ASICS - GEL-TRABUCO 9

Clocked 1,500km in Asics Trabuco 9s

Reluctantly looking for alternatives to Trabucos with similar features. I did 1,500km in my Trabuco 9s and absolutely adored them. I’ve gone half as far in my Trabuco 10s and they still have plenty life left in them. However, I don’t like the way the line is going, towards more cushioning – and weird, blocky soles on the 13s! Ideal features: - Wide toebox - Rugged sole - Rockplate - Seemingly suited to all terrains, even UK mud! - Can stash away the laces - Great heel lock Is there anything else that meets that brief? I’m open to exploring a summer shoe and winter shoe rotation. Admittedly the Trabucos are great for not slipping on mud, but they do pick it up a lot. I’m assuming smaller lugs or alpine shoes might make for better mud shoes. Thank you in advance for your help!

I have had the Trabuco 9, 10, 12 and now the 13. Interestingly enough in the same colour ways as the photo. Except for the 9, on all others I did min. 800 km of trailrunning. The grip is just superb. I do not have enough km on the 13 yet only 175km. They seem a little wider at the forefoot. Certainly for taller/bigger person's (I am 1.87 and 80kg) this imo is a really great shoe for all terrain. I have been running mountains trails upto 60km in Scotland, Belgium, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland . So yes they are really my Goto trailrunning shoes, I am a recreational runner though. If there is one thing I would like is that I could easily buy replacement asics inner soles just to replace them after 400km during the life of the shoe. But that might be my 80kg Other shoes I have used are Salomon, Inov8 and Adidas Terrex Ultra.

My last trabuco was the trabuco 9, which felt really comfortable. I've just bought the trabuco 13 and wtf, for me the worst running shoe I ever ran in. The shoe feels extremely stiff, the foam feels very firm, blocky feeling.

Fit matters, as all the major brands produce some good trail runners. I used a Trabuco way back in the day and they were fine.

Check into the Asics Gel-Trabuco series. I have been wearing these for both backcountry trails in Colorado, running on pavement, the gym, and on local smooth gravel trails. They are lightweight, flexible, with a grippy sole, and breathe well. They are unlikely to hold up for extended backpacking, though. But for general hiking and trail running, they excel. Be aware that you are going to see the soles wear sooner than some of the hikers on the list you gave. Trade-offs. I have Goretex hikers as well and I can tell you that they definitely are hotter and your feet will sweat in them. I have them in cold and warm weather models. They are good in cooler mountain environments and where you might hike in spongy, moist lowlands, and keep your feet from getting soaked from morning dews. Again, trade-offs.

I like Asics Gel Trabuco. Comfortable, good traction, cushiony enough that I don't need to add inserts. I don't tear through shoes as fast as some others though, but they do seem durable to me.

My road runners are Asics Gel Cumulus, and my trail are Asics Gel-Trabuco. Very similar, although the trail do feel harder on the roads.

I run in Brooks Glycerine on Road and Asics gel Trabuco on trails. Love the asics

ASICS Gel Trabuco. I love ‘em

I have the Gel Trabaco and love it.

ASICS Trabuco Max line is legit. Dan Green wore them for Cocodona 250. Trabuco Gel is good also for slightly more technical terrain.

I had Scott Supertrac RCs, Hoka Speedgoats and LaSportiva Bushidos before, last year I had the opportunity to take part in an Asics shoe test event and really liked them. I got a pair of Asics FujiLite 5s and really, really loved them. Ran over 600km in them last year and would say they are a wonderful versatile shoe. Used them in alpine terrain as well as chill forest trails, never had a Problem, was especially surprised with their sole/grip on wet trails. Would 100% recommend the FujiLites, i did not enjoy the other Asics trail shoes too much though, the Gel trabuco etc. felt weird for my taste...

Hey there, Just ran my first 50k. Did them in the ASICS Gel-Trabuco’s. Solid light yet semi cushioned shoe that has served me very well in the hills of PA.

after reviewing all insights contributed across reddit & fb, ended up using asics gel trabuco trail running shoes & they were the best. just finished our camino portugues. buen camino!

ASICS gel venture 10 comes in extra wide. I have somewhat wide feet and mid level arches and they fit pretty well. The gel Trabuco in standard is also on the wide side.

I picked up some Gel Trabucos here recently and love them. Other shoes I have been wearing are xodus ultras, mtn racers and brooks catamount. Fit wise I love them, they feel stable and enough cushion while not being clunky like my catamounts.

I love my Gel Trabucos! Have the same colour👌

Asics Trabuco (non max!) is stable and similar to your Kayano's. I personally like Nike Zegama 2's as well they are very comfortable and very stable. In trails shoes you are just looking for stable shoes, pronation correction doesn't really exist there. Only really bad shoe I ever had was the Trabuco Max 3, very high stack + very soft. For that same reason you might want to stay away from the Mafate 5

My asics tabucos, fujilite 3s and even gel cumulus TRs are seemingly indestructible. My feet don't seem to want anything else. My Salomons feel like plastic boxes compared to the asics.

I like Vibram a lot, any shoe with a Megagrip outsole will have enough traction for me. But I have found that it is not the end all be all anymore. Asicsgrip is stickier than Vibram and extremely durable on top. It's amazing stuff, really. Asics' trail lineup is not that big, but they have some really interesting models and a great allrounder in the Trabuco.

Well I guess that depends on what we call technical and individual adaptation to that technical terrain. I prefer Asics trabucos for this type of terrain, closer to the ground, more grip o wet rock and not soft. I live inside the Zegama course, for this type of terrain AP5 works great for nearly all the course. But if going more rocky high altitude terrain I prefer the Asics. Haven't tried any of the shoes you mention to compare, sorry. All in all, they are a nice shoe for putting km on.

I use Asics trabuco. As gripy as vibrams megagrip if not more, quite close to the ground and not too soft. It also works well for long outings. I guess anything that fits well and is similar would work for me.

Mafate speed 4 is actually 7mm in runrepeat test. I have a pair, and they don't feel as other 4mm drop shoes I use. OP, you could try Asics trabucos. They are 8mm, go for 12th versión, 13th upper is trash

Asics trabucos work for me in highly technical terrain. Enough cushion but still quite stiff, not very high and wide fit. Trabuco 13s upper is not good, it breaks really easy, I'm in my second pair and I won't get more than 400km from any of them (second one is a replacement sent by Asics). 11 and 12 work better for this kind of skyrunning. I was getting around 700/800km put of them.

Asics trabuco is quite wide. Topo MTN racer 3 is too narrow for me too, mostly due to the midfoot

Asics trabucos are wide and roomy. The speedgoats 2E are actually very narrow and low volume. Even the mafate speed 4 in normal width are roomier. I tried topo MTN racer 3. They are wide in the forefoot, but narrow in the arch/midfoot. Can't wear them Agility peak 5 is also wide and high volume.

Have a look at Asics line up. Trabuco and trabuco max. They are plenty wide. I tried speedgoats 2E, they are not any wide. Mafate 4s are actually wider, but still not enough for me if I'm going long.

I focus on trail running during the summer months, and last June, I picked up a pair of Merrell Agility Peak 5 — and absolutely fell in love with them. In 2022 and 2023, I ran in both the Salomon Ultra Glide and the Asics Trabuco, which are excellent trail shoes in their own right. However, the Merrells stood out offering great comfort and protection over long distances. They’re a fantastic all-around choice though they are a bit on the heavy side. Looking ahead to 2025, I’ve been considering the Saucony Xodus, as I’ve heard great things about them and am eager to see how they compare.

Asics Trabuco have worked well for me.

ASICS Trabuco. Ive got some of the 13's. Comfortable, reliable, good grip, good bounce. They go everywhere with me. Holidays, festivals, city breaks - walking, running, hiking. Perfect do it all.

Well that's indeed what I would do, unless you are used to hiking boots with zero drop. If you are not (most boots are not zero drop) definitely get something with cushioning and drop. There are plenty of good shoes out there. The Trabuco from Asics is also a good one (8mm drop I believe). Enjoy the trails!

You can probably find decent all rounders to do this, Brooks Cascadia or ASICS Trabuco. Personally if it’s over half marathon with 10k or more on road I’ll favour comfort over grip and just be prepared to slip around a bit, and will use my Trabuco Max.

Asics Trabuco and Pegasus trail 4.

I love my goretex shoes and have been running for years in them. ASICS Trabuco is my current go to!

I have 3 pairs. One for trail and two road. The road pairs are identical models and I wear them in rotation. I start the second pair when the first is half way through its life. The theory is that will help prevent injury as you’re not going from wearing quite worn out shoes all the time to suddenly wearing new ones, ie a sudden change in the level of support etc. Plus at least every second run you’re wearing shoes that are in the first half of their life. If you retire your shoes at a set number of kms you won’t actually spend any extra money. I was recommended asics gt2000 after a foot analysis at a running store, plus by a podiatrist and physio, and have been wearing that model for over a decade. Love them. For trails I wear asics trabuco, very grippy!

ASICS Trabuco for everything! I used them on a 63k/4500m and a 44k/2000m ultra and never thought about my feet. My current training pair has 1100k and still no sign of breaking down.

ASICS Trabuco

North face vectiv enduris 4 - am a heavy guy myself and those are one of the best I ever had (previous ones were Asics, Mizuno, adidas) or if you want something that has no frills but just works and is helluva grippy then Asics Trabuco (not max)

That's pretty good. Thanks for letting me know. I tried out Asics Trabuco for their delicious boying-boing (lol), but sadly the change in heel drop made it feel like I was running in heels. Not a good plan.

I’ve been running for a bit, so here’s my take. A long run in the woods and one on flat asphalt? Two completely different worlds. Personally, I’m team forest all the way. Time goes by faster, the view’s better, the air’s fresh, there’s shade when it’s hot, and you don’t get blasted by the wind. But — and there’s always a “but” — running in the woods wakes up muscles you didn’t even know you had. You’ll be sore in brand new spots, guaranteed. I stick to the forest ’cause I’ve got hills and dips right by my place, and honestly, trail running builds your shape way better than any road or treadmill ever will. It’s tougher though. Once you hit around 15 km — or even before — if you’re not ready, you’ll really feel it, especially going downhill. Uphill you can kind of crawl through, but downhill? That’s where your hamstrings and quads start screaming, because you’re basically braking the whole time. Anyone who says it’s the same as road running, just softer, is talking nonsense. It’s a completely different type of run. Take it easy, don’t push too hard — and have fun out there! And one more thing — a few key points from my experience: Shoes matter. Get proper trail shoes with a solid sole — ones that’ll keep you from feeling every rock underfoot. Some models even have built-in rock plates, like the Asics Trabuco. Socks matter too. Go for the best quality you can — I personally prefer long ones. Warm-up is everything. Don’t skip it, especially before trail runs. And before you go all in on long distances — get a few runs in the forest first. Let your legs get used to that uneven terrain.

Have a the asics range, the Trabuco and Trabuco Max have been my go to UK trail shoe. They’re not brilliant on mud, but for rocky and hard packed trails they’re brilliant.

For the rim to rim, trail runners are perfect. It's mostly a packed trail trail runners let your feet breathe more. I did the rim to rim to rim in ASICS Trabicos trail a few years back, and they were perfect. Otherwise, it kind of depends where you tend to do a lot of your hiking and preference for what you like to wear. In the Rocky Mountains, I prefer a hiking boot to help navigate Rocky trails in big boulders-- while my friend doesn't find that she needs that very much. Hiking poles can make a difference too--I used those for room to rim, and I used them for longer, moderate hikes, and challenging hikes.

With trail runners you're going to protect your feet more if you're hiking a trail where you are navigating big rocks and tree stumps, etc. Think less stubbed toes and less time removing debris etc . I think overall, you'll be able to hike more trails with trail runners. You can always strap your Sandals onto your day pack for water crossing or for the option. I know a lot of people like the Altras. I've owned four different pairs of ASICS Trabucos. The best thing to do is to go to a store and try them all on because everybody's feet are different. Ps. Get yourself some affordable dirty girl gaiters to keep debris from entering your shoes and you'll be set!

Asics have decent ones too, I had Trabucos for a while, they were great but the lack of protection sucks when you're a defender

I have the same issue on the road. Used to run in adrenaline, then asics kayano, and now switching between kayano and altra torins. Trail shoes aren’t stability specific because it is not the same kind of repetitive movement. Each step is different on trail while on road they are all basically the same. Stability in trail running means not wrecking your shit on a root or rock. For that, I have found nothing better than the asics trabucos. I swear they have saved me from multiple twisted ankles. I have tried saucony peregrines and Nike Pegasus, but the trabucos are the best so far. I have not tried any zero drop trail shoes yet.

S-tier: Asicsgrip. Tested it on mossy wet rocks by the waterfall. Beats megagrip

Asicsgrip is amazing. I have a pair of old Fujilyte 2 to walk the dog and these MFs still stick to the ground as fairly new. I've done super fast series on technical terrain where at first I would've swear I was about to kill myself but nope. On the other hand I have always Found LaSportiva Akasha awesome, I guess the rest of the lineup will be similar regarding the proper sole/terrains intended. Once you've run a few miles to get rid of that "new sole coating" they move incredible. Less over wet rock/soils but very nice anyways, slipped just two or three times in a +1000kms distance span.

For me in wet terrain with rocks, the best is Asicsgrip (6). After that, probably Vibram (tried in Hoka and Nike shoes), Contagrip in Salomon Speedcross 4 and Continental in various Adidas models. Here, some variation between them (for example, Continental in Adidas Terrex Two Flow is better than in Adidas Terrex Agravic Flow 2.0 (so a 4 for them). After those, probably the outsole by La Sportiva (in Jackal model) and various Nike outsoles (Kiger 8, Wildhorse 6, Pegasus 4 TR) in wet terrain (btw, in mid Spring to mid Autumn, Nike are pretty nice shoes here)

I brought these as a dressier option for a 3-week UK trip, intending to wear some newish Asics trail runners as an outdoorsy shoe. Asics is usually my go-to comfortable shoe brand, but that pair wrecked my feet within the first week. The Mizzles took on full duty and were a godsend.