After four years, my little toes had poked holes out the sides of my old Saucony Peregrines, so I thought I was due for a new pair of trail runners.
I thought the tread on the Peregrines were a little aggressive for everyday use (these are not just for hiking), so I went to our local shoe store and found they carried most of the top brands of running shoes. I looked at a number of reviews and surveys, and it seems that these days, the most popular and well reviewed trail runners are Altra Lone Peak, Hoka Speedgoat, Salomon XA Pro, and Brooks Cascadia. I had already decided not to go with the Peregrines again and the store didn't carry Salomon. They didn't have the Lone Peak from Altra, but they did have the Timps. I had had Lone Peaks before and thought they very generous toe box, while comfy, didn't provide enough support on side slopes. So I tried on the Timps, Speedgoats, and Cascadia. Both the Timps and Speedgoats were uncofortable on the top of my feet. The Timps didn't seem to have a deep enough heel cup for my bony heal. The Speedgoats had an odd sole that curved up in the front so you kind of rocked off the shoe. It's one of those things I suppose you would get used to but felt odd on first try. Of the three, I like the Cascadia the best so that's what I ended up with. Now I'm wondering if I sould have tried on the Salomons before buying. I hate buyer's remorse.
I thought the tread on the Peregrines were a little aggressive for everyday use (these are not just for hiking), so I went to our local shoe store and found they carried most of the top brands of running shoes. I looked at a number of reviews and surveys, and it seems that these days, the most popular and well reviewed trail runners are Altra Lone Peak, Hoka Speedgoat, Salomon XA Pro, and Brooks Cascadia. I had already decided not to go with the Peregrines again and the store didn't carry Salomon. They didn't have the Lone Peak from Altra, but they did have the Timps. I had had Lone Peaks before and thought they very generous toe box, while comfy, didn't provide enough support on side slopes. So I tried on the Timps, Speedgoats, and Cascadia. Both the Timps and Speedgoats were uncofortable on the top of my feet. The Timps didn't seem to have a deep enough heel cup for my bony heal. The Speedgoats had an odd sole that curved up in the front so you kind of rocked off the shoe. It's one of those things I suppose you would get used to but felt odd on first try. Of the three, I like the Cascadia the best so that's what I ended up with. Now I'm wondering if I sould have tried on the Salomons before buying. I hate buyer's remorse.