Salomon - AERO BLAZE 3 GRVL

I think hybrid would be plenty. In general, they would give a little more traction and sometimes a little more protection on the toe, but still feel a lot like road shoes. I got some Salomon Aero Blaze 3 Gravel and they work fine for me as road shoes and when I take a trail I don't have to worry about the soles getting torn up by rocks. My more serious trail shoes are quite a bit heavier and oriented more toward stability and protection, so they're a much bigger change from road shoe feel.

The glides have a high stack, the aero blaze grvl is the lighter version. Both don't have plates.

Can you elaborate a bit more please? Reason I'm asking is that I'm considering to buy the blaze grvl. I already have a high stack shoe so not interested in the high stack of the aero glide and I figure the blaze gives better ground feel

Running in the blaze is extremely dull compared to the glide

Don't recommend GTX or your feet will just sweat and stink out the shoe. Peg trail 5 is excellent, but also look at the Salomon Aero Glide and Blaze GRVL models.

Aero Glide/Blaze 3 GRVL perfect for this. I would lean towards the Blaze since they are firmer and you can find them super cheap right now. Take the Glide if you want to use them for >50% road vs. trail. Adidas Terrex Speed would also work for this, but it's a faster tempo type shoe and works best at speed with a mid to forefoot strike. All 3 of these shoes I would go 1/2 size down as they run long. Sizing down also helps makes them narrower.

Ye, the heel is a bit tall and soft. The Aero Blaze 3 GRVL is more stable and a bit more suited for trail, but Pegs are softer and more pleasant on road.

Big fan of MTC shoes and just got this ordered based on all the positive reviews, especially by Mike at Humble Running. I really like the Salomon AG3 Gravel (and some others like the Terrex Agravic Speed and Deviate Nitro Elite Trail) for the weekly long 15~17 mile road-to-trail excursions, but the H1 seems irresistible.

My split between the road and trail is 65/35 based on the mileage I have on various road and trail shoes. I never run on dirt/gravel or the trails with my road shoes and limit the tarmac as much as possible with my trail shoes. The MTC H1 is the first shoe that I can take on both road and trail (although nothing technical) and feel and ride great on. I also have the Salomon AG3 Gravel but I find that it’s too tipsy for the trails. On the road, it’s like an excellent lightweight daily trainer with very good energy return that keeps me going. On the trail, I wasn’t too confident initially about the grip of the 2mm lugs but, eventually, I found it to be grippy and able to handle most terrains on the trails very well. The cushion and the bounce of the H1 are better than all other MTC shoes I have. I’m very impressed. Stability is fine on both road and trail. Very happy with this and suits my road-to-trail excursions better than any other shoe for such purposes. Besides the Salomon AG3 Grvl, I had been using the Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra, Agravic Speed, and Puma Deviate Nitro Elite Trail when I want to cover both road and trail on a long run.

My parkrun is similar. I got a pair of Solomon gravel shoes. Like a road shoe but with more grip - highly recommend!

I’ve tried on a few shoes with higher stacks while looking for a softer and foamier ride and it feels really unstable to me. I’ve been rocking the ASICS Fuji Lite Trails and Topo Mtn Racer 3s which have nice cushion but not the aggressive drop and I like that middle ground. I tried on the Salomon “GRVL” shoe recently (idk the model) and I’m feeling like this style is going to get more popular. The stack was massive. It was kinda fun but I only tested it out of the door on the road and can’t imagine it working for me. Even the two-track I regularly run is steeper and rockier than they feel stable on.

Solomon makes good lightweight trail runners, but honestly my Merril Moab low tops are my favorites. They’re lightweight (enough), but mainly they’re extremely comfy for me. I’ve seen people talk about the eyelets wearing out prematurely but I haven’t experienced that on either of my pairs. For reference, one pair gets moderate hiking and camping use, the other pair is a daily driver for me as a contractor

The downside of trail runners to me (Solomans) was I would sometimes get foot bruises on sharp rocky ground. I switched to hiking shoes (Merrell's) and I feel it's a better compromise between trail runners and boots. Pretty light and more comfortable.

My Solomans had a rock plate (thank you for pointing out my omission), but I feel a big difference with my Murrell Moab's. To each there own, I know trail runners are the favorite, the Moab works better for me (I have dainty feet, I guess).

What do you want to do? I love my Solomon trail runners but if I'm sliding down shale I'll take the Keens all day long. Both are good brands in my experience.