Trail

Merrell Morphlite

Merrell's light road-to-trail runner — enough lug for gravel and hardpack, close enough to a road shoe for the pavement either side.

The Morphlite is the shoe Merrell points at a run that starts on pavement and finishes on a path. A 27 mm heel of FloatPro foam and a 7 mm drop keep it close to a road trainer, while shallow 2 to 3 mm lugs give it enough bite for gravel and hardpack.

It suits you if most of your week is easy mileage across mixed surfaces and you would rather own one pair than two. At around 240 g it is light for something carrying any lug at all.

It is not a mountain shoe. On wet roots or loose rock the tread runs out of grip quickly, and there is no rock plate under the forefoot to save you on sharp ground.