Merrell’s MTL Long Sky 2 is a case study in doing more with less. Created by the incubator-like Merrell Test Lab and released in July, the design of this performance trail-running shoe was inspired by Dutch trail-running champion Ragna Debats. Merrell is great at making heavy, tough “rhinoceros shoes,” Debats told the team—but she wanted cheetah shoes. “How do we take things out of the shoe while maintaining durability?” thought Merrell product-line manager Jon Sanregret. The Long Sky 2 offers efficient water drainage and strong traction, while reducing weight by about 10% with a revamped protective rock plate and lightweight foam material. It’s the lightest shoe that can easily handle highly technical terrain.
Buy Now: MTL Long Sky 2
- Succession Was a Race to the Bottom, And Everybody Won
- What Erdoğan’s Victory Means for Turkey—and the World
- Why You Can't Remember That Taylor Swift Concert All Too Well
- How Four Trans Teens Threw the Prom of Their Dreams
- Why Turkey’s Longtime Leader Is an Electoral Powerhouse
- The Ancient Roots of Psychotherapy
- Drought Crisis Spurs U.S.-Mexico Collaboration
- Florence Pugh Might Just Save the Movie Star From Extinction