The Adidas Terrex Agravic is a stable and rugged trail shoe that’s made to tackle the gnarliest of adventures. The upper of the Terrex Agravic uses a durable open mesh that offers a lot of protection while still letting the breeze flow through on warmer days. The midsole uses a dual layer combination of EVA on top and Adidas’ proprietary Boost compound underneath. The ride felt a little stiff at first, but after hitting the trails things softened up a bit. The outsole on the Terrex Agravic is the major highlight of this shoe, and might be one of the best outsoles I’ve ever tested. There were a lot of highs with this shoe, and a few minor lows. I’ll get into all of this and more in this review of the Adidas Terrex Agravic.
Find the Terrex Agravic Online at: Amazon, Zappos, and Backcountry
*The Terrex Swift R was provided to me at no cost in exchange for this review.
Fit and Feel:
A size 13 fit my foot just right in the Terrex Agravic. For reference, I usually wear a size 12.5, so size up a half size. The last of the Agravic is slightly narrow through the midfoot, but the toebox fits quite well. The heel height and ankle cutouts fit my narrow heel just about perfect once I was able to get the lacing dialed in. Adidas uses a unique lacing system on the Agravic that has the lowest laces anchored right at the metatarsophalangeal joints. When I first laced up the Agravic, I used a uniform lacing convention and kept the lowest laces loose. This caused my heel to slip on the uphills. If I ratcheted down on the laces, my metatarsals felt too bunched and the pressure caused hotspots. I have a wide and low volume forefoot, so this likely won’t be an issue for those with narrow feet. After playing around a little bit with the tension on my first few outings, I was able to find a lace balance that works. Adidas could solve this problem pretty easily by adding an extra eyelet at the top of the shoe to allow for a heel lock lacing pattern.
At 14.3 oz for a size 13, the Agravic is a nice lightweight option, on par with similar shoes in it’s class. The inside of the Agravic is smooth and didn’t cause me any hotspots (aside from the lacing issue). The upper does exhibit a bit of bunching when flexed around the lower lace points.
Upper:
The upper on the Agravic is an open mesh that breathes and dries very well. A welded overlay wraps the perimeter of the foot to keep out shallow bouts of moisture exposure. The toe guard on the Agravic is surprisingly robust and provides ample protection from toe jams. The tongue on the Agravic is made of an EVA similar to that of a shoe insole. I really like this tongue as it provides a lot of cushioning and comfort without the thickness of others I’ve tried. The tongue has holes for breathability and is not gusseted. You can expect a little bit of dirt and debris to find it’s way into your shoe because of this.
The heel counter on the Agravic is stiff which helps makes this shoe darn near perfect for technical terrain. Once I figured out the lacing, my feet really felt at one with these shoes. My ideal outings with the Agravic involve ridge routes, steep hikes, and off trail jaunts in the 5-15 mile range.
Midsole:
The Agravic has a dual density midsole that uses a firm EVA layer underfoot with a much softer layer of Boost underneath. When I first tried on the Agravic I was wondering when I would feel the bounce of the Boost midsole. As soon as I hit the trail, the underfoot feel started coming to life. Make no mistake though, these are much firmer than most of Adidas’ other boost midsole shoes. I think the denser black layer of EVA dampens a lot of the rebound that would otherwise be felt by the Boost. This turned out to be a good think for hiking technical ascents, as the firm and responsive midsole kept all of my steps feeling stable and precise. I also hiked with a 40lbs pack and felt the stability of this midsole to be more than enough.
The agravic has a 6mm drop, with 28mm in the heel and 22mm in the forefoot.
I’m not sure if there is a rockplate in the Agravic, but the underfoot protection is great. The combination of the dense EVA layer combined with the full length outsole kept the jolt of any sharp rocks from reaching my feet.
The Agravic midsole takes a little breaking in before it starts to feel like home. On my first wear I was worried about the stiffness in my stride from dorsiflexion to plantarflexion. When I picked up the pace on trails the shoe had a bit of a slap. After a few wears, things have now broken in quite nicely.
Outsole:
The outsole on the Terrex Agravic is one of the best outsoles on a trail shoe that I have ever tried. For the rubber compound, Adidas has partnered with fellow German corporation, Continental, to employ the same rubber technology used in Continental’s car tires. Continental used the rubber compounds found in their winter snow tires for the Adidas Terrex outsoles. I was very skeptical when I first read the claim of “30% more traction in dry conditions and 32% more traction in wet conditions versus the competition.” After using these shoes on a variety of trail surfaces I am now a believer. The only compounds that I’ve tested recently that come close are La Sportiva’s Frixion Red and Green, Salomon’s Premium Wet Traction Contragrip, and versions of Vibram’s Megagrip.
It’s not just the rubber compound that makes these outsoles work so well, it’s also the tread pattern. The lugs measure around 6mm in depth, which makes them very versatile, providing grip on wet and dry trails. The lug pattern offers a lot of surface area on each lug which helps work with the Continental compound to provide excellent traction on smooth and slick surfaces. There is also a good amount of space between the lugs which helps with shedding mud on days after a rain.
I found my favorite use of the Terrex Agravic outsole was on steep ridge routes that require a lot of scrambling. Heading uphill and downhill, I always felt 100% confident that these shoes would keep me on my feet.
Final Thoughts:
The Terrex Agravic is a capable performer on technical trails due to the amazing Continental rubber outsole. The Boost midsole is a great combination of cushion and firm responsiveness. I think this midsole is perfect for hiking and backpacking, but trail runners might find it a tad harsh on smoother trails. The upper was the only part of the Agravic that did not work for me. Although I was able to get the lacing to work, it never really felt like it was a part of my foot.
At $135, the Agravic is priced competitively with it’s competitors.
Pros:
- Continental rubber outsole
- Versatile midsole
- Durable materials
- Supportive and stable
Cons:
- Lacing system on upper
For the next version of the Terrex Agravic, I hope Adidas moves to a more conventional lacing system. The outsole and the midsole work quite well together and don’t really need much in the way of change. Those are just my opinions for my feet and preferences though. Have you tried the Agravic? Let me know your thoughts!
Find the Terrex Agravic Online at: Amazon, Zappos, and Backcountry
Thanks for the comprehensive review, Drew! The Adidas Terrex Agravic is advertised as a trail running shoe; and as you write in your review of the Adidas Terrex Swift, that one is advertised as a hiking shoe. Yet, from all I read about the two, both seem to do quite fine in both contexts. Could you give me your opinion on how well the Agravic and the Swift compare when it comes to these two purposes? I hike more than I do trail running, but as I travel quite a lot, the lower weight of the Agravic makes it look a bit more attractive to me than the Swift.
Thanks for reading, Max! For most of my mountain pursuits, I hike the uphills and jog the downhills. The Agravic work very well for this, the Swift not so much. The swift is a solid hiking shoe, but a bit stiff and harsh for running. It also doesn’t breath well in this SoCal summer heat. I find myself reaching for the Agravic more than the Swift due to it’s versatility. I’d say to only go with the Swift if you’re looking for a more robust hiking and backpacking shoe. If you’re looking for a hiking/running/travel shoe, the Agravic is the better pick.
That’s exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you so much, Drew!
No problem!
Good morning.
Is there any differences between the swift r gtx and the agravic as it concerns sizing? My size is 44 and my last shoe was the swift r. I ordered the agravic same size 44 and it doesn’t feel stable enough on my foot especially at my heel.
Thanks
Nick
Good morning, Nick. The sizing tends to be pretty consistent for me, so you should be safe ordering the same size.
Hi again.
Unfortunately thats not true. Shoes already came and the size is bigger. I can put a finger behind my heel when my toes are firmly put to the front part of the shoe. Have listed them on eBay.
Thanks
Nick