Nathan B. from United States, UT Public Profile

I got these on clearance, and was excited about the Dyneema. I have used then for both backpacking and trail running. After some REALLY sketchy bush whacking through scree and thorn bushes there is some fraying on the exterior, not a hole by any means, they're still in fine condition for continued abusive use, but they're not bomb-proof as I had hoped.

I use them for backpacking because they are crazy stable - more stable than I like for ruining (I'm not a minimalist wearer, but I do tend toward a more minimal shoe). They are AWESOME for backpacking and general hiking. I was in the backcountry of northern Utah with a 50+ lb pack and I weigh 175, and my feet felt great after three days. I will say that I replaced the insoles with some squishy ones I pulled out of some Sauconys - I wasn't a fan of the stock insoles at all.

If you want a durable, stable shoe with moderate tread (they really aren't as aggressive as the photo appears), this is a great choice (but only on sale)..

Technical problems, anyways continuing the review started below.

The shoe seems to fit true to size. The heel does seem a little long, when laced up my heel doesn't go to the very back, but there didn't seem to be any issue with slipping because the shoe is very flexible. Which is awesome. For being crazy rugged, this shoe is VERY flexible and light. Really really light. As for comfort, it's... comfortable, but not SUPER comfortable. Largely this stems from the vinyl/TPU surrounding the lower portion of the upper which makes it sort of stiff and doesn't stretch to your foot much. It's sort of a tradeoff, though, I guess because there is fair protection from rocks, which is really nice. My biggest complaint was that the sides of the shoe would dig into the bottom of my malleolus (the bumps on either side of your ankle). It was getting sort of painful, but after about 4 miles the shoes seemed to be giving more, so perhaps with more breakin it won't be an issue.

Pulled these out of the box and did a trail run that included packed gravel, dry scrubland, goopy muddy hardwood forest, frozen/frosted coniferous forest, snow, and rock slides (yes, all in one run - it was epic). The grip on the trail is astoundingly awesome. I slipped one time, and it was only about an inch. The deep lugs do get packed with mud, but despite being caked they still dug into the mud and dirt just fine. AFTER the mud I was running on frost-covered rocks and had no problems. Downhill was just a good. I have never used a shoe that I would have taken steep, downhill mud at a full out sprint, but that's what I did with these.