Trail Runners

[Alex Stevens]

I'm looking for a pair of trail runners, for this summer, I have traditionally used hiking boots, but am trying to lighten up, so I can hike faster, so maybe I have a chance of hiking the AT next summer, between college in the few months I have. I am looking for something durable, preferably under 140$, and just a solid pair of trail runners, thanks guys!

[ChinMusic]

If there is a brand of tennis shoe that you like for local walks, I would start there.

I tried several brands until I realized I needed to look no further than the brand of shoe I wear every day. IMO, the hiker specific brands are the last place I would look.

[Damn Yankee]

I use a pair of Sketchers Sports which I think I paid around $50 for and put in a set of SOLES innersoles and light as a feather.

[12trysomething]

I will offer the New Balance Minimus MT1010. By far my favorite. 7oz a shoe, dry quick and just enough arch support. About $110.

[bigcranky]

I probably would avoid the minimalist shoes and barefoot shoes, like the New Balance mentioned above, since you are switching from hiking boots -- that seems like too much of a transition to do at once. My wife likes to hike in her barefoot shoes, including her NB WT10 and Five Fingers, but she's been hiking in ever-lighter trail runners since 2000 when she switched from heavy boots.

You can get almost any good trail runner for under $140. I would avoid anything waterproof or with GoreTex -- you want them to dry out quickly and drain water, so just mesh is good (except in snow, for me.) Fit is the most important thing, of course, so trying on several different brands is useful. I usually get a half size or full size larger so my toes have some room and I don't bang them going downhill, but this also depends on the brand.

I'd been wearing Salomon XA Comp trail runners for years, but last season I switched to Inov8 with the Roclite 315, and now this year with the Roclite 295. I use Superfeet Green insoles in them, which is another personal preference. I like the Inov8, but since fit is the most important thing, I can't recommend them to anyone else unless they fit. Also, they should fit well.

Most of the mesh trail runners are under $100, and often on sale for $70 or so.

Finally, for me trail runners are about comfort rather than speed, but of course for many folks increased comfort can lead to increased speed, or at least more miles in a day.

Good luck.

[sjd0397]

I loved my cascadia brooks!

[slbirdnerd]

If there is a brand of tennis shoe that you like for local walks, I would start there.

I tried several brands until I realized I needed to look no further than the brand of shoe I wear every day. IMO, the hiker specific brands are the last place I would look.

This is exactly what I did. I have a pair of very old, comfy sneakers I use for yard work, they are Asics. Turns out Asics has trail runners. My feet are happy.

[chfdwolfpack]

I would recommend about anything by Altra. All their shoes feature zero-drop from heel to toe, as well as a very roomy forefoot. I haven't worn any of the new models, but I currently backpack in the Superior. It is the lightest (read: least-cushioned) trail model. It comes with a thin, removable plastic rock plate. They have been great, but I may switch to the slightly more cushioned Lone Peak next time . I run on pavement is the Instinct 1.5 and love it.

Word of warning: transitioning from a shoe with a built-up heel to a shoe with no heel drop takes an adjustment period. Work into them slowly and your Achilles will thank you.

[map man]

You say you want something durable. I never try to get more than 500 miles out of either running shoes or the trail runners I use for hiking. That might not fit your idea of durable. Other thoughts on trail runners: I like as soft and tacky a rubber as I can find (the seams will blow out on trail runners long before even the softest tread will wear completely off) so I stay away from the trail runners that rave about how "durable" the soles are -- durable means hard; I also prefer to stay away from knobby tread, and that's a common tread on trail runners (I can feel those knobs on the bottom of my feet when the ground is hard) -- better for me is tread that's more like tire tread, with a lot of surface contact and just enough grooves to channel water. Tacky rubber with tread like that is good for keeping your footing on wet rock and wet boardwalks.

[Meriadoc]

I would recommend about anything by Altra. All their shoes feature zero-drop from heel to toe, as well as a very roomy forefoot. I haven't worn any of the new models, but I currently backpack in the Superior. It is the lightest (read: least-cushioned) trail model. It comes with a thin, removable plastic rock plate. They have been great, but I may switch to the slightly more cushioned Lone Peak next time . I run on pavement is the Instinct 1.5 and love it.

Word of warning: transitioning from a shoe with a built-up heel to a shoe with no heel drop takes an adjustment period. Work into them slowly and your Achilles will thank you.

Map Man's point about sole contact is pertinent to the Lone Peak shoe. I'm almost afraid to use them anywhere I can expect wet rock. And I live in Maine ... They suffer from too few contact points. This means that they are not very good on wet rock. I am actually considering taking my pair to a cobbler to see if he can install a different sole.

[Meriadoc]

Deleted. Mistaken.

[redseal]

I use La Sportiva Wildcats and C-lites for backpacking. They work great for my feet, but as always footwear is very dependent on the person so be sure to try them out on a short trip first.

[burger]

Just buy something that fits and feels good. Walk around the store. Go up and down steps. If it doesn't feel good on the first try on, it's not going to get better.

I strongly recommend you ignore anyone suggesting specific brands. For any kind of shoe you can find in the store, you can find someone who will say it's the best. Those testimonials are mostly useless. Everyone's feet are different, and just because a shoe worked for someone else does not mean it will work for you.

[MuddyWaters]

Just buy something that fits and feels good. Walk around the store. Go up and down steps. If it doesn't feel good on the first try on, it's not going to get better.

I strongly recommend you ignore anyone suggesting specific brands. For any kind of shoe you can find in the store, you can find someone who will say it's the best. Those testimonials are mostly useless. Everyone's feet are different, and just because a shoe worked for someone else does not mean it will work for you.

Everyones feet are different, but some shoes seem to work for wide groups of people, and have proven durability and comfort. That doesnt make them a bad place to start. If they dont work, great, move on. Or, you can start by looking at shoes you have no information on at all.

[rafe]

I go for New Balance personally -- because they frequently offer footwear in wide sizes (4EE).

I'm curious if anyone has opinions about hiking shoes/trail runners with "memory foam" inner soles? They were insanely comfortable in the store, but I can see some potential problems...

[burger]

Everyones feet are different, but some shoes seem to work for wide groups of people, and have proven durability and comfort. That doesnt make them a bad place to start. If they dont work, great, move on. Or, you can start by looking at shoes you have no information on at all.

Meh. I've done loads of research on trail runners--I must have tried on 15 different kinds before I found what I wanted for my last thru-hike. I'm not aware of any evidence that some are more durable than others. There might be a few kinds out there that are especially fimsy (though again--I can't think of any).

Proven comfort is meaningless because feet vary so much. My wife started the CDT in Cascadias which are super popular. She had horrible blisters and foot pain and dropped those things in the trash within a few weeks. Going with what's popular is a recipe for unhappy feet. Encouraging the OP to just do what everybody else does is not helpful advice.

[Coffee]

Sometimes starting with the conventional wisdom can save time and money. That was the case for me with the Cascadias. They work very well for me as they have for many others, plus Brooks has great customer service. When the eyelet on one of my Cascadia 8s failed after just 10 miles, they immediately sent me a replacement pair and told me to toss or donate the defective pair. I do like the 7s better than the 8s so far, however. Haven't tried the 9s.

[burger]

Sometimes starting with the conventional wisdom can save time and money. That was the case for me with the Cascadias. They work very well for me as they have for many others, plus Brooks has great customer service. When the eyelet on one of my Cascadia 8s failed after just 10 miles, they immediately sent me a replacement pair and told me to toss or donate the defective pair. I do like the 7s better than the 8s so far, however. Haven't tried the 9s.

Um, you just gave me a great reason to never buy a pair of Cascadias. They failed in 10 miles!!!!! That's terrible and totally unacceptable! I've never had a failure on any kind of trail runner in thousands of miles (with the exception of the usual, unavoidable wear and tear). Great that Brooks replaced your shoes, but it's a huge pain in the ass to get stuff replaced on a thru-hike.

This is why it's best to ignore the "herd wisdom" and just go with the shoe that fits best. Sometimes stuff is popular because it's popular, not because it's the best quality.

[Coffee]

Um, you just gave me a great reason to never buy a pair of Cascadias. They failed in 10 miles!!!!!

Totally unacceptable. I agree. I was very lucky. The failure happened as I was lacing up the shoes and literally on the way out the door to start my trip. I luckily had another brand new pair and I went with those instead. If this happened on the trail, I would have had to be creative to figure out a solution.

But I attribute the failure to an unlucky incident given the number of people who have used Cascadias without incident. And I have nearly 300 miles on the other new pair of Cascadia 8s and they are just fine.

So I don't advocate blindly following herd wisdom or anything like that at all, but it does seem like a good idea to at least start with the popular options. It did save me some time and money.

[jimmyjam]

Sometimes starting with the conventional wisdom can save time and money. That was the case for me with the Cascadias. They work very well for me as they have for many others, plus Brooks has great customer service. When the eyelet on one of my Cascadia 8s failed after just 10 miles, they immediately sent me a replacement pair and told me to toss or donate the defective pair. I do like the 7s better than the 8s so far, however. Haven't tried the 9s.

Mine did the same thing. I heated up a tent stake and poked an eyelet thru and went on. I've had to that twice now. It's a common problem with that model.