If you’re getting bored with pounding out the miles on a treadmill or a track, or if you’re anticipating a crowded gym once everyone makes their New Year’s resolutions, you should try trail running. It’s recreational hiking at high velocity. You get fresh air, scenic views, and a great workout, all in one.
Vasque has been making high-quality technical footwear since 1964, and I recently got the chance to try their spring 2018 line, which will be sold starting in mid-February. I took the Vasque Trailbender IIs, the upgrade to last year’s Trailbenders, to test over several weeks and 30 miles of concrete sidewalks, roads, hard-packed trails, mud, gravel, scrambling, and singletrack.
The Trailbender II is the most heavily-cushioned shoe in Vasque’s 2018 spring line-up, designed to rack up lots of miles and feel cool and comfortable while doing so. The difference between this year’s model and last year’s is that the Trailbender IIs have a more refined, breathable mesh upper. This means the shoe isn’t waterproof, but the sole was thick enough to keep my feet above the waterline in Pacific Northwestern puddles.
While I prefer lower-profile shoes for trail running, it’s not always possible to step directly out of your house and onto soft dirt. The Trailbender II’s massive molded EVA midsole padding and 6mm-drop (from a 28mm heel to 22mm height at the toe box) made it a great all-purpose shoe. My feet and knees didn’t hurt while running on the several miles of concrete and asphalt that it sometimes took to get to the trailhead.
The breathable mesh upper wasn’t too soft; shoes should feel like shoes, not socks (sorry, Nike). A flat, molded tongue and big, flat laces meant that once the shoe was adjusted and tied, I never had to stop to re-tie the laces, or re-adjust a slipping tongue.
The Vasque AxisGrip outsole, with its innumerable, tiny cloverleaf treads, was secure up and down on sloppy 45-degree hills. I didn’t slip, not even with a 70-pound dog occasionally tugging on the leash. But the small treads also trapped a lot of mud, pine needles and grass, which would be hazardous if I were going on runs that were longer than five miles on muddy trails.
The shoe doesn’t have a rock plate in the bottom, but the sole is still stiff enough that small, bumpy objects in the trail didn’t pose any problems. A hefty 1.2mm toe cap meant that I could trip on all the tree roots that I wanted.
As with in-ear headphones, your personal shoe preferences can vary depending on much that is outside of the manufacturer’s control. The Trailbender II has a very wide, neutral chassis, and I have narrow feet and mild supination (that is, a high foot arch and pigeon toes). Even on dry, smooth singletrack, rocks and roots could set my foot rolling in the shoe. My bony heels also slid around, which added to my general feeling of instability.
With running shoes, perhaps more so than with other kinds of gear, your mileage may vary (ha ha!). While Vasque’s quality and construction is top-notch, my personal running preferences mean that I’m not--and you might not be--the target audience for this shoe. If you have a wider foot and are putting in long, hot miles on mixed roads and groomed trails, then the Trailbender II would be a great choice.
But for the narrow-hooved mountain goats among us, we'll have to keep looking for something a little more slim, low-profile and agile.
