trail runners for heavier guys [Archive]

Namtrag

07-24-2015, 10:14

I am 5'8", and about 195-200 lbs. I have been wearing Oboz Yellowstone boots for backpacking for about two years now. I am ready to make the switch to some lighter trail runners. I found out what you guys meant about once water gets in a waterproof boot, it stays wet. So I know to get trail runners that aren't gore tex, and that drain well.

It's so confusing that there are so many choices out there. I like the Altras except people seem to all say they wear out very quickly, and these are normal size people.

I am just looking for input from guys who are stocky like me. My pack is typically 26lbs for weekends, so I am pushing 225 total weight! I usually take a normal width, but maybe on the edge of wide, as Nikes seem to be too narrow for me. I hear most Salomons run narrow, so that may eliminate them for me.

Any suggestions would be great. I hear good things about Newton BOCO (but no retailers in my area), and Innov-8. I also browsed Amazon, and several Adidas models looked promising, especially the AX2, but when something is that reasonably priced, I usually question it! lol

peakbagger

07-24-2015, 10:33

I have an easy 30 pounds on you and I stick with New Balances with Montrail heat moldable inserts. I live and use them in the whites and did about 3/4 of the AT with them over the years. They change models every year but I would probably buy the New Balance 510v2 as they look like my prior versions and they come in extra wide. Their sizing it odd and if you get the Montrail insert (from another source) you may need to go up a size.

CalebJ

07-24-2015, 10:36

I'm about 5-10, 190 and have had great success with Brooks Cascadias. Ultimately, you'll have to try them out in a store and see what feels comfortable. There are lots of options and what works for me may not work well for you.

Namtrag

07-24-2015, 10:43

Peakbagger and Caleb, thanks for the input! We have a New Balance store nearby, and I can try the Brooks on at Dicks.

Just Bill

07-24-2015, 10:47

Newtons-
They have a new system with those lugs... haven't tried that. Otherwise the pair I got was okay for jogging, but that rocker system they have in the front gets in your way on the trail.

Altras-
I get 400-500 miles out of mine. The only one I trashed thus far is a pair of Lone Peaks, but that was on the LT during a speed hike and I punished them badly. The trail versions do not hold up well on pavement. I have, or have used, Instinct, Torin, Superior, Lone Peak, Olympus. I wore a pair of Instincts for over 2 years working in them.

They are my favorite by far, but they are zero drop shoes and that takes some time to get used to. But once you do...
The Oympus is the "high cush" model. These do wear fastest.
The Torin and Lone Peak are about right and remain my main shoes. The Lone Peak is better on tough trail, the Torin is fine for most other stuff and the tread wears slower if you run into alot of rock.

I am very happy so far with the new Superior... Maybe 100-150 miles on them and feeling great. Very light. (they do run half size small though)

Innov-8, Brooks Cascadia, and Solomon remain very popular shoes, though typically you will find them with at least 4mm of heel up to 12mm. While all shoes are going towards a lower heel a bit, a traditional shoe has a 12mm or so heel.

Even worse to fit than packs, are shoes. ;)
Go to a good running store and get fitted- twice.
Find out if you need a support shoe or a neutral shoe.

The thing that wears fastest by the way is the cush. If you are on clean trail uppers will last much longer than the midsole foam. The more cush, the faster they will wear out (feel dead). The longest lasting shoes I have are my various versions of Merrell Road Glove shoes. Learning to walk a little softer helps big time too.

In shape, I'm 190. In fatherhood, 215. :)

SteelCut

07-24-2015, 10:54

Take a look at Salomon XA Pro 3D.

CalebJ

07-24-2015, 11:03

The thing that wears fastest by the way is the cush. If you are on clean trail uppers will last much longer than the midsole foam. The more cush, the faster they will wear out (feel dead). The longest lasting shoes I have are my various versions of Merrell Road Glove shoes. Learning to walk a little softer helps big time too.
I've used a couple of pair of Trail Gloves (and one pair of Road Gloves). My issue with them was that the mesh sides always wore out around 200 miles. Also, the tread depth wasn't adequate for slick trails. Have you had better luck with them?

Namtrag

07-24-2015, 11:11

Namtrag

07-24-2015, 11:16

Great Outdoor Provision Company, right down the shopping center from my office, has Brooks Cascadia 10's for $60 in their summer clearance sale! May have to go check them out.

Just Bill

07-24-2015, 11:16

I've used a couple of pair of Trail Gloves (and one pair of Road Gloves). My issue with them was that the mesh sides always wore out around 200 miles. Also, the tread depth wasn't adequate for slick trails. Have you had better luck with them?

Oops... guess it's good you asked-
http://www.merrell.com/US/en/bare-access-trail/17265M.html

Bare access line, not the glove.
I hated the trail glove, you could feel every nub on the sole right through the sole, felt like walking with peas in your socks... I doubt I hit a 100 miles in those.

Bare access I have had very good luck with. They are my daily wear shoe, also my dancin' shoes to steal the runners term. I don't backpack in them much outside the midwest though. Our trails are generally a bit kinder, so I do switch to Altras on anything serious just in case- torin is usually enough for me- but the new superior is quickly becoming a favorite. Almost as light as the Merrells but with a lone peak like grip.

You do have some slick local trails if I recall correctly though. That mix of hard clay with a bit of forest duff/soil on top... I have yet to find a good shoe for that at any speed. Only thing you can to there is keep that foot centered under you and your posture good. And accept you're gunna fall a few times if you push it, lol.

I will say- if anyone is looking to strengthen their feet or try zero drops or minimal shoes... the Bare Access is one of the best shoes for it. Especially if you are lucky enough to wear them at work like me. They hold up very well on pavement.

They are closer to a mid level of cush, the glove series had no cush...
Not having any meat to attach the upper may be part of the quick mesh wear. I've seen similar reports on the New Balance zeros also.

bigcranky

07-24-2015, 11:27

I wore Salomon XA Comp for years, usually with Superfeet insoles (green). For the LT last year I switched to Inov8 Roclite 295, which have amazing traction even on wet rock, but they were a little too flexible and I ended up with a stress fracture and some ankle issues when I got home.

So I started looking for really light mesh trail runners with a little more stiffness in the sole, and found the La Sportiva Wildcat (http://www.rei.com/product/781685/la-sportiva-wildcat-trail-running-shoes-mens). They are much stiffer in the sole, but still light and lots of mesh. The only downside is they don't stick to wet rock, which can be an issue -- I fell a few times on our longer hike this summer. OK, another possible downside is that they have a fair amount of drop from heel to toe - I got used to the very flat Roclites. I have a couple of hundred miles on them and they seem to be holding up well so far. I do use a pair of thin Sole insoles in them to keep my foot from flattening out too much.

JJJ

07-24-2015, 11:31

I'm on my 4th pair of Montrail's Mountain Masochist. They have a very good plate, good grip, generous toe box, and they drain well. I can't say they are long lasting shoes, but I've also been on the heavy side and use them for backpacking and trail running.

I tried the Salomons, but I found that didn't drain well. Otherwise, they felt great on the foot.

I've used the Inov8 with good success and they may actually be better for running than the Masochist. But to me, they are just not as tough for rocky terrain. For now for the AT, I'm sticking with Montrail.

Just Bill

07-24-2015, 11:39

Good ideas from everyone. I really liked what I read about the Lone Peaks, but saw a review on Outdoor Gear Lab where the tread was gone after 50 miles. Also finding someone who carries them is pretty difficult, and I hate buying something without trying it on. The only place within 25 miles of me is a running store, and they don't carry any Altra trail shoes, just road shoes.

The rubber is pretty grippy, but the trade-off is wear.
The early ones were very bad, 2nd and third versions much better- but if you're on pavement or lots of open rock they do wear fast. I have mixed stuff by me, you usually have to walk a bike path or crushed gravel trail to string any distance together and in that type of use they don't hold up well. I save the Lone Peaks for rough stuff or off trail.

Torin or Olympus do though. And they both do fine on anything but the slickest crap on trail.

On the trail, the Lone Peaks are fine IMO.

wannahike

07-24-2015, 11:47

... Also finding someone who carries them is pretty difficult, and I hate buying something without trying it on. The only place within 25 miles of me is a running store, and they don't carry any Altra trail shoes, just road shoes.

You could try http://www.zappos.com/ Free shipping both ways. I ordered 5 pairs wore them around the house for a few days and then returned 4 pairs. I was hoping that I would end up with two pairs but not this time. They are very quick with shipping, returns are really easy, and they return your money quickly too.

I would rather shop local but there is not a lot of choice.

GreatDane

07-24-2015, 12:45

+1 on zappos.com

Namtrag

07-24-2015, 22:04

Visited 5 outfitters and Dicks Sporting Goods.

i measured 10 length, 10.5 arch length, and E width

Tried on and failed on: salomon XA Pro 3 D in wide, Adidas ax2, two types of Salewas, all of which were too narrow, even in 11's.

two finalists were Adidas terrex Fast and Merrill All Out Rush. The Merrills won out because they felt so good on my feet, with plenty of toe room. I ended up getting size 11.5.

weird how you can measure 10 or 10.5, and end up needing 11.5's

no one carried Newtons, Altras, brooks, or Innov8

ChrisJackson

07-24-2015, 22:48

Decent sale on the Altra Instinct 2.0 now if interested:

https://www.altrarunning.com/men/instinct-20#prod-bottom

Namtrag

07-26-2015, 18:31

the Merrell's ended up to be too big when I walked on the treadmill with an incline, so I went back and traded them (the local outfitter did not have size 11's) for the Adidas Terrex Fast R's, non Gore Tex...took them out for a 6 mile hike today and they felt great.

I had had never seen or heard of these before, and I don't think they are technically trail runners. More of a multipurpose shoe, leaning towards trail runners..

Del Q

07-26-2015, 19:11

RangerZ

07-26-2015, 21:59

While I qualify on the 'heavier guys' I'm still a boot wearing deadender novice so I have nothing constructive to add to this thread. I do like my Lowa Renegades tho, goretex and all.

Venchka

07-26-2015, 22:03

I regret not buying the leather lined, non Gore-Tex Renegades when I had the chance at REI.

Wayne

Sent from my AT100 using Tapatalk

Namtrag

07-27-2015, 10:40

In case anyone wants to check out the shoes I got, here is a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Adidas-Terrex-Fast-Shoe-Mens/dp/B008L1AN84/ref=cts_sh_3_fbt

Just Bill

07-28-2015, 09:06

shelb

07-28-2015, 23:54

I have been through several hiking boots/shoes: Merrell, North Face, Keen, etc.

I NEVER had any issues while hiking in these shoes while in Michigan. I always put at least 150 miles on them prior to taking them to the A.T.; however, once on the A.T., I had major blister issues on my heels. (BTW: all these were purchased from outfitters...)

This past year, I went to a store that specializes in running shoes. The shoes salesperson spent nearly 1 1/2 hours with me - checking my gait, and comparing various shoes - PLUS, stating that if I felt the shoes were sized or typed incorrectly - after my hike - I should return back to the store for an exchange...

I put 114 A.T. miles on those trail runners without braking them it (a first!). I did not get any blisters!

These shoes were NOT waterproof; however, they did dry way more quickly than any of my past water-proof shoes.

Great purchase!!!

shelb

07-28-2015, 23:55

I forgot to mention that I am categorized as very overweight for my height! (not giving away the details - sorry...lol..

Namtrag

07-31-2015, 09:23

If it makes you feel better....
I size out to a 10.5, but wear a 12-12.5 shoe depending on the shoe.
Generally speaking- .5 size to give you some room, .5 size for swelling, .5 size for a thicker sock like a Darn Tuff.

In hot hot temps I may use a darn tuff light weight sock or liner sock- in those cases (basically barefoot) I wear only 1 size up. Otherwise a regular weight sock with plenty of room for it prevents most blisters or hot spots for me and I wear that 90% of the time.

Learn a few good lacing tricks if the oversizing gives you any slop or hot spots to fine tune the shoes. Generally I crank the midfoot a bit and lace lock the top eyelet to help lock in my heel.

And hey- if you get your pack and shoes squared away...
You can get back to serious stuff like machete shopping!

Bill, yeah, machete shopping sounds like fun.

I ended up getting those Adidas Terrex Fast R (non waterproof), in a size 11, and if I wear thin socks, I get some heel slippage. It's got the pull string laces, not traditional laces, so it's hard to do a lot of fine tuning. I think what I will do on my first weekend is wear thicker socks the first day, and bring some thinner ones in case my feet swell some. I did go for a 6 mile hike in them last sunday and they felt great. I wish I had money to buy some of the 2014 ones, as they are about half the price. Now that I know they fit, I could buy 2 pairs of the 2014 ones and not have to buy shoes for a long time!

I forgot to mention that I am categorized as very overweight for my height! (not giving away the details - sorry...lol..

Glad you got some shoes that fit well, and work great! You never mentioned what shoes you ended up getting!

Another Kevin

07-31-2015, 10:06

I know I'm coming late to this party, and I'm a clueless weekender (deadender?) myself. But I'm 6'1" and of a size where I could stand to lose a few pounds of both pack and belly, so I might have something to say here.

I see that Just Bill buys his shoes 1.5-2 sizes bigger than his street shoes (or than what the shoe store measures). I typically go just one size larger, but maybe my feet are shaped differently, or maybe my short mileage and short duration trips don't enlarge my feet as much.

I find that New Balance trail runners are very widely available, so I don't have to do the crapshoot of mail order or deal with outfitters' prices. I can pick up a pair at Super Shoes a lot of the time. They have a couple of really lightweight models that work pretty well. My last couple of pair have been MT610. They only last a few hundred miles, but I think that's true of anything as light as they are. Their insoles aren't supportive enough for me. I remedy that with a pair of green Superfeet. The only times that I've had foot problems in them have been when I've been in mud all day long and got my socks full of grit. I hear from several people that my problem had nothing to do with shoes or socks, but was that I'd failed to wax my feet before tackling the slop.

This is just something that works for me. Your feet are different from mine, and so what works for me will not likely work for you. And most hikers on this forum have a hiking style different from mine, as well. I don't do big miles, 15 is the biggest day I've had in the last few years. But I go anywhere: bushwhacks, Class 4 scrambles, Northeast 4k's in winter, and so on, as long as I can take my time about it. I suppose, though, that with my short mileage, my feet don't take the pounding that some people here give to theirs.

I'm rambling again. I guess the takeaway is that for some of us, "mass market" shoes work as well as or better than something you'd get from the outfitter.

denimlabels

08-10-2015, 21:54

I weigh over 260 and have been doing 10 mile trail walks 5 days a week for the last month and a half. I feel great. Ive been wearing a pair of La Sportiva Wildcats and I have really put these shoes to the test. I walk in pouring rain or 95 degree heat. These shoes are light, have good traction on downhill and dry very quickly.
The downside for me was the heel/toe drop, its pretty dramatic. If I was 40lbs lighter these shoes would be great. Have not had many problems with blisters except for some small blisters around the heel area that was corrected with the addition of some Dr Schools inserts I picked up at Wal-Mart.
With that said I am switching over later this week to the Hoka One Stinson Trail. These shoes look pretty goofy yes but I am hoping the extra padding in the soles as well as the lower heel/toe drop will enable me to up my miles over the next month and a half. Again the Wildcats were nice but there becomes a point when these shoes do not fit the application of the users weight:) I give them high marks for holding up as well as they did. I was like 285 a couple of months ago. I cant wait to see how the Hoka Stinsons stand up to my corporation.

Hoofit

08-11-2015, 05:12

I am about 220, carry a 25-28lb pack all in..............find that I want something a bit "beefier" that trail runners.

Do like Superfeet, they help in several ways, have Keen low tops and they are working the best so far for me. Have tried Vasque, Salomons, etc, etc

i'll second that!
Keens are super comfortable and with superset insoles make a great combo!
i also use them on hard concrete/tile six hours a day at work, managing an oceanfront park, and remain good throughout the day.

denimlabels

08-12-2015, 23:19

I did ten trail miles in the Hoka One Stinson ATR today. The first couple of miles were tough. The soles are soft and bouncy. This sounds good until you feel as if you are walking thru sand. My lower back is a bit sore and my upper leg muscles are whipped. Im gonna give the Hoka's another College try tomorrow and see if I feel any better about them. For some strange reason when I walk in these the inside of my left heel seems to want to push down towards the ground, almost as if I am forcing my heel to the right? Im not sure if this is the shoe or the way I walk?

If these dont work out my next shoe is the La Sportiva "Mutant". 2015 Gear of the year award. Appears to have more lateral stability than the Wildcats.

shelb

08-13-2015, 00:25

Go to a good running store and get fitted- twice.
Find out if you need a support shoe or a neutral shoe.

I have ALWAYS had blister issues when wearing boots/hiking shoes -no matter the break-in time or socks. I have been told that I have a wide toe box and a narrow heel box. I am also overweight....

This year I went to Trail Runners, purchased from the local running store. I wore them on my section hike - 114 miles, which was PA through NJ. NO BLISTERS - AWESOME SHOES! In fact, I just saw them on Groupon tonight for half the price I paid! I think I will pick up a few more pairs! https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-salomon-xr-mission-womens-shoe-1