I'm a journalist who tests dozens of health and wellness products a year, here are my favorites. Including some direct-to-consumer brands that won't make big gift guides because you can't shop them on Amazon.
La Sportiva and Salomon are hard to beat and my go to’s for climbing and trail runs. I’m familiar with the Salomon Icon series but haven’t tried them. Not sure how different they are or if it’s just a replicated throwback to the 3’s etc. . Still using Speedcross 6’s till the treads gone.
Have you had an opportunity to test those and/or happen to hear any news, by chance, on Salomon putting out a Speed-Cross 7 at some point? :)
Hi Kyle, thanks so much!! Agreed that La Sportiva & Salomon are hard to beat for anything technical. I personally love the Bushido—it was my go-to for years and I would still use it when I need agility/precision in running or scrambling. But I've been trying to test a bunch of other trail shoes even if they're not my typical go-to! (Aka trying shoes with more cushioning, which I don't love for trails because I like to feel more connected to the ground.)
I'm sure it'll take a long time to wear through those Speedcross 6s—the tread is pretty burly on those. I have not heard of any updates to the Speedcross line but I'll let you know if I do! One newer trail shoe that is one of the most interesting releases lately/has a similar feel to both brands is the X Bionic TerraSkin X00/C: https://terraskin.x-bionic.com/en-us .
It's marketed for fast, precise, techy downhill running, and I need to put more miles on it as I haven't taken it on anything super technical yet. But it feels really solid and secure so far. Also a pretty cool "cage" design around the midsole.
Thanks Hannah! I wasn’t familiar with this one but I can see what you mean about the similar vibe of Salomon/La Sportiva. I’ll keep checking in on your posts.
Last question sorry lol..As far as trail run clothing goes have you ever written on Territory Run Company? Merch is nice and has built a fairly strong sense of community for trail runners from what I can see.
Great info here, Hannah. Thanks!
La Sportiva and Salomon are hard to beat and my go to’s for climbing and trail runs. I’m familiar with the Salomon Icon series but haven’t tried them. Not sure how different they are or if it’s just a replicated throwback to the 3’s etc. . Still using Speedcross 6’s till the treads gone.
Have you had an opportunity to test those and/or happen to hear any news, by chance, on Salomon putting out a Speed-Cross 7 at some point? :)
Hi Kyle, thanks so much!! Agreed that La Sportiva & Salomon are hard to beat for anything technical. I personally love the Bushido—it was my go-to for years and I would still use it when I need agility/precision in running or scrambling. But I've been trying to test a bunch of other trail shoes even if they're not my typical go-to! (Aka trying shoes with more cushioning, which I don't love for trails because I like to feel more connected to the ground.)
I'm sure it'll take a long time to wear through those Speedcross 6s—the tread is pretty burly on those. I have not heard of any updates to the Speedcross line but I'll let you know if I do! One newer trail shoe that is one of the most interesting releases lately/has a similar feel to both brands is the X Bionic TerraSkin X00/C: https://terraskin.x-bionic.com/en-us .
It's marketed for fast, precise, techy downhill running, and I need to put more miles on it as I haven't taken it on anything super technical yet. But it feels really solid and secure so far. Also a pretty cool "cage" design around the midsole.
Thanks Hannah! I wasn’t familiar with this one but I can see what you mean about the similar vibe of Salomon/La Sportiva. I’ll keep checking in on your posts.
Last question sorry lol..As far as trail run clothing goes have you ever written on Territory Run Company? Merch is nice and has built a fairly strong sense of community for trail runners from what I can see.