What's Are They For?
Brasher describes the brand new Helium XCR as 'a performance trail and fell running shoe', but we think it's just as suitable as a lightweight walking shoe and we suspect that a lot of Heliums will be used that way.
The Techy Bits
Lots of technology in the Helium. Visible stuff includes another incarnation of their TriFit system, in the form of the moulded heel cup and those external plastic reinforcements linked to the lacing system, which with the aid of the elasticated upper, is designed to hold forefoot and heel firmly in place and give stability over rough terrain.
There's a new, trail-running type sole unit too with an EVA pad on the outside of the heel to soften initial heel strike. The sole unit itself is a three-part affair with firm-ish cushioning and a moulded stiffener for lateral control but longitudinal flex.
Last but not least, there's a Gore-Tex XCR liner for waterproofing. The XCR liner has minimal extra insulation to keep things more comfortable in warm conditions.
How They Performed
With previous Brasher shoes we've had real issues with the cavernous heel, the Helium on the other hand, use a much snugger fit and we had no problems with heel fit or lifting whatsoever. In fact the combination of TriFit and elasticated uppers gives a great, glove-like feel to the shoes, but still with enough forefoot space for medium-wide British feet.
Underfoot, you can feel the torsional stiffness of the sole unit kicking in on uneven terrain, where they're far less supple than, say, a typical Inov-8 shoe. There's also more cushioning in the mid-sole, which is good for long days, but does make them less intuitively stable than a pure fell shoe. Not bad though.
And they're not super light. The pay-off for that is a full protective rand, which should up durability on rough terrain and scree plus an XCR membrane which is great in damp conditions, but going on past experience, may feel hot and sweaty on warmer days.
So good lateral stiffness, snug fit, reasonable, firmish underfoot cushioning - a little firm for really hard terrain maybe - and low enough for reasonable security on rough ground. The sole unit seems pretty good too, giving dependable grip on the mix of rock, sand and soft ground/grass they've encountered so far.
They work pretty well as a trail running shoe, with that good, snug fit keeping things stable at the heel end of things and a well-anchored forefoot adding to precision. They're also very decent lightweight trail-walking shoes.
The only issues we had were that the inside edge of the ankle cuff occasionally pressed painfully on our ankle bone on uneven ground, but that's a fit issue and all we can do is advise you to try carefully before buying as with all outdoors footwear. And then there's the question mark over Gore-Tex liners and hot weather use.
Initial Verdict
Very competent trail running and walking shoe from Brasher, though we wouldn't use it for full on, fell running duties. Fit is untypically snug, particularly at the heel end of things and grip, stability and cushioning are fine on the trails. We suspect the Brasher name will put runners off, but if you're looking for a lightish and stable walking shoe, that should be tougher than most pure running models, try some for size.
Buy if... you're looking for a stable, snug-fitting trail walking shoe that can also cope with the odd run and you prefer a laterally stiff sole unit.
