Salomon Wildcross Trail Shoes

UK13 tried a bunch of shoes, from Salomon to NNormal to Inov8 and La Sportiva. The old Wildcross, if you can still find them, were great for muddy English trails. Never versions not so much. I'd steer clear of NNormal and their Kjerag as their (lack of) cushion doesn't suit heavier runners. Killian is 60 kilos, you and I aren't :) La Sportiva Jackal did wonders for me, very stable like all their shoes. Probably because their DNA is mountaineering. I've tried the Prodigio Pro for last year's CCC but had heel pain - could've been from training in Korean, though. Last but not the least - Inov8 G270 is a great local catch, if your Achilles can handle zero drop. Plenty of cushion and graphene traction to go.

Thanks. I have some Salomon Wildcross which are a Speedcross derivative and find them comfortable enough on tarmac so will keep this option in mind.

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).

Over the years I’ve worn trail runners from Merrill and Salomon, or standard running shoes from Nike and NB. A comfortable fit was the main criteria. Even on wet ground I’d rather have fast drying sneakers than boots.

I’ve never found boots to be heavy and I like the stability. I normally wear Merrell Moabs, but I got some Salomon trail runners on clearance for $10 at Sierra, so I decided to give them a try (I think the only reason they were still there is the price tag fell off!) I like the trail runners on regular trails, but I took them for a hike on the AT and I didn’t like the way they handled on rocks. The entire shoe shifted sideways and felt less stable than my boots. I’ve been having pain from a Morton’s neuroma in one foot, so the trail runners helped with that. What I need is a boot with a trail runner’s cushioned sole. It will really be a matter of where you hike and what you prefer.

Current Salomon trail runners have to thick of a sole and cant feel rock well beneath them but I do agree that ideally trail runner style would be cool. maybe the ones I have just dont work well for this specific use case.

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.

I'm a fan of Solomon hiking shoes (or really their trail runners) with Gore Tex and micro spikes! The spikes stay in my pack most of the year, just in case I go further than planned or I got unexpected conditions. A must have for me.