I am looking a new pair of trail shoes. Looking for something with a big/wide footbox, more minimalist design, a bit of drop, not waterproof, lots of mesh. Any suggestions appreciated.
Scarpa do one... I have them.... Can't recall the model reyt nah... I was surprised for scarpa to do em.... An the grip is impressive....
La Sportiva.Wildcats. Brooks Cascadia 11 and 12. As ever whatever suits your feet. The Wildcats rock for me, but the Cascadias don't wear through on the inner heel after 200 miles, so that is it for me.
My Inov8 Talon 200 are quite roomy up front, seem to dry fairly well, not great on wet rock I've found but very good on grassy/muddy hikes. Altra Lone Peaks seem to be getting popular at the moment
+1 on inov8s I've not found grip on wet rock a problem in my trailrocs. Softer rubber = better grip = lower mileage...
Another +1 on Inov-8s - the 'Standard' fit ones have a wider toebox. A range of cushioning from X-Talon 200 through to the new Roclite. I've never had a problem with grip with my X-Talon 200s, but they do wear fairly quickly on dry rock. Terraclaw and (probaly) the new Trailroc are better in that respect.
I've worn Altra lone peaks for a couple of years now. The wide toe box is fantastic for my wide feet. The zero drop has helped eliminate my shin splints. I found I had to go up a size in Inov8s which made the heal cup to sloppy and uncomfortable. The lone peaks I have now are much more durable.
Northern Runner do good discounts and currently have Altra Lone Peak 2's at £69.99. Like Shap, I've found them very comfortable.
+1 on Altras, though they are Zero drop. The standard fit Inov8s work for me too, at least for running (the heels rub when walking), and Keen. However, fit is more subtle than 'wide'; for me at least it seems as much dependent on shape of the forefoot as width, so Salomons often fit well because they are wide in the right places across the toes.
Thanks folks, do you tend to find the Altras to be accurate to size or overbig or too small ? ie. if I am normally 9 do I need to go for 9 or up or down a half size ?
I went up half a size - from 10 ( my normal size ) to 10.5 - to allow for the thicker socks used for backpacking.
Instead of creating a new thread I'll just follow this one. @Craig did you get the Altras? If so which one and how do you like them? I'm also looking for a shoe that's a little wider. I still have my 4 year old Inov-8 Trailroc 245 (I love these) but they're not made anymore. Having a hard time finding an equal shoe to it. I'm looking at Altra Olympus 2 or the Lone Peaks. Does anyone have good long-term use info on them. What I'm "afraid of" is that they being higher I won't feel the ground as much and that they have thicker material on the mesh they'll dry out slower.
Are the new Trailrocs 'Standard fit'? they look as though they are from the pics on Inov-8's website, although that site seems to have only a limited correspondance with reality. I've got some Altra King MT, but they have crap lateral grip on muddy ground and are quite heavily cushioned compared to X-Talon 200s. I can't imagine running in them as they are so stiff and 'clunky' feeling. I'm going to try a pair of the Xero Terraflex when Xero UK get them in - they look to have a more sensible lug pattern than the King MT.
I believe they're standard fit but their design with no constraining stuff on the sides (rubber things) the mesh moves freely making them very comfortable when your feet swell up or just for a wider foot. For me I won't be running in the shoe but more for hiking. Trailrocs are like the jack of all trades master of none but they're good enough for most hiking. However the get worn down pretty fast on rocky ground and don't have that much life in them now. I don't know if I can take a chance on using them in May for the TGOC. Altra King MT looks pretty much like the Lone Peak but with the velcro stuff. I feel that there's a strong possibility that the velcro will get dirt and such stuck to it and will just flap around.
Me too; mine always wear through on the inside of the heel, usually after 200 miles or so, but not so badly that I can't walk 500-600 miles in them generally. BUT, using Brooks Cascadias for the last year or two and their heels stay intact...but the soles go more quickly. You can't have everything.
Those are the original version. They've re-introduced them for this year - no zero-drop version this time though 500 miles is pretty good for a trail running shoe. The King MT have less cushioning than the Lone Peak - i can't imagine how horrible those must be. The velcro is mostly useful for stopping the laces snagging on things, though it allows you to add a little extra mid-foot control without having to by have the laces stupidly tight. Altra seem to be touting it as a fell running shoe, which it definitely is not, bit it's OK on wet trails, but not for e.g. crossing a wet grassy hillside due to the poor lateral grip.
Yes I've seen that but like you say they're quite different from the old ones that I like so much. Quite a lot of thru hikers in the US are using Altras but then again it's all trail (mostly) so I guess what you're saying might be true about off trail stuff. Same with Hoka One One. It's hard to get trail runners other than Salomon shoes in-store here in Sweden where I live. So it's usually buy online and test and send back. For me it's 70% trail and then 20 is mixed terrain and the last 10 off-trail so it might work out with Altras. However I've been very happy with the traction that Inov-8 gives especially downhill.
I think the new outsole might be better than the old one. The lugs are further apart and shouldn't clog up as much. They look like Standard fit - definitely not the toe-crushing fit of x-talon 212.
Think I'll be trying the inov8 roclite 290 next. The heel cup looks a bit tighter than the 305 which fit well, except for the heel. Still annoyed they don't make the the 280 anymore. I'd just discovered a shoe that works well for me. 2E size 11.5s.
The current Roclites have a weird fit, a 'precision' upper on a 'standard sole unit - the opposite way round to the old Roclites. I had some and sold them as they pinched my toes and have ridiculous amount of cushioning, even after substituting regular EVA insoles for the (open cell) 'powerflow' ones. But i hear they've revamped them for this year so maybe they aren't like that now.
May be a bit too structured for people here but la Sportiva ultra raptors work very well for me (backpacking, running or mountain biking), lots of mesh on the upper, very sticky rubber lugs, good lateral control, arch support, heel cup and a very roomy toe box. Good for 600 miles of proper mountain stuff in my experience.