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Happy Peregrine 13 owner here as well
I also thought the 13s were good shoes had lots of confidence with them although I didn’t like the foam in the rear, wore through quickly and then you get rocks in it. Still very good shoes used them till the tread wore smooth even with the odd rock poking me
My advice would be counter to the direction you are currently leaning in. I prefer shoes with low stack height and minimal cushioning. Instead of relying on that to protect your knees and ankles ease into running, start short and slow, and allow your body to make the necessary adaptations. Because it will do so if you let it and part of letting it is not having giant pillows under your feet. IMO your loose ankles and sore knee may not be an affliction you have to live with forever but rather a symptom of lack of strength, something that trail running with good form and a bit of strength training can resolve. That may not be the case here, be cautious and listen to your body but it probably is I like saucony peregrines I recommend you check them out if you decide to go this route. There are other good options too just look for low stack height and an outsole to match the terrain you ll be on
Lower stack height will make all the difference. Good outsole also important of course. Hokas are made for going slow or groomed trails. Saucony peregrines are great or la sportiva bushidos are another decent option if your feet arent too wide.
I love my Peregrine 13. Good support, good traction on most trails, even when muddy, and barely feel small rocks. My summit unknown and s/Lab Ultra are great for shorter distance as they are light, but also have less support. The Unknown has the best grip I've ever had, but they also seem to be discontinued 😔. The s/lab are stiff and drain really well. These three are also the only trail shoes I've ever had, so take that for what it's worth. My only regret is getting the peregrine goretex version. Completely unnecessary and puts more stress on my toe nails. Live and learn.
Peregrine 15 and up for me. The 16 has a vibram megagrip outsole, so it should be a lot better than previous versions on damp rocks/bridges. The 12s were decent, the 13's were terrible.
As long as they keep making the peregrine as a LOW STACK trail shoe, I will keep buying it.
NB rebel v5 for the roads, Saucony peregrine for daily trails, and Topo ultraventure for long runs/races
5'11 207 lb beefy boi trail runner here.. I do most my training and daily miles in saucony peregrine's. The midsole is firm-ish and really lasts a long while compared to other shoes I've tried.
I'm only speaking for myself here, but I prefer low stack shoes (peregrines, sense rides, lone peaks)
While not as cushioned, I went from sg5 to saucony peregrine. They have been my daily miles shoe for a while now, and I'm excited for the new model with a vibram megagrip outsole to release.
Salomon GTX Blaze GRVL NNomral Tomir 2.0 GTX Of course the Peregrine ST isn't any good on roads it's designed for soft terrain. Bigger the lugs the less surface area to make contact with the ground on a hard flat surface.
Peregrine ST is meant for deep mud but yes I don't rate Sauconys grip very highly. They are going over to Vibram perhaps check out the new standard Peregrine it's got a full vibram outsole or the Xodos Ultra for more cushion. Don't think there is a GTX version of Xodus though. I love my Salomon Aeroglide GRVL, it's not narrow fit should be similar to the blaze but I haven't tried on.
Peregrine ST was meant for winter but it slipped on all hard surfaces like crazy (rocks, cobblestones, even concrete etc..). I know they were meant for soft terrain but that doesn't mean they had to be so dangerous on anything hard. I hate them in the wet. Salomon GTX Blaze GRVL is a strong recommendation, I just viewed a Youtube video about them. I hope they are not too narrow. I"ll look some reviws of the NNomral Tomir 2.0 GTX as I've never heard of them.
11 Road: - Saucony Endorfine Speed 3 (retired) - Adidas Takumi Sen 8 (intervals, ~5k races) - 2x Adidas Evo SL (daily trainer, 3rd pair ready to go) - Adidas Pro 4 (just used for a HM) - ASICS Superblast 2 (used for long runs, ultras, dislike) - Brooks Adrenaline 22 (retired, just for hikes) Trail: - Saucony Peregrine 13 (stiff, only when muddy) - Hoka Speedgoat 5 (have miles left, but Zegama are infinitely more comfortable - sort of retired) - Nike Zegama 2 (daily trail trainer / trail ultras, new pair ready to go) - Adidas Agravic Speed ultra (short trail races, gives me heel blisters)
I'm still running in 13s and have no problem after 350 km.
Yeah I have 13s and they're fine. The pair I wore for my ultra is at 350 km and I still think of them as new.
I don't think anyone else thinks Saucony Peregrines have "a decent amount of cushioning." Most people would never run an ultra in them for that reason (though I did, just a 50k). I have a bad ankle but my issue is rolling outwards. Saucony Peregrines feel good and secure for me as long as I do heel lock (which I do on all shoes) and tighten the laces. I feel comfortable bombing down hills in them.
Peregrines are considered to not have much cushioning, they're relatively firm with good ground feel. They're not minimalist but they're low stack and low drop.
Those are my exact two pair of trail shoes, pairs I bought specifically because I don't like cushioning. Not much out there other than barefoot shoes are as low stack as Bushidos. Peregrines DON'T have "a decent amount of cushion." Bushidos just have even less.
That's a way higher stack than Peregrines which is the opposite of OP needs.
The two trail runners I really like are La Sportiva Bushido 2 (except they're slightly too narrow for my toes so I can't only wear the thinnest socks and I had to stop using them for longer runs), and Saucony Peregrines (except they're a little shorter than expected so I had to size up another 0.5 compared to my road Saucony). They're both firm, lower cushioning, lower stack (6 and 4 mm) with good traction. Peregrines are infamously not durable so I wouldn't wear them all around town, just for hiking and trail rubbing, but they're very comfortable. Personally I wore them for my ultra.
I strongly disagree. I wear Saucony pretty much exclusively (Kinvara, Ride, Speed, Peregrine) and I CAN'T wear Salomon at all. They don't work with my feet. I've tried several times and I get blisters within 5 km with every model I've tried. So if Salomon works for you, great, but as a Kinvara lover, Peregrine is my only answer. They're both 4mm drop and minimally cushioned and I like them both a lot.
I get that blisters on my arch. Salomon have much more prominent arch support which doesn't work with my feet.
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Deep mud and soft ground

Top pick
Salomon - Speedcross Series
Best for Quick draining and drying for wet trails

Top pick
Hoka - Speedgoat Series
Best for Road-to-trail transitions

Top pick
Nike - Pegasus Trail Series
Best for Steep technical descents

Top pick
Salomon - Genesis Series
Best for Technical rocky terrain

Top pick
La Sportiva - Prodigio Series
Best for Ultra-marathon racing

Top pick
La Sportiva - Prodigio Series





