New Balance - Fresh Foam More Trail v1

All the "shoefluencers" I've seen posting videos so far have been focused on road shoes so the Xodus Ultra 4 probably doesn't really entice them. I know Conversational Pace and Singletrack are at The Running Event and focused on trails, but neither seems to be putting up content from the show. The V1 is my main trail shoe (Due to some crazy sales I'm working my way through 6 pairs...). I haven't tried the V3, but reviews have been pretty mixed from what I've seen. Vibram should be a big improvement for the outsole, but I want to know what makes the rest of the shoe better than the v3 before I get excited. There's also a lot more competition at this point. If you want a shoe suited for longer distances with a Vibram outsole the Nike Zagama 2 has been out for months and is even available on sale at the moment.

I’ve really enjoyed the New Balance Hierro the past few winters. Fresh Foam X stays soft in freezing temps and the vibram outsole is great on snow and ice. Haven’t needed my spikes with them. The v8 is out, apparently they are even softer, closer to the 1080 v13/14 squish. The More Trail v3 was like running in mud, plodding around. They didn’t work for me. I loved the v1.

Zegama 2 is firm, fresh foam more is firm, speedgoat is firm. I have tried them all and they might be softer than an old style trail shoe, but definitely not soft shoes. The softest I have tried so far is ASICS trabuco max 2&3 But I would love to find a similar or softer and bouncy trail shoe, like Neo vista but for door to trail type shoes.

Presently, NB as a brand has been coming out with squishy foam in most if not all models in road and trail running. The one I'm thinking of is the NB MORE trail shoe (they have a road version) which is a squishy soft, max cushioned shoe with a 4mm drop. The Brooks Caldera is another max cushion trail shoe with great traction and has a pretty soft midsole coming in with a 6mm drop.

I’m heavier than you and have gone through a few pairs. Here are some insights on the pairs I’ve used Altra Lone Peak 8s have held up really well. Altra Outroads not so much, version 1 compressed really fast and haven’t enjoyed the feel of version 2 as much but apparently they fixed some durability issues. New Balance Fresh Foam X More, really like these shoes but they are a lot of shoe despite feeling relatively light.

Do not do this with plantar fasciitis. Get a shoe with a high stack like the hola speedgoats or the NB fresh foam. PF is not something to mess around with because it will end your hike in a way that nothing else can by making every step agony.

I'm a die hard New Balance person (because they consistently have wide shoes that feel good for me) and I've been using the minimus trail and love them. The fresh foam shoes don't hold up super well with sharp/rocky terrain.