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View Full Version : Hiking Shoes vs. Trail Runners: comfort and durability



brewthru
08-21-2014, 00:35
I realize that there is probably a lot of variability within each of these categories. I was wondering if anyone can give me some examples of shoes that would fit into either a hiking shoe, or a trail running shoe and how many miles they lasted (or how many you went through on a thru-hike), and if you had any foot issues.

Also, what do you look for in either type of shoe? I am reading David Miller's "Awol" book, and he makes it sound like it is just raining constantly, so I'd like to make sure I have some quick drying shoes.

I'm not worried about ankle support, but I'd like to not have to replace my shoes too frequently, and have some traction on rocky terrain.

garlic08
08-21-2014, 09:43
Hiking shoes like Merrell Moab Ventilators will last much longer, in my experience, than my New Balance trail running shoes. At least twice as long. I've tried both and have found my knees to be very sensitive to shoe weight, while my feet don't care about support, so I use the lighter shoes. You'll need to experiment and find what works for you. It took me a couple of thousand miles.

Kraken Skullz
08-21-2014, 09:48
La sportivas are trail runners but have excellent durability from what I hear. My Salomon trail runners are great and show virtually no signs of wear from the miles I have on them. I wouldn't knock the Merrells either. Now I wouldn't try to do any distance hiking with sketchers or anything but a good pair or either trail runners or mid-top hiking shoes are my preference.

peakbagger
08-21-2014, 11:00
My foot issues went away when I switched from heavy hiking boots to new Balance trail runners. I hike in the Whites and consider the trails to be hard on shoes in general. I get about one hiking season from new balances this includes off trail and boulder scrambling plus a lot of above treeline hiking on rocks. When sectioning the AT south of PA I found the shoes lasted a lot longer Based on my AT sectioning I would guess 3 to 4 pairs of trail runners for the AT. I definitely could like more miles per day when I got rid of leather boots.

Odd Man Out
08-21-2014, 11:09
I have used Merrill Ventilators and more recently Keen Voyageurs. Both are ventilated and I only get the non-waterproof ones so that they dry quickly. I wear them every day, not just for hiking. I have not used trail runners so I can't comment on the relative performance of them (they are all just too darn ugly for every day use :rolleyes:). I just wanted to add that it seems to me that only recently that I recall seeing the hiking shoe category, get its own name. Previously I have always seen shoe discussions compare hiking boots to trail runners, with no clear distinction made or recognition of this very common class of shoe that lies in between the two.

bigcranky
08-21-2014, 12:57
I've tried both and have found my knees to be very sensitive to shoe weight, while my feet don't care about support, so I use the lighter shoes.


+1 on this. I wear very light trail running shoes, meant for crazy people who do long trail runs with tiny packs. They provide almost no support, and they last at most 500 miles (I can hear the tread wearing off while I'm walking :) ). But at less than 300g per shoe, they are perfect for me.

I wear trail shoes at work -- Merrell or Keen. They have more support and last a lot longer.

Haven't worn boots in more than ten years.

Wülfgang
08-21-2014, 14:20
I agree with what the others have said; durability decreases in this fashion:

Hiking boots > Hiking shoes > Trail runners

Comfort is usually the inverse of the above.

Depends on your needs and style; like most gear choices the only way to know for sure is to spend the money, get out there, and try it.

Odd Man Out
08-21-2014, 16:11
+1 on this. I wear very light trail running shoes, meant for crazy people who do long trail runs with tiny packs. They provide almost no support, and they last at most 500 miles (I can hear the tread wearing off while I'm walking :) ). But at less than 300g per shoe, they are perfect for me.

I wear trail shoes at work -- Merrell or Keen. They have more support and last a lot longer.

Haven't worn boots in more than ten years.


Hiking shoes like Merrell Moab Ventilators will last much longer, in my experience, than my New Balance trail running shoes. At least twice as long. I've tried both and have found my knees to be very sensitive to shoe weight, while my feet don't care about support, so I use the lighter shoes. You'll need to experiment and find what works for you. It took me a couple of thousand miles.

I am finding this to be very interesting. Like BigCranky, I have hiking shoes for everyday use. I just used the same ones for hiking, thinking they would perform pretty much the same as trail runners (the mass difference is about 140 g/shoe). But I did have knee problems on my hike in July, so based on the comments above, I'm thinking that next time maybe I should give the trail runners a try. As I am only doing short section hikes in summer for the foreseeable future, I'm less concerned with durability and weather proofness.

Odd Man Out
08-21-2014, 16:12
I was going to add, I also am not worried so much about support. I guess I was bless with good ankles, as they have never been a problem for me, knock wood.

bigcranky
08-21-2014, 20:52
If you're having knee problems you might consider pronation or other foot movements as one possible cause.

It possible you could fix this by replacing the cheap stock insoles with better ones. I've used Superfeet for years, but recently found Sole brand insoles and will try a pair of the thinnest ones in my next pair of trail runners.

Of course, it could easily be the extra weight. I find that makes a big difference for me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Odd Man Out
08-21-2014, 21:15
Not sure what the knee problem was. It was only on the right knee. I don't think it was serious, as the pain all went away with a day of rest.

slbirdnerd
08-22-2014, 12:28
I have Merrell Moab Ventilator hiking shoes, which I like but kill my feet (bunions and curled pinky that goes under my fourth toe). I tried Asics Gel Scout trail runners--no support, none, not a stitch, and they are literally falling apart after 100 or so miles. HOWEVER, I am currently trying a pair of Brooks Cascadia trail runners with FIT insoles and Injinji Trail toe socks... So far, this is the right combo for me (for summer). The Brooks Cascadia feel much sturdier, much less foot slippage, and have no show of wear yet. Even after hours in a rainstorm my feet were fine, which is new! Just try different things until you find the right thing for you.

Odd Man Out
08-22-2014, 14:33
I have Merrell Moab Ventilator hiking shoes, which I like but kill my feet (bunions and curled pinky that goes under my fourth toe). I tried Asics Gel Scout trail runners--no support, none, not a stitch, and they are literally falling apart after 100 or so miles. HOWEVER, I am currently trying a pair of Brooks Cascadia trail runners with FIT insoles and Injinji Trail toe socks... So far, this is the right combo for me (for summer). The Brooks Cascadia feel much sturdier, much less foot slippage, and have no show of wear yet. Even after hours in a rainstorm my feet were fine, which is new! Just try different things until you find the right thing for you.

thanks. I've heard good things about the Cascadia.

Traveler
08-22-2014, 15:17
New Balance I was lucky to get 400 miles out of a pair, good for most of a season. My Asolo boots I routinely get 1,400+ miles out of before they lose their hold.

However this is a poor comparison, these are completely different shoes and types, used in different terrain and conditions. I get three times the mileage out of good boots, but I don't want to walk 7 miles on paved road in them if I can use the New Balance.

MuddyWaters
08-22-2014, 21:22
generally lighter wt shoes are going to be less durable. Duh. They use lighter materials and less of them. But design plays a part too. Many people have found out that a single pair of Brooks Cascadias 9s this yr couldnt make it thru the JMT, one gals were ripping up after only 150 miles. Thats a pretty heavy trailrunner, but the wt isnt in the material used on the upper. LaSportival wildcats suffer the same problem, mesh isnt strong enoug or reinforced around the toe, and rips up where the hard toe cap is attached.

Another issue is finding a trail runner with enough tread to last any decent mileage at all anyway anymore. On dirt, no problem. Rocks however are a problem, sharp rocks especially. Running shoes are made today to last a very short time, so that people buy another $100 pr. Most shoes out there dont have the tread to last 300 miles. Some dont have the tread depth to last 150 miles.

I used old Inov8 flyroc 310s on my JMT hike because after 400 miles, they had more tread left than almost any NEW shoe I could find. Now after 650 miles, they still have more tread depth than most new shoes, but the lugs edges became rounded over so that they were slipping on smooth granite rocks on Whitney by the end.


It just all depends, and models and materials change every year as well.

Cassafras
08-22-2014, 21:42
I just decided to try out some trail runners since my Keen Targhees are pretty much dead with over 1500 miles on them. I decided to give Solomon's a try, since they have high praise on here. Unfortunately I was pretty much ready to go barefoot after about 4 miles. They were very comfortable in the store but once I started on steep uneven trail with rocks, roots, and boulders my feet were very unhappy. My issue is that the sides of the trail runners are stretchy, so my foot, if at an angle, can slide quite a bit toward the outsides of the shoe. I guess I am just used to having some side support. Keens work for me, even if they seem a bit bulkier than trail runners. I did like that the trail runners were definitely very breathable. I was able to return them, and will continue to look around at other brands to see if I can find some that work for me. Otherwise I'll get another pair of Keen's.

Likeapuma
08-23-2014, 00:54
I haven't done any long distance hiking, but my Merrell Moabs have been my daily shoes for over 3 years, as well as my trail shoes. From dirt trails in CT, to the Whites, I've been more than happy. Considering I'm in the 300lb range, I'm impressed there's any cushion left lol.

I guess they're not "trail runners" because they're not super light, but they hold up. Even ripped a hole in the toe area with microspikes & it hasn't gotten worse.

brewthru
08-26-2014, 01:03
Thanks for the input everyone. I've ordered some Merrell Moabs and Salomon Synapses in a few different sizes with the intention of returning those that don't fit. I don't actually have a thru-hike planned yet, but starting to percolate the idea of taking a week or two next spring/summer before moving to check out part of the trail, maybe see how tough the white mountains are. Anyway, that will give me a good bit of time to train and figure out a shoe. Living in central OH, I'm going to have to dedicate some time to finding some hills to climb.

I'm also planning on conducting a drying test on these two shoes, I'll start a new thread to announce the results.

Apollyon
08-26-2014, 07:03
I wear Merrell Hilltop low and mid, best all around shoe for me. I have soaked them in creeks and snow, they dry quickly and wear slowly.

Odd Man Out
08-26-2014, 09:38
BTW, I've owned a couple of pairs of Moab Ventillators. The last time I shopped for them I discovered that the waterproof versions were quite painful to wear but the non-waterproof versions were wonderful. The difference was the the waterproof version didn't have enough stiffness behind the toe box, so when I would take a step, the sole would form a sharp crease and the upper would fold and collapse onto the tops of my toes. The non-waterproof ones didn't do that. I thought it was odd that the two versions of the shoe were so different as I doubt the waterproof membrane would cause that to happen. This was a few years ago so they may have changed by now. I didn't want the WP ones any way. Just something to keep an eye on.

10-K
08-26-2014, 10:09
Your weight, how much your pack weighs, and the type of terrain you're hiking on are the big determinants of how well trail runners will work for you.

A 225# person hiking with a 35-40# pack over rocky terrain will chew up a pair of trail runners in a hot minute.... The same person with a 20# pack hiking over smoother terrain will have a lot better opinion of trail runners.

slbirdnerd
08-26-2014, 15:22
I have the same problem living where we do, brewthru. It's a couple hours drive to hills no matter what direction you go, but Zaleski and Shawnee are both good. Have you been? PM me and I can email you some maps and stuff if you want.