I picked up a discounted pair of Brooks Cascadia 7 to try out trail runners. I did a 10 mile trail run with a light hydration pack and found the shoes to be far superior to my road running shoes on mixed/rocky terrain. So far so good. But I'm also thinking about using these trail runners instead of my heavy Asolo leather hiking boots for a number of trips this year including a JMT thru hike. So yesterday, I hiked nine miles with the Cascadias in SNP through a number of small streams and on some rocky terrain. I had a 25 pound pack on even though this was a day hike just to see how my feet would react.
Overall, the lower weight on my feet was GREAT and I developed no blisters or hot spots to speak of (but I don't have these problems in my boots either). However, the traction on rocky surfaces especially when wet left something to be desired compared to my Asolo boots. My question is whether traction is a concern for those using trail runners instead of hiking boots and, if so, whether there are any trail runners that have better traction than the Cascadias while still remaining lightweight.
I think that the bottom line is that I love the trail runners 90% of the time and wished that I had boots on for 10% of the time. Normally 90/10 would be a no brainer but there are some safety implications involved. Thanks.