Trail Runner Recommendations: generous toe box, midfoot not too narrow, preferably low drop, good cushion and grip

I've been on a parallel search, and here are some scattered comments to add to those above.

Was excited about many of the options, but:

I found the helios, which by every other measure was about perfect, was not roomy enough in the toe box (and I don't know how anyone can say they fit true to size – size up).

The BoCo while in some sense wide up front, used stretch side panels, so it still gave me a somewhat firm fit up front from the upper (not good for my neuroma).

I've tried all the Altra trail models, and they are great in terms of drop and roomy toe box, but often have elements that just seem awkward/clunky in fit and finish to me.

In addition to Altra, one of the most promising roomy toe box low drop cushioned shoes was from Topo Athletic. I have yet to get one in my size to try, but am pretty interested.

http://topoathletic.com/collections/outdoor-mt

Chris,

By your comments I am assuming the TrailRoc's do not have arch support? I am beginning to realize that wearing shoes without arch supports makes my feet happy. I am beginning to switch to "minimalist footwear" and was planning on trying out a pair of the Altra Lone Peaks, however it appears they have arch support so I will keep looking.

Additionally, I do not see too many people speak of Vivobarefoot. Anybody have feedback on their trail runners?

Adrien

I've stayed out of this discussion, as the focus seemed to be far from minimalist footwear. I hike in Vivos (Breatho Trail, although now the new model is called Trail Freak). All I can say is that I love them. But you do have to adapt to minimalist shoes. Strengthen your ankles, calves, and Achilles, as well as internal foot muscles. There is lots on the web on how to do this. It will take longer than the shoe manufacturers suggest, though. But it is an investment in strength fitness that will pay off for the rest of your life.

I run in Inov-8 TrailRoc 150s. I find the Vivos more comfortable to hike in.

You can't really compare minimalist shoes to regular trail runners. Biomechanically and fitness-wise, they entail two different types of hiking almost. I'll note that the American College of Sports Medicine finally reversed itself and recognized the growing literature on footwear and has now endorsed more anatomic and minimalist shoes.

http://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/discover/get-involved/barefoot-blog/april-2014/how-do-you-choose-the-right-running-shoes$8

To be a little critical, the trail Vivos have had durability issues (I have had multiple pairs). The lugs rip off too easily (although there are so many, you can afford to loose a number of them with no real performance impact). I am not sure how well they have addressed this issue with the new Trail Freak model. There was also an issue with shoe laces (they sucked and needed substitution if you didn't want knots coming untied occasionally), which they have addressed with the Trail Freak.

But overall, I know of no other shoe I would consider wearing for 3 season hiking.

"Michael, which Nikes do you use, and why don't you think they make great trail runners? Even though the two Nike shoes recommended by the Nike rep below don't have a rock plate, he said their outsoles were protective enough."

EJ,

Sorry I forgot about this thread.

First, I don't have any experience with the Nike's you have mentioned. Second, I was responding based more on perception than my own experience with Nikes. It has seemed like I am the only one who loves to wear Nike's on the trail. I have had a couple of pairs of zoom vomeros and more recently a pair of air Pegasus shoes. Neither is a "trail" shoe. The are a bit flexible and you can stub/bang your feet a bit, but I really like them. I did climb Mt Adams last year in a pair (not running)!

I might actually check our the nikes mentioned in this thread since Nike's seem to fit my feet the best of all shoes and I'd like more of a trail runner than a plain running shoe.

on my third pair (getting 500-ish miles/pair)- comfy, moderate drop- 4 mm, roomy toe box- this is what nixes me out of 90%+ of the shoes on the market now

pretty lightweight and the grip is very good as well

“In addition to Altra, one of the most promising roomy toe box low drop cushioned shoes was from Topo Athletic. I have yet to get one in my size to try, but am pretty interested.”

I finally got a chance to try on a pair of Topo Athletics MT shoes and I came away extremely impressed.

They had the most comfortable uppers I’ve ever encountered on a pair of shoes (they are very nearly seamless, like for real though). The toe box was also very roomy and the shoes were extremely light to boot (around 9oz each).

My only hesitation is the firmness of the foam in the midsole. It is not a cushy feeling shoe, especially under the forefoot. This might be great for some and bad for others.

It has substantially more cushion than a minimalist shoe like the Merrell Trail Gloves, but a little less cushion than a “traditional” trail runner like the Brooks Cascadia 9s.

The drop is 2mm, which is nice.

I’m still not sure whether they would feel great after 20 miles of backpacking, or if the balls of my feet would want more cushion on a rocky trail. It’s hard to say.

These are certainly a shoe to check out though.

Thanks for posting your impressions. -I went straight to Amazon. Unfortunately, they are the same price as at the company's website. There is a two-minute review posted that may be helpful to some. For hiking, this shoe looks pretty great. It does appear to have some torsional rigidity with the V-pattern on the sides, kind of like Salomon's have. I just bought a new pair of Salomon XA Comp 7s, replacing XA Comp 5s. Haven't even unpacked them yet. But hope to use them next weekend. If I hadn't just got a smokin' deal on the 7s, I'd probably check the Topo MT shoes out.

I personally like the MT10's from New Balance. May want to put some superfeet insoles in if the cushion is too low for you.

Mike M, What shoe did you post a pic of?

Pearl Izumi N2 with Dirty Girl Gators and micro spikes on