I've got a soft spot in my heart for Vibram's Five Fingers line - Vibram Five Fingers Treksports were my first experience with barefoot running shoes. I used them primarily for hiking and some light trail running and they were great for hikes, but I found the tread a bit lacking for trail runs when the weather started to get sloppy. I lost my footing on more that one muddy switchback last fall, and I'm not eager to do it again.
Vibram heard the plight of the the off-road runner and responded with the Spyridon LS ($120, February 2012). I saw these guys at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in August, and they are indeed built for the trail run.
In lieu of the traditional rock plate, the Spyridon LS sports a flexible chain-mail-esque metal fabric that disperses force (say, of a pointy rock that you just stepped on) while allowing your foot to move about freely.
They also sport the burliest tread that I've seen on a pair of Five Fingers to date. This'll come in handy now that the weather's getting wetter and the trails are getting slicker. Very excited to check out a pair of these.
Keep an eye out for them at Vibramfivefingers.com.
Most Wanted posts are profiles of gear that catches our eye. Since we
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they're just overviews on what the gear is designed to do. More often
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