Trail Running

Vibram trail running soles give runners optimal stability, grip and comfort. As a bit of a Luddite, he doesn't wear a watch or log his miles and time spent running, but has run in and tested over 130 different pairs of Trail Running Shoes over the past six years, so feels he has a pretty informed idea about what works and what doesn't out on the trail.
This is literally a shoe that we had a hard time taking off, preferring it for any sort of outdoor activity, from hiking to walking or running errands, not to mention evening runs on the well packed and groomed dirt trails at Smith Rock State Park near our home.



In years past we have lauded the comfort of the two other trail running shoes made by Nike, but after recent testing, we feel that the recent releases of the Wildhorse 5 and Terra Kiger 5 are not quite as comfortable as their predecessors, at least to our head tester.
Trail running shoes are more tightly grouped at the lower end of the weight scale than they used to be. At a mere 16 ounces per pair, the Hoka Evo Jawz blew many out of the water, weighing around two ounces less than the next closest competitor This shoe is reminiscent of a racing flat but designed with mountain running in mind.

That said, for an extremely lightweight racing shoe, I was quite impressed with the amount of protection and cushioning that it did give me. But obviously don't expect the same amount of bounce and energy return of the Hoka Torrent - they are two very different models.
But if you are on trail running, then it is best that you get yourself a shoe that is made specifically for trail running because this type of shoe will give you more grip on the surface you will run on place the stability it gives is much better than cross-trainers.

The shoes are relatively light while offering a considerable amount of underfoot cushioning, and the move to a thin, unpadded tongue feels more natural in this shoe than it does in the Wildhorse 5, where it fails to pad against the pressure of the laces over the top of the foot.