New Balance 909

I bought this product for a summer light backpacking trip in the Red River Gorge. I was very very happy with the shoes as far as their performance and value. There are a lot of great parts to these shoes, however you need to know what they're meant for.

The great parts were their breathability and comfort. Temps were in the 90's but my feet stayed completely cool and dry. As I stated it was a light backpacking trip just for the weekend but never-the-less I never had a problem with grip and the trail was mostly uphill.

What I mean by you need to know what they're meant for is that they breathe so well that they are strictly a summer shoe and they offer almost no protection against water so be careful when choosing when to use and when not to use this shoe. It's also a lower so it offers little to no ankle support for heavy backpack loads. This means that you won't have any ankle rubbing though which was a plus for me.

There was zero break-in time, i bought these two nights before we left and they were great. They're incredibly light-weight, i almost forgot they were on my feet. If you're using it for what it's meant for then you'll be very happy with your purchase. This product is perfect for summer dry weather day hikes or light backpacking trips.

Great shoe, very roomy toe box but it holds the midfoot and heel very nicely. super breathable toebox as well. bought them for a backpacking trip to turkey but i also use them for light hiking / trail running. grip is comfortable on tarmac but could be slightly grippier on soil. holds the heel very well and feels like you're walking on marshmallows. moderate pronation control.

I tried on tons of trail runners and i finally found this pair which was the only one wide enough for me that still grabbed the middfoot/heel. all in all very pleased.