The shoes never gave me any hotspots, chafing, and binding problems and they felt like I was wearing a pair of comfy bedroom slippers. I did several runs it on varying terrain, hit the gym, wore it to the playground with the kids, hiked, climbed and was comfortable in all these activities. The step in feel of this shoe is great, it has a natural shape so your toes can move but it’s not sloppy on the foot. Underfoot it’s a solid platform and Xero really hit the outdoor all-purpose nail on the head with the lugs on these. Large enough to shred some mud and soft surfaces, but not overly aggressive that you lose surface area or proprioception on slick-rock or boulders. You can also hit the road without having the feeling that your lugging mud tires around on your feet.
The biggest limitation to keep in mind is that for people who are not used to minimalist footwear, it’s wise to transition slowly.
There is plenty of room in this shoe, but the upper design allows it to be cinched down for my narrow-footed friends. The TerraFlex also has a zero drop platform, which every shoe should have. However, if your foot is especially narrow consider ordering the women’s TerraFlex.
Mesa Trail
In this review, I’ll look at the fundamentals of the Xero Shoes Mesa Trail II and the Xero Shoes Terraflex II, highlight the key differences, and explain the different situations in which these shoes excel. Plus, I really like this toebox because it is high at the very end, so it doesn’t squeeze the toes. These would not be my first pick for highly technical or off-trail adventure running, as these endeavors may require more all-around support. What stands out with the Terraflex is its pure simplicity—there are no excessive contraptions built into these shoes.
Xero Shoes Review – The best barefoot brand for all situations?
The ability to strengthen your feet for extended runs or hikes is the TerraFlex’s shining achievement, which is what I use it for. However, I warn you to not put weight on your back and expect the shoe to be comfortable for an extended backpacking trip. It will not be, but you will reap the reward of a stronger foot assuming you don’t blow a tendon. However, if you are an experienced minimalist style runner/hiker/backpacker and have strong feet you will enjoy this shoe. Those seeking an entry minimal style backpacking shoe would enjoy offerings from Altra and Inov-8 instead. The toe-box allows my feet to splay, the mid-foot is also quite generous, and the shoe is suited for a foot with an average to slightly larger width and volume.
LIGHTWEIGHT PROTECTION THAT FEELS JUST RIGHT.
However the Prio lacks sufficient grip and traction, necessary for most trails. Overall I found the TerraFlex to be comfortable and easy to walk in, and they felt like they were was part of my feet, and were as close to barefoot that I like to go, offering some creature cushioning and protection. And I sure love the toe box and the supreme comfort it provided my toes, which were able to splay out naturally. I must admit that after long days of wearing them my feet got tired since the zero drop design, lack of any internal and arch support was fatiguing. XeroShoes also sent a pair of TerraFlex trail shoes for me to try.
- That said, it is certainly enough to handle all that we have here in Coastal South Carolina (sandy, rooty, and often pine straw or leaf covered single track).
- However the Prio lacks sufficient grip and traction, necessary for most trails.
- The Xero TerraFlex is a high-performance minimalist trail running, walk and hiking shoe that lets you feel connected to your world utilizing their lightweight barefoot-inspired design.
- For more in-depth reviews of both shoes, check out the full reviews in the links below.
- I was pleasantly surprised that the soles offered significantly more cushioning against sharp stuff on the trail than the Z-Trails sandals.
The Women’s Airforce Service Pilots: Aviation Trailblazers
Pull on the tabs, tighten the laces, and they should stay snug. The barefoot running movement is a moment in running history that still stands out in my mind. Perhaps it’s because it happened during the very beginning stages of my running journey. Perhaps it’s because I’m fascinated with the idea of running a ridiculous number of miles in sandals. Either way, barefoot running has always been a hot topic in the running industry for me.
It means you won’t find as much give in shoes if you have any pressure points, or at least it’ll take a while for the upper to give a little and mold to your foot shape. Although, in this case, I’m here to argue that’s a good thing; this is a trail shoe, after all. You won’t find a premium knit, lightweight, sock-like material like you see in the new super shoes like the Nike Vaporflys. To put it simply, if you were only going to buy one minimal trail shoe, I’d tell you to buy the TerraFlex II. This strapping system allows Xero Shoes to fit many different foot shapes and achieve a great lockdown for both wide and narrow feet.
- At first glance they don’t look conspicuous or barefoot at all, and they’re almost identical to many hiking shoes on the market.
- With higher cushioned shoes GRF are usually higher due to the lack of sensory feedback from the ground feeding information to the brain to land softly.
- We have had the privilege to trial their updated version of the trail runner, The Terraflex 2.
- The materials on the inside of the shoe feel soft, and my feet were fine without socks.
- The shoes never gave me any hotspots, chafing, and binding problems and they felt like I was wearing a pair of comfy bedroom slippers.
- I’ve experienced knee damage for quite a long time, and my knee has dependably been extremely touchy to the shoes that I wear.
I got stuck in a couple of torrential downpours, and my feet never felt soaked, and the shoes never held water internally, though I wouldn’t call the wet user shoes and they aren’t waterproof. There is a decent amount of foam padding around the heel and ankle for optimal cushioning, and even though the tongue is thinly padded, it was more than adequate for comfort. The TerraFlex is amazingly flexible and is close to noodly when bent by hand, but they fit like a glove and are secure when tightened down properly with the laces, minus the roomy comfort zone in the toe box. You can easily smoosh and crumple the TerraFlex into a ball and twist the sole. The soles which have a 5,000-mile warranty utilize their FeelTrue rubber compound and feature a removable 2mm insole so you can get an even a more barefoot feel. They have an aggressively Chevron lugged sole for improved grip and offer an embedded 3mm of Barefoam inside the sole for extra protection and comfort.
Which minimal running shoe is for you?
Their site provides no sizing guideline or template which is problematic since I find that each shoe runs differently. I tried 2 other shoes from Xero in the same order as the Terraflex 2 . The other shoes were sized men’s EU 41.5 and US 8 and fit perfectly well, however, the Terraflex model fit me in a Size US 9, EU 42. One other thing to note is that the sizing for EU shoes is different for Xero. In most shoes I’ve come across, a men’s US8 converts to an EU 42, whereas with Xero it converts to an EU 41. Xero suggests that the Terraflex is true to size and that selecting your normal US size should fit adequately – which was not the case for me.
Natural Fit
The Mesa Trail run fast on everything and benefit from a stack height which is low and flat to the ground. I haven’t experienced any grip failures but suppose these would slip on the extreme end of the spectrum (mud/high incline marbled) — as would most shoes. I often joke that it’s so much easier to write negative shoe reviews, because there are specific complaints to point out and discuss. When I enjoy a shoe, it’s often because I don’t notice the shoe. In my opinion, a running shoe is a tool that you shouldn’t notice.
With a full wrap-around toe box (actually, the wrap-around covers the whole shoe –is it still a toe box at that point?) and 6.5mm of rubber underfoot, any scuff or scrape will leave a mark and nothing else. The TerraFlex II is undoubtedly still a minimal shoe, with xero shoes terraflex review all the wonderful flexibility you’d expect from a barefoot-like shoe. Still, it’s not quite as floppy and forgiving as some sandals or even the Xero Shoes Mesa Trail. So if you have a low-volume foot, you should look at options like Vivobarefoot. The tread consists of moderately aggressive lugs (4 mm height), but the ride was still very smooth even when walking and running on hard surfaces. The materials on the inside of the shoe feel soft, and my feet were fine without socks.