It’s already that time of year, mid-summer, when brands start rolling out the next year’s gear and shoes that give off a summer sizzle. Even though some of these products won’t be available until 2020, they are worth the wait.
Adidas Terrex Free Hiker Parley
Is it a bird, is it a plane? This shoe is like part hiking and part trail-running shoe with a lot of grip, protection and wide toe box to wiggle your pigglies. Lightweight with a Boost TPU midsole, the Adidas Terrex Free Hiker Parley, will put your conscious at ease, made Parley fabrics from recycled ocean plastics. $200
Altra Lone Peak Youth
Remember the cereal commercial “Kix are for kids”. Well, even if you don’t these really are kicks for kids. But I’m kind of jealous and if I can squeeze my feet into a pair, I might just do that. Altra has a motto for kids “Healthy Happy Feet” that’s driven by a philosophy that most children’s shoes are too stiff. Altra re-designed their most popular trail running shoe, the Lone Peak (red), for lighter runners. Another version has been created for the road and is called the Kokiri (dark mauve). The insoles can be removed for more space as a child’s foot grows. $70
Brooks Divide
A new trail shoe by Brooks that caters to novice runners with all the bells and whistles of the best Brooks shoes out there. The Brooks Divide has a BioMoGo DNA midsole, a form-fitting mesh upper, snug, and a rock plate – all to rock the trails with. The shoe averages 10 ounces with an 8mm drop. $100
Hoka One One Speedgoat Mid 2 GTX
An update to Hoka’s popular Speedgoat trail shoe. This lightweight mid-cut hiking boot (13 ounces) is well cushioned and features a new outsole with better designed lugs (for texture and grip) and overall fit. $170
Salomon Cross/Pro
Salomon has been testing a design program entitled “ME:sh” in the European-only market space, until now. The ME:sh program is a custom production process that delivers on-demand shoes based on a runner’s foot, gain, and terrain. Salomon applied everything it learned from that program and put it in the new Cross/Pro: a sock liner molds to your foot and the midfoot, Matryx, has a fabric wing that wraps around your foot. You can tell from the big lugs, that this shoe is meant for pretty rough terrain and muddy environments. It weighs approximately 12.3 ounces with an 8mm drop. $160
Technica Origin
If a better fitting shoe is the goal, one that reduces the risk of blisters and black toe, then the Technica Origin feels more like a custom-made shoe that tries to serve this purpose. Four versions of each size will be stocked in stores to better match your foot dimensions. After choosing the appropriate one for you, the shoes’ uppers and footbeds are heated in a special machine to achieve near-custom fit perfection. $170
The North Face Ultra Swift Futurelight
The Ultraswift by TNF comes with the company’s new waterproof, breathable Futurelight fabric. You also have the option of buying the shoe without the new fabric technology. An Ortholite footbed is in the shoe and midsole with a mix of TNF’s XtraFoam and FastFoams for a better weight to cushioning ratio. The sole of the shoe has 3mm dual-density lugs for grip. $145
VJ MAXx
This shoe is designed for longer runs 20 miles or even further. It comes with 4mm lugs and a breathable mesh upper. The VJ MAXx is reinforced with Kevlar fibers for protection, no from bullets, but from bullet-like rocks. A rock plate, toe guard, and proprietary Butyl-rubber sole will keep you on track. The toe box is slightly wide and the shoe weighs approximately 8.5 ounces. $160
