What's better Gore Tex trailrunners or regular trailrunners? I've been using non Gore Tex and have Sealskinz. But I usually wear my boots until threats of cold rain abate, and end up not using the Skinz. I'm going to need a new pair come springtime. Pros cons? Many of the trailrunners incorporate a lot of mesh. Does the Gore Tex make them too hot?

Some people don't like gortex boots/shoes because they do tend to make your feet sweat a bit. They really don't breath "out" very well. I like gortex boots because they *usually* keep water out of the boot when tramping through wet trail or wet grass. Nothing promotes blisters beter than wet shoes and socks.

The problem with gortex boots/shoes is often the seams will blow out or were not very good to begin with and let the water in anyway. I'm not sure of the utillity of gortex trail runners, as their cut so low to the ground, a lot of water is likely to come in over the top.

I guess if you have waterproof socks or liners when conditions are wet, quick dry, non gortex boots or shoes are the way to go.

For me, its a breathability thing. I'd rather have open meshy shoes in order to let my feet vent, that, and meshy shoes will dry faster.

So, for trail runners, I really see no need for gore tex, a pair of sealskins, neoprene or goretex socks would make the shoes much more flexible IMHO.

I used non-gortex trail runners during my thru hike. There were a few days of cold wet feet, but over all they worked great. Gortex has 2 problems. Gortex shoes take a lot longer to dry once wet. The other related problem is that they make your feet sweat.

Gortex makes sense in that 20-40 degree range. You most likely won't sweat, and you want tokeep your feet dry when it is cold. My experience below 20 is that most everything stays dry ... unless you break through some ice into a puddle.

The problem with gortex boots/shoes is often the seams will blow out or were not very good to begin with and let the water in anyway.

I
Agree.
I have always needed to treat seams and eyehooks/eyes on membraned footwear.

I have had one pair of low cut W/B shoes, and they absolutely cooked my feet. Even at 20*.

Which was a shame as they had a hard ridge across the sole and were the grippiest thing I ever had on ice/snow. If I could have found them unlined, I would have bought a whopperload. They were that hot. Did I tell you they were hot?

I wore Hardrocks through thick and thin for a over twelve months of weekend to week long hikes. Approx 700 miles. This year I added Keen TargheeII mids (event) to my winter hiking gear. I love non- goretex running shoes, except when it is cold and rainy with freezing temps at night. If you wear goretex ect... in warmer temps your feet will stay wet and it will be hard to dry those shoes out. In summer I wade creeks with my hardrocks and keep on walking - they dry out pretty quickly. Some folks claim their runners will dry in 30 minutes or less - but I'm not sure how. The main thing is that your feet will be dry unless it is raining or you are wading when wearing non-goretex, but with goretex they will be wet or damp all the time.

I'm anti-Gortex. I prefer mesh, and breathability. They may get wet, but then they will dry.

I don't bother(personally) with Gore-tex for a trailrunner or any shoe less than ankle height.

My next boots/trail runners won't be Gore-tex. Gore-tex is fine for short 1-2 day hikes, but if you're out there for weeks then they just never dry out. My feet sweat a lot, and I'm sure that the Gore-tex contributes to that. I'm not sure about switching over to mesh trail runners, as I think I might still want some form of waterproofing, but the boot has to have a chance of drying out in less than 3 days.

if your hiking in warm dry weather only u should go with non goretex . whether it is a boot or runner. now if your going to be in weather that is cooler and maybe a good amount of trail moisture u mite want goretex. whatever your choice good luck with them.. one thing to remember is that carrying weight on your back all day is demanding and a trail runner may not hold up as well as a lt weight boot. the boot will also provide more foot and ankle stability.;)

I need a pair of trailrunners/boots for winter hiking, but when I say winter, we are talking mid-altantic states...cold weather, but not more than a few inches of snow on the ground kind of hiking. I switched from boots to trailrunners on my thru when the weather got warmer, and now that I need cold weather shoes, I don't really want to go back to a high top shoe, so I was thinking gore-tex trailrunner, maybe in conjunction with a gaitor instead. Does this make sense or is my logic off? One of the threads above talked about bad seams, etc...does anyone else find that, or is that uncommon?

I used Goretex in 07 - non goretex this past summer. Non-goretex dries waaaay faster. Only problem is certain companies like North Face don't offer Vibram without goretex in the model I like to use. Went to Merrils vibram and no goretex - pretty happy with them.
But, and I can't believe I'm admitting this, the North Face were verrry comfortable and held up so well I still use them, as with the Merrill's.
For consistently dry feet though - No Goretex for me

No gore-tex for trail runners, but am trying out a pair of mid-height Hardrocks w/gore-tex for cold weather hiking. I'm more interested in the "warmth factor" than anything else. Jury's still out on that experiment.

Gortex makes sense in that 20-40 degree range. You most likely won't sweat, and you want tokeep your feet dry when it is cold. My experience below 20 is that most everything stays dry ... unless you break through some ice into a puddle.I'm thinking along the same lines. I think the most important thing in all conditions is to find a show that aborbs the least amount of water. Drying fast doesn't really help between 20F and 40F in snow. They will just stay wet, so then you either need them to be gortex lined, or to wear a gortex or vbl or neoprene sock over your thin or medium or thick sock. So the least water to begin with, and that will also mean less ice to melt when they freeze. I think there is a good case for leather in these conditions, as long as they are still as light and comfortable as trail runners, with just as good traction. Traction is really tested in 20F to 40F, especially on mixed trails of ice and rock and snow.

I need a pair of trailrunners/boots for winter hiking, but when I say winter, we are talking mid-altantic states...cold weather, but not more than a few inches of snow on the ground kind of hiking. I switched from boots to trailrunners on my thru when the weather got warmer, and now that I need cold weather shoes, I don't really want to go back to a high top shoe, so I was thinking gore-tex trailrunner, maybe in conjunction with a gaitor instead. Does this make sense or is my logic off? One of the threads above talked about bad seams, etc...does anyone else find that, or is that uncommon?I think a good wet snow trail runner would also work in deep snow if the gaiter/shoe joint was totally snow proof. For extreme cold they would also need extra room for thicker wool socks and perhaps thick felt insoles. That might leave too much room for milder conditions when you just wear thin socks. Some trail runner have more range than others, for tightening and loosening. A good compromise for winter is to wear thicker socks in milder conditions, but less insulation on your legs to try and keep your feet from sweating.