What ultralight trail runners do you guys use?

I haven't used the NB minimus shoes with a pack cause I don't like them, but I have used fairly minimalist shoes with a pack in the back country. Some of the early minimalist shoes (talking what was avail 5 years ago) weren't so good because the soles didn't have lugs or other features that gave reasonable tracking on common terrain I encounter. I nearly killed myself wearing a pair of vivo barefoot sneakers that have great traction on roads, but where useless on pulverized dirt trails.

These days there are numerous minimalist shoes (including some of the nb minimus I believe) which have soles which should work on trails with packs. My current goto shoe is the Inov-8 Trailroc 245 which isn't the most minimalist shoe (it has a 6mm heel, and 6mm of sole) but seems just about perfect for me. Works great with my >=30lb pack.

My personal experience is that when weight got up to 60lb, I wanted more support from my shoes, but that might be because I hadn't strengthen the foot muscles for that level of a load.

–Mark

I just bought some salamon XR missions (neutral)they are the bright bright blue ones. Compared to my old runners they offer better support and rigidity, I haven't weighed them yet but they are about 11 ounces each.

I ended up trying on 5 other pairs of more aggressive and heavier hiking shoes by salomon and in te end it came down to fit and comfort.

While I have learned that I need to be careful where and how I step, I am really backpacking in my minimalist shoes. Thus far my longest trip since going "all in" was a week long course I led on the AT in Maine in April (re: the comment about the neo socks).

FYI, my pack weight (before food and water) lands somewhere around 15 lbs in the winter and sub 8 the rest of the year depending on which pack, shelter, etc.

Logan

"like any footwear, fit is king- what works great for me, certainly might not work for you

we're fortunate that we have lots and lots of trail shoes to choose from- Salomon, New Balance, LaSportiva, Montrail, Inov-8, Brooks, the list goes on and on"

+1 to that. I can't imagine ordering a shoe online unless I'd tried it before or at least knew the brand and liked the fit.

I've worn Teva sandals on back country hikes up to 4 days. I'll be wearing them on a 4 day trip to Glacier this year as well. My feet did get a little sore on the first trip but I'm in better shape this year and my pack is about 15lbs lighter.

I like the Brooks Puregrit and I would be wearing those if not for river crossings on this trip. I also run in Vibrams but I'm not ready to leave on a multi day trip without a backup pair of shoes that have more padding if I start getting sore.

Just traded in the other shoes for some Solomon Xr crossmax neutrals. They have a better grip that's orientated towards a trail runner exclusive but still works well as a hybrid. One thing that will spoil me is the quick lace and lace garage, that means never having to tie laces again. Not cheap $110 before taxes.

One thing that maybe I don't like is that they feel a little high off the ground, but maybe after a few runs they will feel lower, after all I just bought them today.

Dena Kelley "I find a good set of Superfeet inserts can take a set of trail runners that feel too thin in the sole and make them comfortable for me. If you like everything else about the shoe, you might look at the available inserts out there."

+1 Dena. Superfeet do a great job of beefing up a running shoe and they definitely wont deteriorate after a couple river crossings

Because I'd rather spend my $ on other things, I usually pick up trail runners at the REI used gear sale. You get perfectly good lightly worn shoes at 70-80% off full price. I often leave the monthly sale with 2-3 pairs of good tread for maybe $60. With prices that cheap, I don't feel bad about abusing the shoes and then throwing them away when they start to go

Whats a good shoe with a minimal drop and good ground feel that WONT feel like crap on a multiday lightweight backing trip?

Thoughts on the nb 110 shoes for backpacking?

personally I think they are too light (read thin), particularly in a rocky/mountainous setting for backpacking, but ymmv

possibly if you really did a lot of running/walking w/ them previously, the terrain wasn't too rough and your pack was very light

there have been several folks (including a few on this site) that have torn the uppers- it's kind of a plasticy mesh like affair that if a stick or sharp rock gets into the wrong spot it will rip