9 in Trail Running Shoes
Salomon - Speedcross 5
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 24, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
33
5
"great traction"
"I hiked the TMB (with a heavy-ish backpack) and ran the Alta Via 1 (with just a hydration vest) in these shoes (different pairs since this was in different years) and found them to be perfect for both."
"Got me through a week with everything Utah can throw at you - snow, mud, dirt, gravel, sand, slickrock, slot-canyon scooting, and the occasional stream crossing - and I never felt unsure of my footing."
33
5
"great traction"
"Got me through a week with everything Utah can throw at you - snow, mud, dirt, gravel, sand, slickrock, slot-canyon scooting, and the occasional stream crossing - and I never felt unsure of my footing."
"The soles are excellent and are Vibram sole compatible with Contagrip."
4
2
"always dry"
"Even on wet ground I’d rather have fast drying sneakers than boots."
"I’ve only tried the latter since it dries quickly anyway and I wouldn’t do waterproof shoes in above freezing weather."
10
3
"Sturdy ... last for 6 months of continuous running 🤘🏼 ... Yeah - I only run on rough terrain / trails with rocks and roots and such, and was putting in a good 25-30+ miles a week for a long stretch there."
"super durable ... you really get your money’s worth and they feel “new” even as they age"
"The terrain in Arizona tears up shoes and I can get about 4-500 miles a pair."
15
3
"I’m a very wide boy, but the Salomon Speedcross and Genesis both fit very comfortably."
"Amazingly comfortable"
"They have a Boca type lacing system and great heel cup design."
Disliked most:
13
4
"speedcross is way too slippery on wet rocks and roots downhill."
"Same, speedcross is way too slippery on wet rocks and roots downhill."
"they don’t do good on wet rock/roots."
2
5
"I hate how narrow the toe box is. ... It’s causing issues. ... I simply can’t run in them any longer. ... That is not the case, at least for my foot. ... I can’t imagine how narrow earlier versions were!"
"I stopped getting Salomon because they’re never wide enough"
"they’re never wide enough"
1
3
"Drainage is bad"
"they stay wet"
"They definitely aren't waterproof"
0
2
"They’re almost like running in cleats ... I’m finding that after 8+ miles on the rocks, roots, and moss of Pisgah — i can feel my feet tiring… I need something more comfortable"
"They’re almost like running in cleats ... I’m finding that after 8+ miles on the rocks, roots, and moss of Pisgah — i can feel my feet tiring… I need something more comfortable"
"Anything beyond a sprint and those are a solid no for me."
0
4
"I wear through the soles of Speedcrosses as though they are made of butter."
"I wear through the soles of Speedcrosses as though they are made of butter."
"the rubber is quite soft and wears down fast with rock"
9inez 1.0You’re gonna just have to try some and find those that *you* like that perform and last the way *you* want. I like Terrex Swift waterproof grip (Continental sole). Great support. Have had three pair. Adidas replaced one for free because the sole separated. But, in general, they didn’t last very long. I like Salomon Speedcross 5. Not great for wide feet though. Lasted longer than Terrex and lighter. If you toe drag, you’ll easily wear a hole. I may buy another pair if hit a sale. Nike Pegasus Gore-Tex Trail. Super light, great waterproof. Lasted well, especially for the super light feel. Not as much lateral support as some others. Toe tread eventually separated. Extended life via shoe-goo. Would definitely buy on sale.
Salomon Speedcross 5 or 6 are trail running, waterproof shoes that work nicely for DG. The fit tends to be somewhat slim, so best to try them on for proper sizing, which could be a number different than your norm.
ahz0001 1.0I've ran Spartan Sprint, Super, and Beast and Tough Mudder 10 km and 15 km with Salomon Speedcross 5. The traction was good. I don't have other shoes to compare them to, so not sure how they drain water comparatively, but I plan to keep using them.
b2dag01 1.0Solomon Speedcross 5. Sturdy, lightweight, water resistant, badass toe protector, knobby spikes, and last for 6 months of continuous running 🤘🏼
Icy-Video-3643 1.0[These shoes](https://bestthingsdaily.blogspot.com/2025/06/salomon-speedcross-5.html) grip like crazy and have held up great on rough trails.
kickingtyres 1.0Trail shoes are fine If they work for you. I've done the GR54 (194km, 12,000m elevation in the Alps) in Salomon Speedcross 5 trail running shoes as well as numerous shorter routes. I even used them doing Scafell Pike in March with snow on the summit, and just stuck on some microspikes.
lurkinglen 1.0VJ is great indeed, but Vibram Megagrip is not too bad on wet surfaces from my experience. I've also heard nothing but good things about Puma outsoles. And I had a pair of Salomon Speedcross that had good traction on wet surfaces. Note that Inov8 has different outsole rubbers and my experience with their graphene G grip on wet surfaces is that it's very bad and completely unusable for certain terrains. But I've heard good things about their other sticky rubber compound.
My Speedcross 5 were more fragile than other trail shoes, but I abused them for OCR including loads of rope climbing. Quite a few of the people I train with use Speedcrosses of various versions but generally they're not as fond of the 6 because of the way it fits. The most common alternatives I see in my OCR training group are various Inov8s, Saucony Peregrine's (although most of those uppers look very beaten up at lowish mileage), Brooks Cascadia, Asics Trabuco and VJ Spark/XTRM/Lightspeed.
Those have big lugs to deal with mud, I had the 5 and wouldn't say they were particularly suitable for OPs situation
It's always a compromise, shoes like the Mudtalon with huge 8 mm tractor lugs or Salomon speedcros do well in deep mud, but they're not nice for running on tarmac or slippery hard surfaces. Running in trickery conditions is about confidence and feel and it sounds like you don't need the biggest lugs but good grip and good ground feel. Like others said there are many shoes that would fit your use case. My personal suggestion would be to check out the VJ Maxx2, VJ Ultra 3 and various models from La Sportiva, Inov8, Salomon and Scarpa.
mhigg01921 1.0Salomon Speedcross 5 Trail Shoes ... went through MANY shoes before settling on these. If it's not a stadion race, you do want trail shoes. If it's a stadion, I wear Hokas. Trail shoes for outdoors and mud. Running shoes for stadiums.
Prestigious-Bite7682 1.0I like the Spartan OCR speed shoe by Craft but the toe box is a bit cramped. For my trail runs, non-OCR, I wear Nike Ultrafly. I have tried Salomon Speedcross 5 and Inov8 mudclaw g 260 but went back to Craft and Nike.
Salomon felt too bulky and very heavy once wet. The inov8 felt too stiff on the bottom with each foot strike. The craft ones feel very light and the tread was great for Spartan or trails in general. The Nike Ultrafly is a super shoe but not too bouncy; it feels light, supportive, and drains easily when wet.
rapsli 1.0yep. That's also my goto shoe for muddy weather.
skeevnn 1.0Speedcross 5 is my go to for that! I have TESTED it so hard in cold muddy environment.
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