A good trail running shoe is characterized by its performance on the dirt and the occasional snowfield, river crossing, and slippery rock race. We test on sandy trails, scree-laden alpine mountains, and everything in between. We've run thousands of miles on trails from South America to Canada and Europe to the United States. We've summited mountains, trained on the beach, run races, and sweated it out in the desert.
We carry our phones with us on runs, letting Siri transcribe our thoughts as we narrate them. We also test each pair across a wide range of foot shapes and preferences by giving them to friends and running clubs to test on the trails.
Comfort and Fit
When considering comfort, we run dozens of miles in every pair of shoes to see which ones feel most homey for our feet. We look at the cushioning, its responsiveness, and its relative thickness. We also look at the upper and how breathable and comfortable it feels on our toes. We are incredibly sensitive about laces and heel collars.
We measure the thickness of each shoe's midsole and stack height. We consider which shoes fit best on wide, narrow, and medium feet and where the relative support exists or doesn't exist. We ordered our regular size of shoe and then compared how true its length and width are to what we'd expect to provide a snapshot of how each pair fits.
Stability
When evaluating stability, we observe which shoes provide the most grounded feeling and lateral support, and which ones feel downright tippy. We measure the width of each outsole and the stack height of both the heel and forefoot. We run across slanted surfaces to see which ones have us sliding off the footbed and which can keep us moving forward.
Traction
We test traction on various surfaces like zoomy single tracks, sticky mud, wet snow, pavement, tree roots, slippery rocks, sand, and loose scree. We slide down hillsides of wet grass, testing each shoe's braking ability on slick spring snow, and sprinted along wet granite.
We measure and assess lug length and examine the type of rubber used in each shoe. We consider lug shape and placement, and note which shoes we feel safer and less slippy in. Some outsoles feel grippy, while others feel like they have teeth that can bite down into the trail.
Ground feel and underfoot sensitivity also play an important part in traction by allowing you to feel what's underfoot and make adjustments to prevent falls and stumbles. This isn't perfectly correlated with stack height, but instead is something we assess on technical trails when greater sensitivity is required.
Foot Protection
Here, we observe which shoe provides the best protection for our feet. We note if debris penetrates the mesh uppers and which shoe offers the best water resistance. We look at specific protective elements, such as toecaps and included ankle gaiters or tight heel collars. We examine rock plates and consider how they and stack heights offer underfoot protection. We kick rocks, run across sharp rocks, and go for beach runs.
Weight
Using the same size shoe for every pair we test, we measure every single shoe's weight. We further note if the shoes feel trail dynamic and balanced or bulky and clunky when in use.
