I wear Nike Junipers for hiking and they come in a whole bunch of colors, including all back. I wear them to work a lot too. They’re a trail running shoe but are good hikers.
If you have a Nike factory store near you they often have them at 30% off
I just picked up the Saucony Ride TR2 after a recommendation on this sub. I took them out for a spin today and really liked them. They're not quite as soft as the regular Rides (which are my favourite daily trainer) but compared to the Juniper Trail 2 which I'd been using previously they were like clouds.
Hi there,
I've been a sneaker geek for a while, even my line of work gets me to work with several footwear companies.
During my last onebag travel of 6 months I started running quite a lot. I wore some Nike trail sneakers as only footwear, I picked some cheap ones (nike juniper) but running on them took a bit of its toll to my body.
For this year's trip I literally ordered and tried on most trail runners from: nike, on, hoka, new balance, asics etc.
I found two main challenges with good trail runners:
* Looks: accent colors that would not blend well with day to day urban city exploration or night life.
* Rocker and cushioning: shape and midsole very geared towards running that does not allow for a natural walking pattern. Unstable at walking paces:
* Sole: geared toward heavy trails, mud and such. would wear out fast on asphalt just walking.
This would apply to: nike zegama, nike pegasus trail, on cloudvista, hoka speedgoat , new balance hierro, new balance garoe, asics trabuco.
To a lesser extent (had less agressive rocker patterns, typically cheaper): nike juniper, new balance nitrel, hoka challenger.
The brand I found mixed the best of both worlds was the lineup of Salomon Aero, wether for asphalt or trail. In particular the Aero Blaze or Aero Glide in their GRVL (gravel) versions.
They are cushy when running but have no noticeable rocker or unstability whilst walking. Their gravel line is a hybrid for asphalt and relatively easy trails so the sole is suitable for most amateur trekking.
I went for the **Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL** as their had an all black colorway, also have an all white one.
https://preview.redd.it/9ks3ch9035jf1.jpg?width=1801&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a6cbbb3e1e431483ce12796f0ed028c75eb6661
The only drawback is that the sole is massive, although again, not unstable, but when packing them they will take up some extra space compared to a normal shoe, although they are very light for such a big midsole on a "trail" runner.
I am just surprised at the amount of non-runners using Hoka's aggressive rocker shoes for walking, some advanced runners already have stability issues with Hoka whilst running.
Anyhow, I hope this helps someone, if you want specific personal feedback on any of the shoe models I tried on feel free. I guess the one that let me down the most were the pegasus trail, the fit was not ideal for me and the rocker and specially how soft the heel area was made it probably one of worse from the list although I had the highest expectations based on all the recommendations.
The good thing is that nowadays you can order most online and if not used you can return them back, so you can really try them on side by side with other models.
I've tried Under Armour, Terrex, and Nike trail running shoes. All with Goretex. I find they rip by the end of the reason and lose the water proof factor. Then it's just how long I can stick with them before wanting fully dry feet again.
bmwkid
