SPARTAN by CRAFT Ultra Carbon Trail Shoe - Men's

SPARTAN by CRAFT Ultra Carbon Trail Shoe, PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE THIS SHOE.

Let’s start off by saying I’m not a runner nor have i ever been in a spartan race. With that i live in Colorado and do a lot of hiking and backpacking in Colorado and Utah. in the last 15 years i have switch from boots to shoes for hiking and love it. However, shoes, reg trail runners and not as firm and don’t usually have the right grip i need but can get by. backpacking trail runners no, they just don’t have the support. SPARTAN by CRAFT Ultra Carbon Trail Shoe. Wow this has the right lugs, the right rubber compound and with the carbon fiber they are stiff, i can carry my backpack, and for technical Utah hiking they grip like glue. they have just enough coverage to let water out and only a little amount of sand in. in Utah i usually use a pair of neoprene socks, there wave is Tigh enough not to let sand in and cause abrasion to your toes and i hike in water a lot this is a great setup. and for Colorado i use a a pair of hiking socks when backpacking and reg hiking no socks, and i don’t get blisters. so if reading this this shoe is sized for racing, so up the size and you should be good. there are several other companies making a carbon trail shoe but have not nailed it with the lug pattern this shoe has and the VIBRAM® get a pair and enjoy.

Good for Selective Use

This isn't a jack of all trades trail shoe. I did 4 runs in total before generating this review. I am a size 11 and bought 1/2 a size up, but my toes were still touching the end of the toe box, so I returned and ordered a size 12. The 4cm stack height is unforgiving, and often dangerous, on rocky, technical, and/or single track trails that have a valley to them. If you aren't mentally tuned in to the terrain AT ALL TIMES, the shoe will roll easily with a high likelihood of spraining your ankle. The upper is sort of baggy no matter how tight the laces are drawn together. You foot will slide around in the shoe on switchbacks. Your toes will get pushed to the end of the toe box on steeper declines. You don't feel locked into this shoe, further diminishing the confidence in the shoe. The grip is very good and reliable. On par with my Nike Zegama and Hoka Speedgoat. Still doesn't outperform Salomon Speedcross, however which is the benchmark for excellent grip on any trail in my opinion. The grip doesn't shed the mud. In all honesty though, I've never had a trail shoe that actually did in a decade of trail running, so this wasn't my expectation. This shoe is already on the heavier side. When the mud piled on, I really noticed. Maybe I sound weak, but that extra 40 grams above the Zegama, Speedgoat, and Speedcross was definitely noticeable as the run carried on. I will use these as hybrid shoes for runs that have road/asphalt combined with light to moderate packed dirt or gravel trail elements. The carbon plate really gets a chance to shine in this scenario. Running feels effortless and fast. The plate also offers nice protection from sharp rocks and branches. I snagged these for $100 on the Spartan site during Black Friday. And at that price, I am not disappointed that I bought a bit of a niche shoe. But right now they are $250 and I wouldn't say they are worth it for me.

Phenomenal

I love this trail shoe! Two things to know. You need to go up at least a 1/2 size, they run small. I would love for them to put a pull lace on these instead of the regular laces but that's just my preference. You will be able to go the distance in these shoes.