The TerraFlex II is an update to the best-selling original featuring a more abrasion and water-resistant upper — with no sacrifices to any of the trail-gripping traction, secure fit, and all-day comfort that people loved about the TerraFlex.
The Xero TerraFlex II is a high-performance minimalist trail running, walk, and hiking shoe that lets you feel connected to your world utilizing their lightweight barefoot-inspired design. The wicking mesh upper keeps your feet cool and dry, while the aggressively lugged sole provides functional traction and grip. Terrain bumps and undulations are softened by the TrailFoam embedded inside the FeelTrue rubber sole. The heel cinch and adjustable mid-foot webbing give you a secure and stable fit, while the wide toe box lets your toes splay and flex to invigorate your stride and provide comfort and relaxation.
Impressions
The first thing I noticed after wearing the TerraFlex II was the uber wide toe box that allowed my toes to splay out, offering up oodles of comfort and relaxation. The TerraFlex II is amazingly flexible and is close to noodly when bent by hand, but they fit like a glove and are secure when tightened down properly with the laces, minus the roomy comfort zone in the toe box.
The Huarache-inspired heel cinch strap is attached to the laces and loops through the sole and back around the upper rear of the heel. It works exceptionally well and helps pull your heel and foot down into the shoe, which provides a secure, connected, and stable fit without any heel lift. The separately adjustable instep straps allow you to lock down your instep for stability while still letting your toes move around comfortably. The laces are a bit thick and, on occasion, will loosen up and untie and require a retightening.
The Chevron tread design is decently aggressive and 4mm tall and provides plenty of traction and grip on rocks, roots, dirt, and pretty much any terrain I tossed them on. Even though the TerraFlex II is a barefoot-style shoe, the 6.5mm sole has the FeelTrue rubber compound and embedded 3mm layer of TrailFoam to soften blows. It’s thick enough, and the lugs tall enough that I never felt like I was being battered and pulverized during use on rugged terrain.
The Tough Tek front toe bumper provides lots of protection to your foot and dramatically improves the shoe’s durability. The supple outsole section along the bottom edge has been decently rugged. Even with the extra protection and light cushioning, they are still minimalist shoes with a great grounded barefoot feeling and feedback design.
The thin insole can be removed for a closer to barefoot feel, but I didn’t find it necessary, and I always left it in.
The TerraFlex is flexible, but they fit like a glove and are secure when tightened down properly with the laces, minus the roomy comfort zone in the toe box. You can easily smoosh and crumple the TerraFlex into a ball and twist the sole.
The mesh uppers are pretty breathable, lightly water-resistant, and wick moisture well, and I never felt like the shoes got overly hot in any weather. There is a decent amount of foam padding around the heel and ankle for optimal cushioning, and even though the tongue is thinly padded, it was more than adequate for comfort.
Bottom Line
The Xero TerraFlex II minimalist barefoot design shoe is light, agile, twistable, and flexible, which allows the foot to feel and conform to the ground and stretch and move naturally. Even with those minimal attributes, the combination of the mesh outsole, bumper toe box, insole, FeelTrue rubber sole, and its embedded TrailFoam and Chevron lugs provides lots of comforts, protection, grip, and traction. The zero-drop design lacks internal and arch support and is excellent for minimalist runners, users, and hikers.
The Xero TerraFlex II is a high-performance, proper minimalist trail running and hiking shoe that lets the toes and feet move, bend, flex and feel the way they’re meant to. When snugged down with the laces and the integrated strap system, which cinches down over the instep and pulls the foot down into the rear, they’re stable and secure, while the toe box allows your toes tons of room to splay and wiggle.
Compared to its predecessor, I found it slightly more stable, with a beefier toecap, along with improved abrasion and water-resistant upper.
Click here to purchase the TerraFlex II
Note: The shoes we reviewed were received for free, and we are a #PaidXeroAffiliate. Detailed Compensation Disclaimer
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