Xero 360º Shoe
The Xero 360º is a minimalistic casual mesh lightweight cross-training shoe with a grippy rubber sole and a sure-footed tread pattern. It was designed for super aggressive activities, such as cross-training, cross-fit, exercising, court sports, parkour, and just about anything that requires quick lateral movement. It’s ultra-comfy, and its barefoot-inspired design lets your feet and body feel connected to the world. They have an ultra-wide toe box that allows your toes to spread, and your foot relaxes along with their “XERO-drop” sole, which has a non-elevated heel and a low-to-the-ground design that provides improved posture, balance, and stability. The shoe is highly flexible, so your foot can bend, move, and flex like it’s barefooted.
It features a breathable open mesh textile and suede microfiber upper, their standard 2mm EVA insole, and a new rubber outsole design with an omnidirectional grippy high-traction tread. The lightweight shoe weighs nine ounces, has a smooth lining that is perfect for that barefoot feel, and it’s highly breathable. And it’s 100% vegan-friendly!
The toe box and heel cup have protection bumpers for durability and strength. It’s secured with a top lacing system tied into their traditional cinch strap system. The Huarache-inspired design heel cinch strap is highly functional, providing a secure and stable fit, and the “inverted V” adjustable instep straps allow you to lock down your instep while still letting your toes move freely. It features tacky strips on the toe and front midsole to protect the upper and even offers a gripping rubber inlay for rope climbing and scaling obstacles.
Overall, the 360º is an uber-comfy, breathable, flexible barefoot-designed sneaker, with a lace and cinch strap system that is secure, and it feels perfect right out of the box. The mesh upper, tacky toe strips, grippy sole, and suede bumpers offer additional features to an already excellent shoe. It lets your foot – bend, move, flex and feel.
Click here to purchase the XERO 360º.
Five Ten Trailcross GTX Shoes
The all-new Five Ten Trailcross GTX is the first-ever flat pedal shoe that features GORE-TEX durably waterproof, breathable technology. The ankle-height shoe has a waterproof, breathable upper that renders cold, damp feet to a thing of the past. A flexible, neoprene, hook-and-loop closure ensures that no debris, water, or snow sneaks down your ankles, and the GORE-TEX membrane keeps moisture out while preventing sweat build-up on the inside.
The Trailcross GTX is the ultimate all-weather shoe, made possible with a protective waterproof, breathable upper featuring GORE-TEX award-winning technology. The Trailcross GTX features a reinforced upper for added stability, while the neoprene ankle cuff and hook and loop closure keeps moisture and debris out during the most extreme conditions. The shoe is designed for all-day comfort, no matter if you are splashing through puddles, crossing spring snowmelt, or pedaling through a summer hailstorm.
Underfoot is a midsole with the necessary stiffness for pedal power and stability, with mapped flex points for heel-to-toe hiking comfort. The sole is Five Ten’s award-winning Stealth Phantom rubber designed to provide just the right amount of pedal grip, plus the necessary traction to hike/bike in wet and slimy conditions. The shoe has a molded, full-wrap RPU toe treatment for additional protection on the medial and lateral sides. MSRP $200
I’ve used their brethren Trailcross Mid Pro shoe and found it offered excellent traction and comfort, and the D30 Padded ankle coverage had plenty of protection. The other day I was riding in another pair of shoes and got stuck out in a monster rainstorm, and my feet got sloppy wet. The Five Ten Trailcross GTX with the GORE-TEX waterproof membrane would have kept my feet warm and dry!
Purchase at your local retailer or online at Five Ten
Erem Desert Hiking Boots
Erem is the first outdoor brand designed from the ground up for desert performance.
While most men’s hiking boots and women’s hiking boots today are made by thermo fusing plastics together and end up sitting as trash in a landfill for millennia, Erem’s sustainable hiking boots are Biocircular™, meaning they only use materials with 100% proven paths back to nature and can be re-streamed at the end of their useful life by Erem into new products. Erem aims to further minimize its carbon and resource footprint by incentivizing customers to extend the life of their boots through the Erem Reboot repair program.
The Erem collection is launching with the men’s and women’s Xerocole (pronounced Zee-ra-kohl) and Xerocole Expedition boots, named after animals adapted to thrive in desert environments.
A gusseted tongue and padded collar keep out rocks and debris, while a full-length wood-fiber shank board provides torsional support and underfoot protection. The biodegradable, fully reusable, one-piece outsole is made of 70% recycled rubber, is stitched to the upper using welt-grade linen thread to avoid delamination and enable repairs, and features deep, 6-mm lugs for steady grip and traction.
I haven’t gotten these out in the desert yet (heck, it’s the winter), but they are light, breathable, comfortable, and tough. The construction provides plenty of protection, which will help with the terrain and stuff you’ll encounter out in the desert environment. The high cut and padded gusset will help prevent ingress of debris.
Xerocole
- MSRP: $169.99
- Height: 5.25” collar height
- Weight: 48 oz. per pair (Size U.S. Men’s 9)
- Construction: Stitched
- Sizing:
Xerocole Expedition
- MSRP: $199.99
- Height: 7.25” collar height
- Weight: 53 oz. per pair (Size U.S. Men’s 9)
- Construction: Stitched
- Sizing:
DXLAB X-SCAPE NBK Mid Shoe
Deckers X Lab new trail-ready X-SCAPE NBK Mid is a hybrid of street sneaker meets hiking boot with the comfort of a slipper, the NBK Mid with its Vibram® N-Oil Litebase outsole excels as a water repellent all-day boot. The X-SCAPE NBK ECOTAN Leather upper is built into an Xponent HD midsole, which is a high rebounding and lightweight performance foam.
Other features include a Meta-Rocker geometry and a flared swallow tail that enhances the feeling and performance from the natural stride associated with movement and furthers the philosophies of Deckers X Lab’s “Flow Wear.” Each natural stride is further enhanced with the addition of a Vibram® N-Oil Litebase outsole, which is made with more than 90% natural materials, providing an eco-conscious, lightweight, and extremely grippy base for the NBK.
- Anatomic, gender-specific medium width sleek toe performance running last
- ECOTAN Leather
- PFC free, durable water repellent treatment
- Ergonomic removable insole
- Xponent HD midsole: high-rebound lightweight HX-Impulse foam
- Vibram® N-Oil Litebase an eco-conscious and lightweight sole
- Underfoot Geometry
- Men’s: 115-79-97mm. 6mm drop, 17-23mm stack height
The X-SCAPE NBK Mid is supremely comfy and feels like I was walking on air. The flared swallowtail heel (likely design from brethren HOKA ONE ONE) helps with stride and when walking downhill. The sticky outsole has just the proper tread, offering bite on rocks, dirt, and gravel without feeling too meaty. I felt like I was bounding/rebounding when I was out hiking or walking around, making for a pleasant experience and helping to reduce fatigue.
Altra Lone Peak ALL-WTHR Low
The Altra Lone Peak ALL-WTHR Low is up for the elements—all the elements. Surrounding a weather-resistant eVent™ bootie construction is everything you love about the classic Lone Peak, plus the new addition of the responsive Altra EGO™ midsole. The MaxTrac™ outsole keeps you conquering rough terrain so you can enjoy high speeds with dry feet.
- Balanced Cushioning – This platform positions your heel and forefoot at an equal distance from the ground, encouraging better alignment and form and a low-impact landing.
- FootShape – This comforting design gives your feet more space to sit naturally and is designed to address biological differences in men’s and women’s feet.
- TrailClaw – These canted lugs on the outsole are strategically placed beneath the metatarsals to provide added traction underfoot.
- MaxTrac – This outsole provides the perfect combination of grip, traction, and durability on all terrain types.
- Weight: 13.2 oz / 374 g
- Midsole: Altra EGO™
- Outsole: MaxTrac™
- Cushion: Moderate
- Stack height: 25 mm
- Upper: eVent™
- MSRP $160
The Lone Peak ALL-WTHR Low is the perfect shoe for running, hiking, or around town. They are comfortable and offer protection from the elements and trail, keeping your feet warm and dry. I used them many times in the yard and driveway, in rain, snow, and crud, where they performed flawlessly. The grippy sole with its aggressive tread helped bite into dirt, rock, and trail obstacles, offering up a meaty trail companion.
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