My take,
Arc shorts (Incendio) are awesome. Favourite shorts personally (7inch). I also have a superlight weight Arc merino t shirt for running which has been a comfortable alternate to all the synthetic I have. Can’t recall the model.
I’ve had two pair of their shoes, the OG Norvan, and more recently the Sylan. OG Norvan was good, Sylan was a very different shoe, quite unique, a little stiff with a little of rocker and a bit unstable. Would not recommend.
I’ve mostly run in Salomon, and would choose both their shoes and their Hydration vest over Arc, but greatly prefer Arc’s apparel (including Norvan jacket).
Also, I just got my first Norda’s, and to me they’re the Arc or shoes. Premium material, great fit (for my feet) and look great. The durability on feel and upper so fair have been really strong.
Sylan is too rockered for tech terrain, look at the Norvan LD4 rather.
Depending on the distance you might be able to run in a more minimal shoe like the Merrel MTL Long Sky 2 Matryx, or Salomon Pulsar 2 SG or Kjerag 2, Kiger 10.
Vibram does seem to vary model to model, both in the actual compound and the implementation. Zegama 2 also has quite a lot of rubber missing in the heel. Prodigio Max is a model with full coverage rubber and is pretty close in stats to the Zegama 2 if you want a close replacement. Otherwise I found the Norvan LD4 has fantastic grip, but it's more minimal. The lightbase material is much more tacky than the regular megagrip of the Zegama 2 which is formulated more for durability.
Prodigio Pro would handle this fine, or if you want less cushion, more precision then the Kjerag 2.
Mainly it's about the rubber compound on smooth rock, and La Sportiva and Vibram are top choices.
If you just want to mainly hike, then Norvan LD4 is a great cross-over shoe.
It's 4 mm. But honestly the Z2 didn't feel low like the Kiger 9's did. It's softer and with more rocker.
I prefer lower drop = more forefoot cushion and a more stable heel. Peg Trail 5 did suffer from a tall unstable heel. That limited it to less technical use.
For hiking a would go for something more grounded like the Norvan LD4.
Zegama 2s are are quite tall and soft and you don't need all this cushion for hiking anyway.
Ye I bought them for running, but now use 'em for hiking. I put Inov-8 boomerang insoles in them to help with comfort. Another thing is rockered shoes are generally terrible for hiking. The Norvan is pretty flat.
Only comparing to the Z2 here, but the Prodigio Pro is more a race shoe - more rocker, better lockdown, lighter weight, but maybe not the best comfort due the bootie upper and doesn't accommodate swelling well. I'm glad to take them off my feet at the end of a race.
Zegama 2 is more a comfort cruiser. Deeper cushion and more comfortable upper. It's a shoe where you prioritize foot comfort over pure performance. That might sound dumb, but foot comfort is often a priority in long Ultras.
I have the Prodigio Pro, but prefer a stiffer, lower, firmer, and less rockered shoe for hiking like the Norvan LD4. Prodigio Pros also have a bootie upper so they are quite resictive if your feet swell - would prefer to have a tongue like in the Prodigio Max.
Depends on the terrain and distance, but a superfoam does nothing for you hiking and the rocker is a hinderance on downhills. Prodigio Pro sizing is difficult to get right and the bootie upper doesn't allow for swelling. Hiking vs. Trail racing racing overlap not that high.
Personally I like the Norvan LD4 it's <$100. Or you could go for a popular through-hiking shoe like Topo Mnt racer, which offers more toe splay. All depends on your foot shape - that's the 1st consideration. Or Prodigio Max I've seen reduced if you want a high stack.
Lower stack = less ankle rolling and more connection with the terrain. Maybe try sth like Norvan Ld4, Kjerag 2, Salomon Pulsar if your distances are not too long.
Prodigio Pro is a rare highish stack shoe that does well in tech terrain. It crushes all other shoes in this class. Speedgoats go to sleep at night wishing they could be this shoe.
I’ve heard no so good things about ON, so would skip those.
Personally, I have arc’teryx Norvan LD 4s (they come in both gore tex and non gore Tex versions), they also have a vibram sole. I think they’re the most “normal” looking trail runners I could find and they have everything I need.
Trolling can be funny it’s a skill that you don’t have.
I have this shoe alongside Sylans and Norvan 4s. I run mostly single track and hard pack and they KILL my legs…because they aren’t meant for that kind of running. My lack of understanding what this shoe was for has in turn showed me what *is* good about them.
They fit snug, have great ground feel, are breathable and dry fast. Scrambling in them and hopping off rocks etc in them is great. I can’t see how this shoe could be great for technical terrain and groundbreakingly comfortable.
Comfortable is high in importance for road running but running on technical terrain it seems as though you must sacrifice that in exchange for stability, as the degree of both is decided by the same thing (the midsole)
Jumping in. I’ve had the Norvan LD 2’s, LD 3’s, & now the LD 4’s. They are great shoes. Honestly some of the most comfortable running shoes I’ve owned. I was rather surprised given arcteryx isn’t the first company I would think of when it came to footwear. They’ve changed the most recent model (LD4’s) in such a way that your foot kind of slides into an elasticized sock. Rather than a classic tongue situation. If that makes sense. It takes longer to put them on now. I found the LD3s the most comfortable but I’m still breaking on my LD4s so we will see.
Quality is meh decent. The LD2s split at the edges where the upper toe fabric bends. The sole eventually wore right through as well. I felt I got a decent life span considering what they went through. But I’ve also got merril approach shoes that are 20 years old, saw much worse, and are still going strong.
Top Trail Running Shoes on Reddit
1
Mount to Coast
H1
85% positive of 177 users
Versatile road-to-trail, but struggles on wet, technical downhills.
Eric_Zion
