New Balance Fresh Foam® Crag Trail Running Shoes (For Men)

I've been a trail runner on and off for around 30 years. Old and non-competitive I look for functional shoes rather than shoes promising performance benefits. I have found over the years I get the same mix of hit and miss shoes no matter if I shop the high end or the low end and it hurts a lot less to throw away the low end misses.

I was not expecting to like these shoes. Overall the last on New Balance shoes is not a great match for my foot shape and these were no different until they were broken in. Out of the box these shoes want to roll my foot outwards so I am launching off all of my toes instead of straight ahead (launching predominantly off my big toes).

Construction:
The sole construction on this shoe is very good with a rugged and supportive platform and appropriate tread for trail running. The tread has an aggressive pattern and performs well on decomposed granite, hard packed dirt, mud and slick rock. The midsole provides a good amount of cushioning without giving up stability.

The uppers are shockingly odd. No tongue means that they are hard to put on and that you may need to slightly pull off your sock before putting on the shoe otherwise the shoe may pull your sock too tight around your toes. The fabric and construction of the upper looks a bit odd in other ways that I can's exactly pinpoint. My initial rating for these uppers was "poor" and maybe it should be for you if your top criteria in a shoe is ease of entry.

My opinion of the uppers changed dramatically when I was recently running a trail with about 12 stream crossings. After dipping my toes (not whole foot) multiple times by missing hops to small rocks I was unexpectedly surprised to find that I completed the run with dry feet. I am unsure if this is due to the material used, the tongueless construction or both. Either way I am happy to make this trade off of the tongueless design and odd looks for not running is squishy shoes