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Opening the box I was a bit put off by the loud lime / orange colorway, but with other colors available, I'm basing my review not on color, but on what matters most - how it feels and performs in the wild!
With a narrow foot, I felt like I couldn't get a great lockdown, yet the shoe continued to feel fairly stable on less than buttery trails. At 10.4oz for a mens size US 9, it's not heavy, not light, but a totally reasonable and comfortable weight to lug around for thousands (and thousands) of steps at a time. At $140.00 USD, it feels like a fairly reasonable price in todays market, and though we'd all like to spend less, if we look at shoes from a "miles per dollar" perspective, if this shoe lasts as long as it feels it may, then you might end up getting some pretty dang good bang (or miles) for your buck.
Though I can't speak to mud, the outsole felt secure and grippy on both dry trails and on soft, wet pine beds. After a handful of miles on the road to get a feel for how these shoes influence "real" running mechanics, I inspected the lugs and hardly saw evidence of wear, and also, as a midfoot striker, they felt totally fine on the road; the lugs are firm and tight packed so they didn't bend under each foot strike and create that squishy feeling some trail shoes with softer, longer, or more spread out lugs can feel like. For that reason I'd say it's a fine "road to trail" shoe that you can run out the door to the TH in or run a paved approach to the hills without feeling awkward. They also felt good and fine to walk casually in as well. Between the foam density and the higher stack height, the under foot protection feels good despite there being no plate.
As far as fit goes, It's not the best fitting shoe for my narrow feet. I love having toe room, but I felt like I couldn't get a good lockdown in the midfoot. I Imagine that a slightly higher volume foot would've felt at come and happy in a pair of these, but because of that fit, I will not be reaching for these first over some other shoes I have in the quiver. Despite the length feeling right, in order to get a good lockdown I had to crank the laces quite a bit, but that led to odd pressure on the sides and top of the foot that made me want to totally unlace at points. To my surprise and the fortune of the shoe, I found the Experience Wild 2 to feel fairly stable even with the laces not totally locked down. After running 10 easy miles on the Colorado Trail with laces loose and a smile on my face, I can say that the shoe is great for relaxed miles and maybe even some fun fast stuff.
I received these shoes for testing
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