Road shoes fail on trail for one reason, and it is not cushioning. It is that a smooth outsole has nothing to bite with, so on wet rock you skate and on loose gravel you slide backwards with every push. A proper trail running shoe fixes that with deep lugs and a rubber compound that grips when the surface is soaked.
The range below is not a ladder from worse to better. Each shoe answers a different question about where you run and how wet it gets, and buying the wrong one usually means buying the most protective shoe for trails that never needed it.
Seven shoes, seven jobs
Fresh Foam X Hierro v9 — best for long trail miles
The default choice, and the one most people should start with. A 4 mm drop keeps you low and stable over uneven ground, while the Vibram outsole runs 6 mm lugs that dig into mud and gravel rather than skimming over it. At 310 grams it is not light, but the cushioning is what lets you keep going after two hours. Sold in standard, wide and extra-wide.
Hierro v9 GORE-TEX — best for wet months
Mechanically the same shoe with a waterproof membrane added. Worth it if your runs are through standing water and winter mud, not worth it in summer, because a membrane that keeps water out also keeps heat in. If you run year-round and can only justify one pair, take the standard version and accept wet feet in January.
Hierro Hiker GORE-TEX — best for mixed running and walking
Built taller and more protective than the running version, aimed at days where the route includes scrambling or a long descent on foot. The waterproofing is the same idea; the difference is the support around the ankle and the stiffer platform underfoot.
Hierro Trek — best for hiking pace
Further towards hiking again, with the running-shoe weight kept but the outsole and upper built for load and slower ground. A sensible single pair if you walk more than you run but want something that can still handle a jog downhill.
FuelCell Rebel Trail — best for fast, dry trails
Light and responsive rather than protective. This is the shoe for firm singletrack and tempo efforts where you want the ground to come back at you. It gives up some underfoot protection to do it, so rocky descents are less forgiving. Among the trail running shoes here it is the one that rewards a runner who already has the technique for rough ground.
FuelCell SuperComp Trail v2 — best for racing
The top of the range and genuinely a race shoe, built around propulsion rather than comfort. Worth it only if you are racing trail distances and already know what you want from a plated shoe.
DynaSoft Nitrel v6 — best for starting out
The entry point, and a perfectly good first trail shoe. You give up the Vibram compound and some cushioning, but the lug pattern still does the main job, which is stopping you sliding. Buy this before committing to the range if you are not yet sure trail running will stick.
Two things worth checking before you order
Size up a half size from your road shoe. Feet swell on long descents and a toe hitting the front of the shoe on a steep downhill is the fastest way to lose a toenail. This applies even if your road size has been reliable for years, because the descent is doing something a flat road never does.
Take the width option seriously. Most of this range comes in 2E and 4E as well as standard, which is unusual, and a trail shoe that is too narrow will roll on off-camber ground no matter how good the outsole is. Getting the fit right matters more than the lug depth on any of these trail shoes.
Which to Choose
For most people it is the Hierro v9, with the GORE-TEX version if winter is your main season. Go lighter with the Rebel Trail if your trails are dry and fast, heavier with the Hiker or Trek if you walk as much as you run, and start with the Nitrel if you are testing the water. The running shoes here all share the same basic grip philosophy, so the choice is really about weight and weather.
The full trail range sits on New Balance, where the lug depths, drops and width options are listed for each model.
More footwear and kit comparisons land regularly at The Vogue Club.
