Salomon - S/Lab Pulsar 3

This is amazing to hear from a fellow TBI survivor and kudos to you for continuing your running. For your trail feedback a shoe with a minimal stack of cushion underfoot typically gives the best feedback. But you also should consider that most thin or minimal shoes might also have a rock plate in them but also if the cushioning is soft or firm it will influence the feedback with firmer usually being better feedback. Zero drop being the answer for feedback is flat out wrong. Zero drop does not equal less foam underfoot, case in point is the Altra Olympus. Very high stack and stiff shoe with zero drop. Also the minimal shoe won’t offer you protection so be mindful of how long you might be able to run in the shoe even while you are slowly getting used to the minimal protection. Consider that even if there is a great option for the minimal shoe that fits the bill for your ground feedback but doesn’t allow you to run even 50% of the length of runs you’d like to be running, well than that is kind of a useless option. I think having a shoe that fits your foot better and better communicates where the shoe is on your foot also outweighs the pure ground feedback as it is more predictable of shoe. Totally my bias but I have fit shoes at Running stores for 15+ years so I’m going to be at least a little biased. Most trail shoes now have Vibram outsole which is really the benchmark for other brands to match. I have personally had multiple pairs of Saucony trail shoes with their Powertrack outsole have every bit as good as traction as Vibram. From Saucony, I believe the Peregrine to have great trail feedback in addition to the Powertrack outsole. Also the traction from Salomon Contagrip is widely regarded as equitable to Vibram. From Salomon, their S-lab pulsar 3 is a fantastic shoe with fairly minimal cushioning, and a firmer cushion that also relays feedback well. I know Inov8 is well regarded for their grip with incredibly tall lugs, sometimes 6-8mm lugs, but those super tall lugs feel like shit on anything but very soft ground that they can dig into. Think about what kind of dirt you have and that will also play a part in the lugs that will grip better. Inov8 definitely fits the category for tall lugs and minimal cushioning for several of their shoes. Altra Maxtrack outsole has been fine but I’ve found it to be not quite up to par with Vibram/Contragrip/Powertrak. Altra with Vibram outsoles has been good but definitely shoot for a lower stack that you can run with and put the mileage you would like to run in. Topo Mtn Racer with Vibram outsole is great grip but might leave trail feedback be desired. I find Topo to fit more locked in overall than Altra. Hoka Zinal is a great minimal trail shoe but leaves traction to be desired unless you have quite hard pack dirt. Hope this helps. Thank you for reading my novel. I apologize

Best is dependent on the person and the terrain. I absolutely love the Salmomon Pulsar 3 for technical and steep trail and the Saucony Endorphin Edge for non-technical and well packed trails

I love having different shoes for different conditions. One for fast runnable trails, for technical trails, for skyraces, for muddy conditions, for dry conditions, etc. I also have two allrounder that could do everything with compromises but going full speed on a shoe like the pulsar 3 is so different from running all day in a 300g+ full cushion monster. And its not more expensive since shoes last longer when rotating.

I've been dealing with insertional Achilles tendonitis recently and similar pain at the back of the heel. The most comfortable shoe in my rotation is Salomon S/lab Pulsar. It has a soft and pliable heel counter. The second most comfortable is probably NNormal Kjerag. Also I have an old pair of Brooks Catamount, which is the 1st version of the shoe. It is pretty comfortable too.

S/lab Pulsar will work well for your use case if your feet are sufficiently narrow.

Yes, there are broadly 3 or 4 categories of trail shoes in here - for shorter and faster running on moderate terrain (for example Pulsar or Zinal, or Kjerag), for ultra long distances (for example Genesis), for gnarly or rocky terrain (for example Mutant, Ultra 100), for extreme muddy or snow terrain (for example Feline SL, Akasha). Some shoes fall in between these categories. My clear favorites at the moment are Salomon Genesis, La Sportiva Prodigio, and NNormal Kjerag. I also really like Pulsar for tempo runs on easy terrain and even some pavement, and it is surprisingly inexpensive if you buy previous versions of the shoe. You can have it for less than $100. In winter time I'll likely switch to more aggressive shoes with longer lugs to better handle the mud - Dynafit Alpine, LA Sportiva Akasha and Mutant, etc. Hoka Speedgoat 5 is probably the least favorite of all shoes. I only use it for easy recovery days when I need a bit more cushion.

I really like S/lab Pulsar too.

I spend a lot of time in either the Kjerags or the Salomon s/lab pulsar (I have the original ones, but the age version like really perfect).

I've tried a few S Lab shoes that didn't work for me due to my wide feet. There might be some hope here with Brooks!

SLab was too narrow in the midfoot for me, it has quite a high arch. The Genesis is still a wonderful show in its own right, very capable, but the SLab feels a little more premium and slightly bouncier in the midsole.

I wore Salomon S/Lab and my partner wore Hoka Speedgoat 5. All shoes have their own pros and cons, so if you have a fav trail running shoes, it’s best to stick with that one. We were comfortable in our shoes. Even on the trails where you inevitably get wet, it was refreshing to have the shoes soak up the cold, streaming water while we hiked to cool down. They dried quickly.

Rocks : Topo or anything with this great vibram soles Mud : saucony peregrine or Salomon s-lab

New S/labs size down. I’m my actual street shoe size in those, a US 6, when I’m a 6.5 in every other Salomon model. I was fine with my usual 38 in the PP.

I don't have these problems and I'm super happy with narrow Salomon SLAB but my wife loves Altra just because they are like duck feet (my joking about this), and she says they are best fitting shoes ever. So for wide feet, I would definitely say go and try Altra.

Have both and they are quite different. Genesis is less cushioned, I would say better for technical terrain and faster pace. It wraps foot veeeery nicely. S/lab is softer, good for long runs. Additional gaiter is cool

I use Solomon trail runners, non-waterproof because my feet overheat easily in the summer. They've seen the presis in the summer without issues, and have decent grip.

I just ordered a pair from my local running store, only commenting to suggest you try them on first. I'm a 12 in Salomons and a 12 to 12.5 in Hokas, and I had to size up to a 13 in the 001s.

The best ones are the ones that fit!! I have wide toes and wore Solomon trail runners for a long time. I switched to Merrell Moab hikers a couple of years ago. Both are 13 Wide (EEE).

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.

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 like Oboz boots. I also like my Solomon trail runners. I've done massive days in both, totally depends what you are more comfortable in. I do personally find benefit in some ankle protection and waterproofness. Some folks poopoo that... but I bet they have wet feet.

Salomon trail runners. They’re my goat shoes - the only thing they don’t get a grip on is wet wood.

Absolutely, did all of the ABC trek in trail runners (Hoka, Salomon). You really appreciate the lightness of them.

I love my Salomon trail runners. I prefer them to my hiking boots and exclusively use them for hiking.

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.

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.