Trail running & hiking shoes

[aaronthebugbuffet]

I never replaced them. After a few hundred miles they become very thin, but perfectly formed to your foot. I prefer a flat shoe with minimal support/and cushioning so they worked out well for me.

Side note: the MT101 was the perfect balance of weight and cushioning for me. I have since tried more minimal/barefoot type shoes but nothing as worked as well for me.

I'm a big fan of the MT 100 series too.
I'm not sure I would recommend them to someone just starting with trail runners though. They do take some conditioning.

[fiddlehead]

A few thoughts on this thread:
Fit is the most important thing. And getting a size bigger than you think you need is important for me.
Durability is probably second most important.
Traction next
Weight (the lighter the better but, that often means durability is worse)

For me, Montrail made a great shoe in the "Vitesse" but, I assume they were too good. ( I once got 1500 miles out of a pair) so, they discontinued them.
I noticed Karl Metzger wearing a pair of them on his record attempt a few years ago even though he was sponsored by Salomen or someone?

I still tend to buy Montrail's but, they don't last as long as the Vitesse, don't fit as well either.

The forever search for the right (perfect) shoe..................

[Papa D]

I've probably hiked about 1000 miles in these:
http://www.sportiva.com/products/foo...fc-eco-2.0-gtx
they are climbing / approach / hiking / all purpose shoes from a great company - I consider them the perfect backpacking shoe for me - I even hiked Connecticut in the snow last spring - about 60 miles of post-hloing in the snow with these - they were not "ideal" but really stepped up to the task - -

all this said, I just bought these - they are non-gore-tex trail runners - really a much less formidable shoe but they might suit my needs perfectly - - I'm going to start my Colorado Trail thru hike (thru-run) with these - I'll probably mail my eco-2.0-gtxs to Breckenridge - about 100 miles in - I'll either keep the trail runners or send them home and wear the gtx.

here are the trail runners I just bought:

http://www.sportiva.com/products/foo...ing/wildcat-20

just regular wildcats - non-gore-tex - I think they will be light and nimble, provide good support and dry-out fast

unless it's really snowing and going to be deep, I don't wear boots.

[Tinker]

Keen, Asics, and, recently, Merril Moabb Ventilators (for the rocks of Pa - they were a bit much for my Asics trail runners [I forgot which model]).

If you're heavy, use a more supportive and cushioned shoe for rough terrain. I weigh in the 220 lb. range.

[Skid.]

EEEE, yes. I have never heard of 6E. That foot has trail name written all over it: Sixy

"Sixy" --I would 'fit' that name perfectly!

[flemdawg1]

I had some NB 8xx trailrunners 2 years ago. They didn't last 200 miles before the tread peeled off the sole. I only buy them again if they were only half price, since they only lasted half the miles.

[Harald Hope]

It's not just the width or size, keep in mind, but the shoe last. New balance has a variety of lasts, and, more important, they tell you what the last the shoe uses is. Each last is designed for a different shape of foot. I don't know all the shoe companies, but I do know that new balance is one of the few to do this. Once you learn your new balance last size, you can fairly confidently know that a shoe will fit you if it uses that last. Keen shoes tend to be very wide, for example, but each brand and type can have a different last, as can male or female listed shoes. What they call female usually just means it's a very narrow last. Since I've struggled with proper fit my entire life, I realized that I have to know the last used or else usually it's just an expensive pile of fake leather and rubber after the first hike where I realize it was slightly off. http://www.shopnewbalance.com/inform...ref=&nbwersb=y There's the list of lasts new balance uses, if other trail running shoe companies have something similar I'd like to see it so I could broaden my options. There for example, the PL-1 fits ok for me with wool socks, the RL-3 is an almost perfect fit, although it varies slightly shoe to shoe. Once thing I've seen experimenting with different shoes is that the 5xx and 6xx new balance series aren't as solid as the 8xx or 9xx series, and you also have to look at the individual shoe, like the 876 had a narrow band around the heel that if it's abraded off will ruin the fit, the 814 is rock solid and quite durable.

[Bucho]

The merrell moab ventilators get my thumbs up and after watching a couple of Montrails quickly delaminate on my girlfriend, one in two days. Montrail gets my thumbs down.