocks surfaces etc. On wet surfaces, it is not as sticky as loyak but better than Xero’s terraflex.

• No break in needed

• Generous toe box

• Comfortable and light weight

What can be improved:

• Improving grip for wet surface

For sizing, I find graffon to be slightly shorter and narrower than the Altra lone peak. I would recommend that you order 1/2 size bigger than what you would normally order at Altra.

Merrell trail glove 4 (for men and women)

The Merrell trail glove 4 is another good shoe, coming from a brand that specializes in outdoor footwear.

What I like:

• Traction: This shoe provide good traction on upward and downward slopes. However, it is not sticky, like what the Loyak model has. If you wanted this shoe to provide stability on say slippery surface, it will not. However for technical trails, the traction threads are aggressive enough.

• Comfortable: The upper is stretchable and soft that allows you to tie the shoes tight without causing any skin abrasion.

• Roomy toe box: Has plenty of room for your toes to wriggle. However, it seems to shrink from trail glove 3. 

What can be improved:

• Price: I find the Merrell shows to be always more costly. This model, for example, costs 30% more than the Astral’s Loyak with no significant improvement in quality. That is why I have become less enthusiastic for Merrell than other brands over the years. 

Sizing wise, it is is true sizing.

Xero Terraflex (For men and women)

The Xero Terraflex is a trail running shoe with solid sole grip for different terrains. The best thing about Xero is their 5000 mile guarantee. If the shoes fall apart before that, you can ask the company for an exchange.

What I like:

• Grip: The 4mm lugged sole gives you a lot of traction on slippery slopes or terrains with lots of sand and pebble. However, this one down side that I will mention later.

• Comfortable and lightweight

• Wide toe box: Xero shoes always come with wide toe box. So much so that they sometimes can look like clown shoes if you are wearing a big size.

• Customer service: Xero really has good customer service that makes exchanging your shoes very quick and easy.
  

What can be improved:

• Slippery when wet: The slopes can lose its usually solid grip once it is wet. I am not sure if it is a problem from the materials they used. Be careful when stepping on wet rocks!

• Quality consistency: I think there are some manufacturing issues because you get wide range of responses in terms of how long the shoe can last. While some can last as long as a year, others fall apart within 1-2 months. The good news is the guarantee makes it easy to change for a new pair if you happen to get a lousy quality pair.

SIzing runs a bit small so you need to order 1/2 a size bigger. If you have really big feet, you might even need to order 1 full size larger.

Guide to buying minimalist approach shoes

• Zero drop: ensure the shoe is really zero drop and not just a low drop. There are some companies that claim their shoes are for barefoot but have slight cushioning at the heel to raise the drop from 0 to 3-5mm.
  

• Wide toe box: another important characteristic of zero drop shoes is the wide toe box. This is especially relevant for hiking or rock climbing when you don’t want your toes to be squished together.

• Sticky rubber sole: This is a critical part of any approach shoe. This will enable you to maintain good traction on tricky outdoor terrain like wet surfaces, pointy rocks etc. Most zero drop running shoes will not have such a feature.
  

• Good material for upper: For your shoes to last, the material for the upper must be good quality canvas and/or mesh. They must be able to withstand both dry and wet conditions.
  

• Stink resistant: Since approach shoes might need to get wet, they can develop quite a bit of smell. Hence, any good approach shoes need to be stink resistant if you want to avoid smelly feet.
  

Conclusion

Approach shoes are starting to get the attention of zero drop shoe makers. It is still early but there are some very promising zero drop approach shoes on the market today. As more models are developed, I will be updating this page.