Gear

Well I won't be throwing away my Walshes just yet. What is it with these American companies and off-road running shoes, they just don't get it.

They think they can get a road shoe with air cushioning, stability posts etc and slap a rugged sole on it and call it an off-road shoe. I'm sure this is great for the US market where people are running down hard, smooth dust trails (not unlike roads in fact).

In this country, the last thing you need is cushioning because the ground will be soft anyway but more importantly a thicker sole means instability which means your foot is far more likely to turn if land on something uneven.

Have a look at Walsh, New Balance RX Terrain and Adidas Swoop all aimed at the European fell/trail running market, they are all tight fitting with a very low but heavily studded sole.

Then have a look at those 'walking' boots again what you need is a firm sole that you can attach a crampon to or one that wont give when you're body weight is on a small ledge the width of your finger. What you don't want is some soggy trainer.

The Paclite jacket looks good though, except its a shame they missed the vents.

Nike are the spawn of the devil anywayz. Won't even be looking at their kit. Didn't go near their stand at the OS show. Not gonna go near their kit in the future.

Well I quite like the look of the new boots, and to be honest Andrew your argument has more holes in it than my string vest. 'Walking' boots don't normally have crampons attached to them, nor are they usually on a finger width ledge (try smear smear). However I'm now going to contradict myself. I've started to use 'trainers' to scramble and walk in, fine in dry weather and used with success in Wales and on Skye. My problem (apart from jon not giving me a pair to test), is who's going to stock them? There's no way JJB (what's the price of a man u shirt then?) is going to have them, neither are most outdoor shops, as Nikee is seem as more of a fashion brand. So where the hell can I try them??

I'd say there is a lot of nice kit in the Nike ACG range, but it's based on the fast & light approach, so it won't suit the old-school heavy loaders. I certainly don't want to walk fast and long distances in footwear suited for crampons, they are way to stiff.

Well, I've been running for four and half hours at a time in the Peak wearing the TNF Ultras and they work very well. The ground at the moment isn't 'all soft' btw, a lot of it is either baked hard, or rocky, plus fell shoes give bugger all support. I'd agree that a lot of the original US-made trail-running shoes were clumpy and not suited to UK hills, but the latest ones are much better.

As for the walking boot argument, you seem to be confusing walking boots with alpine climbing footwear. Most walkers don't actually need a boot that will support their bodyweight on a finger-width ledge, they need something that offers a combination of decent grip, cushioning, longitudinal flexibility for comfortable walking action and torsional rigidity for stability along with a well defined heel cup for the same reason.

The Nike boots are actually surprisingly laterally stiff and don't feel like trainers. Anyway, we should be testing some soon.

I used to think that fell shoes were 'the answer' but while they're great for speed, lightness and grip over short runs, I'm increasingly prepared to compromise a small percentage of that sure-footedness for increased stability and comfort. I think you might be surprised at just how capable some of these shoes actually are.

I'll take your word for it, I'm afraid I'm too much of a Walsh fan to change.

In fact so much so, that my latest road shoes are an old pair of Walshes with the studs cut off with a stanley knife.

Walshes on the road were always a bad thing (back when I used to run). Knackered your knees nicely. When you can't drive and start the run from your front door this is a bit of an issue!

On the fell I actually used to prefer ETAs to Walshes, just seemed to fit better! Anyone know if they are still available (my old pair are...erm... old)!

I'd have to disagree with you there Rob. I have at least a mile before I get off-road from my front door which means that every run has at least 2 miles of tarmac. The only problem that I've found is that running on tarmac wears the studs down at an alarming rate.

In terms of causing injuries, I found that I suffered fewer aches and pains when running in Walshes than in my previous cushioned Asics road shoes. I was astonished by this so I bought some very minimal road racing shoes for road running and since doing that I've had no injuries for over a year. Prior to that I was lucky to go 3 months without injury. So for me it seems that using much flatter, non-cushioned, non-supportive shoes was the answer. Walshes fit this bill exactly.

I don't think you can buy ETA's anymore. You could try Adidas Swoops or Felldancers these are a bit wider than Walshes.

I don't want to sound doomladen, but as you get older you start to appreciate the benefits of cushioning and stability a bit more. But hey, if Walshes work for you as road shoes fine. I'd just be a little wary of assuming that what works for you will be okay for others. I'd guess that you're relatively light and have quite a neutral gait?

11.5 stone and a moderate overpronator, so not really. Maybe I've been lucky, but it works well for me so I'm not changing. I'd run in bare feet if I wasn't such a wuss.

Jon, in the news feature it says that the Air Zoom Tallac is in the shops now. You don't happen to who actually stocks them.

Alex - the spawn of the devil is far too kind a description... I'd say they were more akin to the Cthulhu's poo.

Running scares me. It's more like a prolonged fall for me - it's almost inevitable that I'll go A over T at some point.

i know nike may be evil but be fair to them, if they make some good kit then give them a chance.

People seem to quick to write off adidas, nike et al cos they manufacture in the far est, pay nothing to workers etc, but then again so do loads of outdoors firms. Ive used nike n adidas base layers, mtb shoes, hats, trousers and its all been good stuff. the fact that my adidas mtb shoes were cheaper than the nearest shimano/specialized equivelent and are still going strong seems to prove they can do somethings right!