Salomon, La Sportiva, Altra, and Mammut are all releasing exciting new trail shoes for 2019. The well known and loved Speedcross, Bushido, and Superior are getting updates, and a few brand new models will be making their debut.
Hoka One One is probably the fastest growing company in the light hiking and trail running world at the moment. Hoka started a few years ago with max cushioned shoes and took the industry by storm. For those already familiar with Hoka’s trail lineup, you’ll be excited to see refinements to the Speedgoat, Mafate Evo, and Challenger lineup. New for 2019, will be the burly and rugged Arkali.
The Topo Athletic Runventure 2 is a lightweight 0-drop trail shoe that’s currently the most comfortable shoe I own. Built for all-day wear, the upper is airy and breathable with a seamless socklike neoprene heel collar. The responsive midsole has a 15mm stack height that provides just enough cushioning for longer days on the trail. For the outsole, Topo uses a low profile lug design that’s best suited for hard pack and less technical outings.
Today I’m reviewing the Horizon BPF, the newest trail shoe from Under Armour. The BPF is a sub 12oz shoe with a 7mm drop that has a much more comfortable fit than it’s cage looking upper would suggest. ‘BPF’ stands for Bullet Proof Feather, which seems like a very fitting name after putting this shoe to the test over the past few months. I’ve taken the BPF on trails all over California, and will share my experience in this review.
The Arc’teryx Norvan LD is a ‘long distance’ trail shoe built for all day comfort while still providing top-notch technical performance. I’ve been wearing the Norvan LD for hiking, backpacking, and trail running over the past few months and will share my experience in this review.
The Scarpa Spin is a lightweight, low-profile trail shoe with a sock-like fit and an aggressive Vibram Megagrip outsole. The responsive midsole is built on a nimble 4mm drop platform that keeps the feet protected with a high density EVA rock shield. I’ve been wearing the Scarpa Spin for the past few months, and will share my experience in this review.
The Vivobarefoot Ultra 3 is a lightweight anatomically shaped shoe that gives you a nice barefoot feel. The Ultra 3 provides impressive underfoot protection via a puncture resistant outsole. My favorite part of the shoe is the EVA upper with hexagon cutouts, that allows my feet to breathe in hot weather, drain and dry after getting wet, and still feel protected when kicking around a campsite.
The Adidas Terrex Two Boa is a nimble 13.3oz (size 12US) trail running shoe with a plush midsole and grippy outsole. The uppers breathe well, and utilize a Boa lacing system that allows for quick and precise adjustments on the fly. The Terrex Two Boa rides like a road shoe, but still has the trail-ready chops for most of my adventures in the mountains.
The Salomon Sense Ultra Pro has been my ‘Goldilocks’ trail shoe of the year so far. From upper to outsole, everything feels ‘just right’ for my feet. I’ve worn these on hikes and trail runs, and have yet to find something that I don’t like about them. The Sense Ultra Pro is built on the same platform as the SLAB Sense Ultra, and as much as I liked the SLAB Sense Ultra, I like the Sense Ultra Pro even more.
The SLAB Ultra is a maximum feature trail shoe by Salomon that is built to take on any trail and any distance. The SLAB Ultra is built on a stable platform with an 8mm drop, and provides two layers of underfoot protection with Profeel Film and a TPU insert. I have put close to 250 miles on this shoe and will share my thoughts in this review.