Shoe Recommendation-Vasque Trailbender Trail Running Shoe

[formerly multipurpose]

First of all I want to say that in shoes it's fit, fit, fit. These shoes work for me, they may not work for you, so try them on first if you are thinking of buying them. That being said I really like these shoes. I have had them for a two months now hiking several times a week here in Northern California and sometimes wading due to our recent monsoon conditions. They are holding up well and show no signs of wear. They are not Gore-Tex, but they dry out overnight especially if you stuff them with crumpled up newspaper. Due to the thick soles they are well suited to combined pavement and and rocky trail which I think would make them a very nice Camino shoe if you are into trail runners instead of boots. A lot of cushioning with these shoes. They are a little wider than normal in front and don't pinch my little toes like many trail runners do. I sized one full size up to get a good fit because for me they run a little small. In the States they are only available at REI and I'm not sure if they are available in Europe. Search REI for Vasque Trailbender Running shoe.

 

[poogeyejr]

That is awesome - I have been looking for a thick soled running shoe. The Hoka OneOne are the only ones I have found so far.
Thanks for the info.

Kathy

 

[formerly multipurpose]

That is awesome - I have been looking for a thick soled running shoe. The Hoka OneOne are the only ones I have found so far.
Thanks for the info.

Kathy

Hi Kathy, I have tried the Hoka OneOne and they didn't work for me because they were too narrow in the toebox. The Trailbender soles are similar to the Hokas in that they are quite thick, but the Trailbender toebox is wider than the Hoka. Also it seemed to me that the Trailbender shoe got a little more comfortable as I wore them, so maybe a little break in period with them. The Trailbender is expensive though, $130 American list price. I am going to wait for the next 20% off REI sale and buy another pair because I like them so much. Good luck, hope they work for you.