Xero Shoes - Mesa Trail Series

Xero Mesa II are my favs! Never loved a shoe this much.

I've used Xero Shoes Mesa Trail 2 WP with wool socks and spikes or chains in conditions down to about 15 below

Very much depends on the terrain. For most ground types I've moved to hiking in sandals. If it's really rough ill go with trail running shoes, currently the Xero Mesa Trail

The grip is not the best, nowhere near what a good Vibram sole will give you. I haven't had any slips yet but it's noticeable. Also check out VJ Sarva running shoes if grip is a concern

I currently use Xero Shoes Mesa WP 2 and I'm quite happy with the performance. For lighter trails I use Xero Z Trails or Panta Zaros. I've found that small stones get stuck in between the toes of Five fingers and wear away at the mesh. I wouldn't recommend the waterproof Mesas for warm conditions, the breathable version is better

I do everything in my minimalist sole shoes (Suavs) even running. The guy at the running shoe store laughed at me, I bought a pair of Altras, and returned them the next week. They might be zero drop and a wide toe box, but they’re still very cushiony. I like to feel what I’m walking/running on. The Suavs I’ve been wearing for 4 years have zero drop, minimalist sole, and knitted upper. They don’t have the wide toe box but they’re still very knitted upper let my feet flex and splay enough. I bought 1.5 sizes up from my regular size I should say. I’m on my 4th pair. Wear them every single day. I bought a pair of Xeros, and they’re fine, but honestly super stiff compared to the sole and uppers of the Suavs. And my Suavs don’t need tied every time.

Depending on how badly you hate yourself, you could look at some xeros. The toe boxes are really wide since they’re barefoot shoes, and after your feet strengthen up, I greatly prefer them to regular shoes. They’re easily 0/10 for comfort at first though unless you regularly go barefoot. I just recently picked up their trail runners for hiking, but haven’t had a chance to get out yet though.

I do xero shoes for everything but backpacking. I've done trips in them for shorter times and have done okay but I'm also a fan of altras. JMT is longer so I wouldn't do xeros the whole time personally.

I used the all black Xero Mesa Trail II for this purpose, and also as my daily. Was quite satisfied with them but for the fact that the cleats-like sole tread tended to cause calf pain when running with them on pavement for more than a half hour and not staying very mindful about short strikes. I recently wore this pair out (got maybe 2 years out of them), and they were sold out of my size. Tried and returned the all black Xero Scrambler Low EV, as they weren’t as narrow and low profile as I liked with the Mesa Traill II. Ultimately opted to switch to the all black Xero HFS II, and I’ve been very happy with them. I’ve thus far been preferring them > the Mesa Trail II for the lone shoe I wear traveling, as they have been better for my mix of road running (no pain) + light hiking and trail running (the less extreme tread has seemed fine) + daily. When I’m not traveling, I use the all black Altra Escalante 4 for road running; olive Nike Pegasus Trail 4 Gore-Tex for heavier duty hiking/trail running, rain, and snow running; and the HFS II for daily duty.

Yes. I have a pair of zero mesa trails. Definitely on the minimal side “feel the trail” type shoes. But I like the feedback I get on varying terrain. That said I’ve never done longer than a 3 day trip in them. Boots till have a place for me in the high alpine and occasional sno shoing but even then I also have a pair of on gore Tex runners for winter. Also have rock plate trail runners for running purposes , since the zeros do hurt with heavy impact. But still nice and nimble.

I also walk about 60 miles a week so here's what I've seen. You should really try out the mesa trail II's, I tracked and put on 2,000+ miles over the course of 8 months (mostly concrete and paved but a good portion in the woods) before they just barely wore some forefoot lugs down. That's about 60 miles a week, and not gently miles. I also got a quick and free replacement from Xero and I'm enjoying my second pair. They are really grippy and durable for their price point. I've been bouncing around shoes for years and these are what I'm sticking with until further notice Also you might want to check out the barefoot African rangers. They look promising and are re-soleable

I wear Xero Mesa trails because they are nice and luggy and dry fast

Altra has the Superior and King Mtn, both of which have less cushioning and arch support than the Lone Peaks. The Superior 6 is my go-to right now. I train almost exclusively in Xero Prios. I also run in Mesa Trail IIs with a rock plate.

If barefoot trailrunners are an option for you, I have the Xero Terraflex and Mesatrail. The first Terraflex held up about 1500km of hiking and 3000km cycling. Now they look very rugged and the outsole is pretty flat, but they are still in one piece and I still wear them occasionally in the garden or on construction yards.

My xero trail runner shoes have amazing grip and I've used them on a bunch of loose scree/scramble approaches with no issue, and prefer it over stiffer shoes basically always

Upstate NY here, so the same terrain, and Xeros have been really good for me. Most of the shoes with super ground feel have such slippery soles (like Wildling) that they aren't cut out for that type of hiking. Xero sacrifices a little ground feel to add actual treads and I haven't had issues with slipping. I like the Mesa Trail WP, Ridgeway, and Scrambler WP specifically. I had a pair of Vivo Trackers but the shape didn't fit my foot at all If you do want better ground feel VFFs are my ultimate favorite to hike in, but limited to times when it's warm and dry, or if I don't mind getting my feet wet.

My wife and kids got me something very similar for Fathers Day 2014. Same color scheme and all. I’ve tried them all. If you like those, you’ll like the Xeros. I think I have four different styles and any of them would be decent for trails, but two pair have a little extra in the knobby department and they are fantastic for trails and everything else.

The Mesa II's are super light, something like 8oz lighter than the Vivo Hydra ESC. I got spoiled by super light shoes and it's hard to wear anything else. now. So I'm a big Mesa fan. Also VFF V-Alphas, they are even lighter. For grip VFF are much better than shoes since you have toe movement to help you grip. Then sandals then shoes. The Mesas are slippery in some conditions which you learn to adapt to after awhile. I don't have the Hydras but I have their other ESC soles and those are grippier than the Mesas.

Or Mesa IIs, 3 oz lighter than the Scrambler Lows. I put a .5oz 3mm pad in each shoe for longer hikes to give the feet a bit easier time.

I only have about 200 miles on mine, but they look almost like new, very little sole wear and nothing coming loose. The only concern for longer hikes is if they are too hard on the feet with the minimal amount of cushioning and the amount of flex in the sole. The soles do have some stiffness to them, more than e.g. the Xero Speed Force, and I am using an extra liner to give a bit more cushion. I'll know more at the end of the summer..

https://xeroshoes.com/shop/shoes/mesa-trail-wp-men/ Check these. Also on sale

I have several pairs of merrell vapor glove 3 and I love them, however, my Xeros are way more roomy and have a nice grip offroad. My partner does around 30km per week with the dog and his pair (similar to those) are in great condition after 2years.

I have a few vapor gloves 3 and I love them for indoor training, but the sole is way too smooth for anything else. My partner walks/runs around 40km per week with the dog and his pair of Xeros are still in great condition after 2y. I recently got my first pair of Xeros and they are roomy and comfortable, way more space than the vapor gloves. The sole has a little bit of cushion but not too much. I can feel every stone with my vapor gloves.

Xero Scrambler Lo and now Mesa Trail

I have the Mesa ll WP and I love the them on roads and trails. I have also been impressed with how durable they have been. I have 600 miles on them and you can hardly tell.

I third the mesa trail II. Absolutely love em, but I have had a hard time finding them recently. Anyone know if they will keep making them?

I use trail running shoes like this sometimes (in addition to using them for actual trail running), especially when traveling and packing light. They will wear out faster (since they’re not intended for using on asphalt/concrete surfaces), but they are comfortable and work just fine for me. I can’t recommend specifics - I have been using Xero Mesa Trail and am planning to switch to Freet Calver because the Xero aren’t quite wide enough for me, but these are barefoot/minimalist shoes and not for everyone! Your best bet is probably to go to a running shoe store that sells trail shoes and try a few on. (Hopefully someone local to you might be able to suggest a specific store.)

My experience is that Xero Mesa Trail II is about as wide as Altra Lone Peak 9 regular width (Altra original fit wide is a good bit wider than anything Xero does). I think Altra Experience is narrower than Lone Peak - it’s Altra’s “standard” fit (instead of “original”). (I haven’t tried the Experience personally though, just read reviews - I have tried tried lone peak 9 in regular and wide width, and also xero mesa trail.) I’ve never had toenail issues (except when I bash my toes on things haha), but I use exclusively xero mesa trail II for trail. The limited cushioning as compared to Altra will take some getting used to (rocks can really hurt), but they work the best for me (I feel nimble and really stable in a way I don’t with taller shoes like Altra). When I’m doing mostly road or road and dry dirt, I swap between freet pace and xero hfs original (hfs 2 is too narrow for me), and sometimes Altra Escalante 4 when I’m running only on flat terrain (for some reason I’m prone to knee pain on long flat runs, and the extra cushion prevents it). Sorry - that’s lots of info and no solid advice, but maybe my experience can help? Altra has a good return policy, so I would probably order a pair of lone peaks and see how you like them (probably regular fit, not wide). If they’re too narrow, try the wide width. If they fit well but you want a closer to the ground feel, try mesa trail or vivobarefoot.

Xero Mesa Trail - under 8oz & pack down to next to nothing. Since they can be used perfectly well on the road/treadmill too, are the only shoes I pack if I'm heading to mixed terrain running locales. Looks like their Scrambler Low is on sale right now too, might be a good option?

I have the Xero Mesa Trails and the Altra Lone Peaks, both with extensive use in wet conditions. The Xero's are my absolute go-to shoe. Added benefit being the lightweight and packable size.

Agreed! My mesa Is brought me through a lot of running on trail, road, and track!

> The 5 thousand mile sole guarantee sounds too good to be true, IIRC, the "guarantee" is: if the sole gets worn to under 1mm thickness, Xero will offer the same (or similar) models for ~40% price. It's not a bad deal, but realistically not something most users will utilize. So more of marketing gimmick. Personally, I have two pairs of OG Mesa Trails. First one with 2000+km of logged usage, second one 1800km. Though mostly walking, some hiking, and only ~15% running. And I live somewhere with 3-4 winter months - snow and ice are more gentle on the sole. Still, I'd expect both pairs to hold up to 2500-3000km, which is plenty for trail runners.

Xero Mesa Trail are what you want, and they’re excellent.

Lems and xero

How has durability been for you with the Mesa 2’s?  Really happy with them for short hikes, but was wondering how they hold up for longer backpacking trips. 

Just to post an update... I got the Xero shoes today but they do not have as wide of a toe box at the toes as my Lone Peaks. And interestingly, I came across a post in the r/RunningShoeGeeks community where u/guilmon999 posted a comparison table that shows the taper ratio of the toe box from ball to toe. You can find that table here [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQnRgxJU\_LoYAyl4uAf2QtCZNNXDWJrewXMtTwnnPPeKYLqyqCABxO5ITtKOAeiKS5p91Dh-m83rNe3/pubhtml](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQnRgxJU_LoYAyl4uAf2QtCZNNXDWJrewXMtTwnnPPeKYLqyqCABxO5ITtKOAeiKS5p91Dh-m83rNe3/pubhtml) Though it doesn't a lot of trail shoes, it does give a basis for comparison when looking for wide toe box shoes. Happy feet make for happy trails.

I wear Danner Mountain Light II boots when it's cold or the weather sucks. When it's hot I wear zero drop trail shoes, Xero or Lems. Pros and cons to all of them. Sometimes I wear Jim Green boots as well if I don't need waterproof or lots of traction (Ranger boots). IMO, there is no 'one size fits all' shoe for hiking.

The best thing for you is going to be very low- or zero-stack-height. In other words, barefoot shoes. Even with hypermobility, it's extremely difficult to roll an ankle in them. They will take a little bit of adjustment, but it's not difficult. You can get used to them just by wearing them around your normal walking day for a couple of weeks. They will also help your feet and ankles build strength, where shoes and boots that are designed to provide "support" and "stability" actually make them weaker. For thru hikes, I've found that adding a 4-6mm layer of well-designed foam inserts makes them comfortable enough for 20 mile days. North Sole Legacy would be my recommendation, but there are a lot of options out there. I use Vivobarefoot Tracker Forest ESCs in the winter when I need warmth and boot-height protection from snow. They're the best hiking boot I've ever worn, bar none. In the summer, I use Xero Mesa Trails, but there are a ton of great, lightweight barefoot trail-runner options with excellent grip and good ventilation out there. Just make sure you get something that lets your toes splay. Your ankles work better when your feet are allowed to work naturally.