Trail-running/hiking shoe

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Vitaliy M.

 
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Trail-running/hiking shoe

by Vitaliy M. » Mon Dec 03, 2012 7:36 pm

I am looking to purchase some trail-running/hiking shoes for long hikes/runs. From 10-45miles of mixed jogging and hiking.

Looking for a shoe that would be light, but that would provide good cushion (is this combination possible?).

Any recommendations?

I can buy La Sportiva Quantum or Wildcat for about 70$ should I get either of those? Are they must fit if I know my size in other LS shoes?

Thanks.

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Vitaliy M.

 
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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by Vitaliy M. » Mon Dec 03, 2012 8:14 pm

La Sportiva C-Lite 2.0 look nice to me too...

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MoapaPk

 
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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by MoapaPk » Mon Dec 03, 2012 9:55 pm

La Sportive sticky rubber, in approach shoes, isn't as sticky as stealth (from 5-10).

I have the raptors, and they are very supportive and cushiony (I don't have arch problems). However, the lugs are rather high-profile; that's great if you run down rocky, bumpy trails or washes, where the lugs splay out on the tops of individual rocks. But on slabs or other featureless ascents, the lugs have a tendency to deform and slip. These don't sub for approach shoes. It was disconcerting to feel them slipping on 35 degree polished granite slabs.

I've already ripped off 3 raptor lugs in 50 miles.

A friend wore the wildcats for recent low-5 climbs in Zion. Though they have supposedly less-sticky rubber (than raptors), they don't have the high-profile lugs which bend on slabs.

They seemed about 1/4 size small.

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seano

 
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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by seano » Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:20 pm

Vitaliy M. wrote:Any recommendations?

I can buy La Sportiva Quantum or Wildcat for about 70$ should I get either of those? Are they must fit if I know my size in other LS shoes?

Quantums fit about true to size, and wear out almost instantly. I would avoid the Sportiva "wavy-sole" shoes, which seem kind of flimsy, and don't grip well in mud and snow. I've been happy with a few pairs of Crossleathers, which seem more durable. The C-Lite and such seem to have similar construction.

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Vitaliy M.

 
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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by Vitaliy M. » Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:08 pm

Sean, any thoughts on Electron?

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John Duffield

 
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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by John Duffield » Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:27 pm

I've been liking my Lunarglide 4s more and more of late. Like there's nothing they don't do well. Sometimes, I like to incorporate a section of trail, in one of my pavement runs.

Of course, like anything else, it's all about the motor. I ran my last mile yesterday, on train tracks. You'll want to pull up the train schedule before doing this. But the training value to my feet and ankles of hitting the random tie and ballast, can not be understated. Feet and ankles felt deeply exercised after.

My trail shoes are Salomons. Seems like I rarely use them. When I buy running shoes now, I read the forums, head to my LRS with a treadmill, have them pull out the ones I want to try and take it from there.

http://forums.runnersworld.com/forums/r ... il-running

Good Luck!

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seano

 
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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by seano » Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:34 pm

Vitaliy M. wrote:Sean, any thoughts on Electron?

They look like the same type of construction as the Quantum, but with more durable side material. This won't help -- the Quantums' uppers are plenty durable, but their outsoles wear through very quickly (i.e. as little as 100 miles on Sierra cross-country).

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blazin

 
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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by blazin » Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:55 pm

I've been using La Sportia Fireblades for the past couple of years as both trail runners and light hikers and have been very happy with them. I find that they fell light on my feet, yet provide decent cushion (when bombing downhill, for example) and protection from roots, rocks, etc. They are not great for muddy conditions or snow because they lack the big, pronounced lugs of the C-Lite or Raptor, but I find that adds to their durability. I size mine up a half size for trail running (to avoid banging my toes), which also means I haven't tried using them for anything more than some 3rd class scrambling.

HOWEVER, they have been discontinued and are increasingly hard to find online (but still doable, depending on your size). I have yet to find a suitable replacement. I've been looking at the La Sportiva Skylite or possibly a Salomon shoe, maybe the XR Mission.

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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by nartreb » Thu Dec 06, 2012 5:22 am

The La Sportiva C-LIte is 311g, the Wildcat is 351g, the fireblade 359g, and the quantum is 368g (men's sizes). Except the Clite, those are all heavier than many ordinary running shoes (e.g. New Balance 860v2: 336g) and a far cry from the minimalist stuff that's all the rage today (e.g. New Balance Minimus 10 Trail: 213g; Minimus Zero: 181g)

I picked NB for my examples because they make traditional running shoes whose weight is easy to find on their website. (Good luck finding any kind of information on Nike's site!) My hiking/running shoes are Inov-8 Roclite 295s (295g). They're pretty low-heeled, the sole is pretty flexible, and the arch is basically unpadded: more like a water shoe than a traditional runner. Works for me - they're fairly light, pretty sticky, and they breathe very well.

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MoapaPk

 
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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by MoapaPk » Thu Dec 06, 2012 2:15 pm

Remeber, he said,
trail-running/hiking shoes for long hikes/runs. From 10-45miles of mixed jogging and hiking.


Unless you have super-tough feet, truly minimalist shoes are going to feel pretty bad after 45 miles of mixed hiking.

I guess we need to know if Vitaliy intends to go off-trail much. Lots of the folks in the Sierra Challenge wear something like trail-runners, and a lot of the stuff they do is pretty marginal for shoes without some support.

I've worn minimal NB trail-runners with mesh, over some very iffy terrain -- short class 4, but sticky rock. The soles tend to be floppy on the insides of the big toes, so rarely is it possible to edge. If one is traveling over loose scree and bouldery washes, big lugs are a plus; down big rock slabs, not so much.

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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by mtndonkey » Thu Dec 06, 2012 4:02 pm

I am now on my second pair of Wildcats and think they are great for both hiking and trail running. They grip well, have adequate cushioning for absorbing both the pounding as well as sharp rocks, and they have a nice toe cap as well. I have tried various trail running shoes from Salomon and Asics and the treads on my Wildcats have far outlasted the other brands as well as the construction of the shoe has held up significantly better. I have managed to find them on sale for about $70 and nearly every REI used gear sale seems to have a few pairs of them on sale for about 30 bucks.

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seano

 
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Re: Trail-running/hiking shoe

by seano » Thu Dec 06, 2012 9:02 pm

MoapaPk wrote:Remeber, he said,
trail-running/hiking shoes for long hikes/runs. From 10-45miles of mixed jogging and hiking.


Unless you have super-tough feet, truly minimalist shoes are going to feel pretty bad after 45 miles of mixed hiking.

This. I run on roads and trails in some old New Balance 101s (cheap and fairly minimalist), which I love, and which I wish had not been discontinued. I did one 50-mile trail run in them this year, and that was really pushing it. They would suck for cross-country and boulder-hopping.


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