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 dunno about y’all but I’ve had my prio’s and my mesa trails for years and like, theyre still as good as the day I bought them albeit more muddy

I use the Xero trail mesas waterproof (wp) when the trail near me is wet and muddy. They work pretty well but this trail is more rocky than muddy so the muds not ever too deep.

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.

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.