Recommendation for some trail runners

Some trail runners have "rock plates", to lessen bruising under forefoot from striking rocks while running . Not necessary for walking. They arent steel, just flexible plastic.

Trail runners come in all kinds. The most important thing is that it fits well. There are all styles from minimal to cushy. Barely there to heavily padded and gore-tex. Most prefer a non-goretex, middle of the road shoe . Brooks Cascadia 7/8 are very popular.

The choices can be overwhelming. Runningwarehouse.com and zappos are good places to buy from. Free shipping and free return shipping if doesnt fit.

Get it about 1/2 size larger than normal. When you are on your feet walking all day, your feet swell. Especially after several days of it straingt. You need room between toes and end of shoe or else when you stub your toe, it frickin hurts. Your toes will also touch the end of the shoe on downhills every step without enough room there, and you can lose toenails.

Shoe fit varies so much– spend some time trying on shoes. Running stores typically have the most knowledgable staff and can usually point out shoes to fit your gait.

You may need to tune them up with insoles or orthotics like Superfeet.

My personal preference is to light low top hiking shoes rather than running shoes. I find they are have better traction and more room in the toe box and better protection all around. My favorite du jour is the Patagonia Drifter AC. They have a a good stiff sole for excellent rock protection and a lot volume fit which suits my foot type well.

I like Keen, Merrell, Montrail and Vasque shoes too.

John,
There is a fairly good selection of light weight shoes to choose from that are suitable for backpacking and, its a matter of you trying them on until you find a shoe that fits your foot. Your budget of $75.00 will limit your selection quite a bit but there is a way of getting around that with a little patience. What I have found is, a manufactures' line will have a similar fit for each model and once you find a brand or two that works for you, keep an eye out for sales and buy two pairs of shoes if possible. Read through the gear list specifically looking for the shoes that are on the list and you will find many hikers using the same brands and that would be a good starting point for you.
The shoes that seem to be commonly worn are, New Balance, Solomon, Brooks, Merrel, Altra, Vasque, Inov 8 and a few others. The commonality between these brands lies mostly from them having a combination of a little wider toe box, a good aggressive tread (stay away from a shoe with a flat tread) and light weight.
I started with a pair of Merrels and they just didn't work for me and last year I bought a pair of Brooks Cascadia and that shoe fit me very well but, I could only get about 250 miles out of them before the tread would rip apart because the rubber compound was just to soft. The first pair I bought I kept, thinking it was just a bad copy. After the second pair did the very same thing at roughly 250 miles, I took them back to REI and bought some Vasque Mindbenders and, they are still going strong with 700+ miles on them. How I look at the cost of a shoe is, how much wear am I getting from them? The Brooks and the Vasque were roughly the same price at the store but, I'm getting three times the mileage from the Vasque.

I have read many very good reviews about the Altra Lone Peak shoe and I will be trying those on for fit when the Vasque finally start falling apart or, just buy another pair of the Vasque.
Another thing you may want to do is, replace the insoles every 250 miles and, if you can get it into your budget, buy a pair of premium insoles that will last much longer, such as some "Sole" brand, "Dean Karnazes" or similar.

All very good insights and suggestions which I will use. Sometimes with so much information out there it's kind of hard to keep it straight in my mind and figure out where to start. I will use all of these as I start my search. I appreciate your time to answer.

Thanks again!
John

I found these on sale at Gander Mountain for about $69. Had a free $20 certificate from them for something to do with their credit card so down to $49.

I tried these on and they are absolutely comfortable. After reading reviews on a couple of running forums I think that they will fit the bill. They are light, listed at around 8oz, drain well, dry quickly and the fluidflex sole appears to provide enough protection. Runners were also talking about getting 500 to 700 miles out of them.

My only concern is the same as mentioned in the reviews, I can feel my pinky toe hitting the side. They have a lot of give in them though so we'll see as it does allow my toes to splay.

I'm taking them to Arkansas this week for about a 35 mile trip on the Buffalo River Trail and the Old River Trail. This will provide plenty of ascents, descent and water crossings. I'll post a review after I get back.

review links:
http://runblogger.com/2013/04/dirty-runner-montrail-fluid-flex-review.html
http://www.irunfar.com/2013/07/montrail-fluidflex-review.html

John

If your toes are hitting the sides and/or front of your shoes, they most likely are to small already. And what I mean by "already" is that after a few days on the trail, your feet will swell up and grow another half size or more. So starting with a shoe already to small is not what you want to be hiking in. The rule of "thumb" I use, is to have at least a thumb width between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. Understanding you said it was your small toe that is touching the front/side of the shoe is an Indicatiom that the toe box is to narrow for your foot. It is very important to have a wide toe box and the shoe should have a feeling of being a little to big for you in the store.
Don't be like me and buy shoes that are to small. Here is a picture of one of my feet before I got it figured out. I ended up losing 8 of my toe nails when it was all said and done.

I'm a huge fan of Salomon. They don't have the lightest shoes but the comfort level is top notch. I'm a huge fan of the Speedcross 3's, which might be a stretch out of your price range but if you shop around you may find some deals.

Adrien

If they work for you, great. That is the only thing that counts. Most people have tried a few different pair to find the perfect shoes for them. Some never do.

Some people have sensitive finicky feet, some people can wear anything without issue.

You can usually find an online coupon for Sierra Trading Post for 35% off or so. They will have clearance items when the new model yrs come out. You can get $100 shoes on sale there for $65, use the coupon and get them for $40-$50 frequently. Something to keep in mind.

When you find a pair you really like, buy several pr.

Check New Balance website. If you click around through their trail runners, you'll notice some links to their lasts – the model the shoe is made from. If you know what shape your foot is, or how you wish your shoe was shaped, you can find something that will likely fit you well

It worked for me!

Thanks for your comments. I totally agree. I have a bit more than thumbs width in front of my toes.

After reading your post I got to thinking about they way that they fit. I realized I had on my normal wool boot hiking socks. I put on a pair on running socks and added my superfeet to the shoe. No more hitting! No slipping with the running socks either so hopefully no blisters.

Thanks for the insights!
John

I tried on several pairs of Salomon, no regard to price (heeding some advice from this thread). I had a hard time getting comfortable in them but I did actually bring home a pair to wear around the house and test against these.

The were comfortable enough on the sole but my feet felt restricted around the edges. Probably because of the stiffer material there. However I want to make sure that I am getting the right shoes so I am trying them out today and tomorrow.

Thanks for posting,
John

"Here is a picture of one of my feet before I got it figured out."

MY EYES! THEY BURN!

OP,

If you find that they don't work out for you, check out the La Sportiva Wildcats. Lightweight, breathe well, and have a roomy toe box. They're a bit over $100 at REI but you can find them online for <$75 if you dig around a bit.

I'd normally +1 buying several pair once you found ones that work for you but since I've returned to backpacking a couple years ago, my feet have grown from 11.5 to 13.

Edit to add: It's difficult for me to calculate the mileage on them since I wear them every day but I spoke to a lady CDT through hiker vet who claimed she was getting over 500 miles per pair.