Peter Grossnickle from United States, OR Public Profile

This is a $200 upper with a $120 outsole. Usually I am a HUGE Vibram fan, but this Megagrip sole struggles in two areas:
1) certain wet environments like wet, soppy brush in the Pacific Northwest and wet basalt rock
2) It wears pretty well for a shoe, but a bit fast for a $200 hiking machine, which is how I have used it

These shoes are extremely comfortable. Given several other choices (heavy duty Kayland backpacking boots, Hoka running shoes, non-GTX Scarpa approach shoes, and Altra running shoes), I go with these about 90% of the time for hiking, trail running, fastpacking, and single day summits. On the vast majority of rock, they are extremely capable. The midsoles are a little more flexible than I prefer, so over extremely sharp rocks I feel more than I like to, but that same feel has given me advantages in being able to go fast over treacherous terrain where others could only walk. The entire time I had them, I asked myself if I would buy them again. Now the outsoles are completely worn out and I am still reaching for them. That is a great sign, but the uppers still have lots of life left, so it’s a shame too.