Trail Running Shoe Reviews
Hoka Stinson 8 Review: Lighter Build and H-Frame Stability Make the Best Stinson Yet
The Stinson has always been Hoka’s answer to one specific question: what if a single shoe handled road, gravel, bark trail, and moderate…
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Merrell MTL SpeedArc Peak Review: A Carbon-Plated Trail Racer With Standout Grip
Merrell has built trail shoes for decades, but the MTL SpeedArc Peak is the first one aimed squarely at the front of the pack. It stacks a…
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Salomon Genesis 2 Review: Matryx Durability and Active Chassis Stability Built for the Long Haul
The Genesis 2 occupies the space between Salomon’s technical racing builds and its heavier protection trail shoes: enough cushion for…
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Topo Athletic Ultraventure 5 Review: ZipFoam Comfort and Vibram Grip for Long Days on Moderate Trails
The Ultraventure line occupies a specific niche in Topo Athletic’s trail catalog: not a speed tool, not a technical scrambler, but a…
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Speedland RX:SKY Review: Swappable Plates, BOA Precision, and a Glow-in-the-Dark Saysky Collaboration
Speedland builds shoes around a modular philosophy: one chassis, multiple configurations. The RX is the brand’s trail racer, and the…
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Brooks Cascadia 20 Review: Vibram MegaGrip Arrives and Changes Everything
Twenty versions into its life, the Cascadia is one of the most recognizable names in Pacific Northwest trail running. It built that reputation…
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Brooks Cascadia Elite Review: The Pacific Northwest’s Trail Standard Gets a Foam Upgrade Worth Waiting For
The Cascadia has been a fixture in Pacific Northwest trail running long enough that the name functions almost as a category rather than a…
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La Sportiva Prodigio 2 Review: The Trail Shoe That Stopped Asking You to Choose
La Sportiva has spent decades building shoes for people who consider Chamonix a commute. So when the brand turns its attention to everyday…
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Kiprun Kipsummit MAX Review: The Low Cost Ultra Trail Shoe That Has No Business Being This Good
The Kiprun Kipsummit MAX is built for runners who think in kilometers, not miles, specifically, the kind of kilometers that stretch from 40 to…
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Hoka Rocket X Trail Review: Carbon Plate and PEBA Foam Finally Come for the Dirt
The Rocket X on road is one of Hoka’s most discussed race shoes, a carbon-plated PEBA platform that sits at the top of their performance…
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Hoka Zinal 3 Review: Mountain Racing Meets PEBA, and the Summit Gets Closer
The Zinal is Hoka’s mountain race shoe, not a crossover, not a “fast trail” option hedged between categories, but a shoe…
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North Face Altamesa 500 v2 Review: Dream Foam Changes Everything About This Trail Shoe
The North Face Altamesa 500 v1 was a capable trail shoe hamstrung by foam that didn’t live up to the platform surrounding it. The v2…
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Mount to Coast T1 Review: Kevlar, Vibram, and PEBA Walk Into a Trail Shoe
Two materials define the Mount to Coast T1 before you even put it on: Kevlar aramid fiber woven into the upper, and Vibram MegaGrip Litebase…
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La Sportiva Prodigio Max Review: The Mountain Shoe Built for Days That Don’t End at Dusk
The La Sportiva Prodigio 2 is a versatile trail daily trainer. The Prodigio Max is something else entirely: a shoe designed for the kind of…
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Norda 001A Review: Three Hundred Dollars Is a Lot Until You Do the Math
$295. That’s the number that stops most conversations about the Norda 001A before they start. It is, by any reasonable measure, a lot of…
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