What's It For?
New UK footwear brand Carn - it's the gaellic for 'cairn' apparently - says that the Cobra is a 'multi-purpose shoe designed for running or walking and robust enough to cope with demanding terrain from rock to fell scrambling'. Realistically though, we'd say it was more of a walking shoe that you could, at a pinch, run in for short periods if necessary. There are much better specialist running options out there.
The Techy Bits
The Cobra comes loaded with acronyms and technical features in a quietly impressive way. In simple terms, Carn has reinforced the heel cup to maximise stability, based the shoe on a chassic that's laterally stiff in the mid-foot for stability again, but has good longitudinal flex for comfortable walking.
Cushioning is by an EVA mid-sole unit with an interesting addition in the form of a small, softer wedge at the tip of the heel which is designed for soften initial foot-strike. Another unusual touch for an outdoors shoe is the abandonment of a conventional tongue in favour of a Slip Fit system a bit like a very sophisticated slipper in fact.
Finally the top lace eyelet is mounted on the SQ lateral support which pulls the heel back into the cup for improved fit.
How It Performed
As with the Storm Chaser we tested recently, we found the fit on our typically British medium width, medium volume test foot was excellent. The heel fits snugly but there's plenty of toe space. What's more, the Cobra gives sublime, soft, slipper-like comfort straight out of the box. It's arguably the most comfortable shoe we've used, ever...
That's actually slightly disquieting if you prefer a more traditional, sturdy, ruffty tuffty feel to your outdoor footwear, but if you want cushioned comfort look no further. Obviously this is all subject to fit.
In use we found the Cobra comfortable, cushioned and capable underfoot. The EVA mid-sole gives a nice, soft ride and the extra heel pad seems to soften impact on hard ground nicely. We had no problems with stability either thanks to the substantial heel cup and lateral stiffness and liked the light, nimble feel underfoot.
The mesh uppers are super breathable as well making them ideal for hot weather use and travel in fact - if you want more weather protection, the eVent lined Viper is virtually identical but waterproof.
Carn's own brand uTRX sole unit has been as good as anything similar we've used, though not as toothily effective on softer terrain as the likes of Inov-8's full-on fell and trail-running shoes. Speaking of running, we did pad up a few trails in the Cobras, but we do think there are better options out there in pure running terms, so mostly we'd regard them as walking shoes.
Is there a downside? Despite the soft feel on the foot, there's full TPU protection at heel and toe plus Nubuck reinforcement above the sole which should cope with most rough terrain use. That said, we'd steer clear of biting, loose scree for the sake of the mesh upper.
Whether you'd be happy using them on rocky terrain is a personal thing. We would, but if you're the sort of walker who prefers stiff-soled, traditional boots on rocky ground, then the soft feel of this and similar shoes may well alarm you.
We'll drag them onto some proper mountain terrain soon and see how they cope and report back.
Verdict
Ultra-comfortable, ultra-soft slipper-like feel on the foot that's belied by competent, nimble, stable performance as an all-round, dry conditions walking shoe. We're not sure about durability on rougher terrain, but so far we reckon these are doing nicely and also exude an air of quality. Lovers of traditional, stiff mountain footwear should steer clear.
Buy if... you want a light, airy and sublimely comfortable walking shoe with high build quality and some well thought-out technical features and don't mind the soft feel.
