Gear Review: Brooks PureGrit 4 Women's Trail Running Shoes

Why I Love It: 8.2 ounces at a 4mm drop makes the Brooks PureGrit 4 Women's Trail Running Shoes perfect for my finicky stride- they're lightweight enough to make a difference in the mountains and with enough ground feel that I don't go careening off a ledge into the abyss. The outsole has a TON of traction and the hex pattern really pulls at the ground which makes a huge difference on long, loose runs through the Cascade Range...

The Hard Review: As a person who is HIGHLY prone to bruising on the top of my feet, I reallllllly, I mean REALLY love the elastic band across the upper. I always end up ladder lacing my running shoes but with the PureGrit 4s, I've had to do no such thing. I have NOT, however, been very psyched about some of the durability aspects of this shoe. An important thing to note, however, is that I am sure this shoe would have held up nicely if I was simply doing casual trail runs through Forest Park. But, most of my off-road mileage has been run up, over, and in between Cascade Volcanoes and the nasty, chossy, sharp nonsense that defines those beautiful peaks has taken a severe toll on them. The mesh, for example, that protects the elastic band is ripped completely to shreds. The upper, as well, has holes completely through it. Not psyched about that... But, good news is that the entire outsole has been AMAZING- coupled with some Outdoor Research trail gaiters, these shoes took me up and over North Sister 3 times in 2015 and I competed the Three Sisters Traverse wearing them. The rubber is JUST sticky enough that I felt secure solo'ing up and down the {loose} rocks on the summit of North Sister and up the {even more loose} North side of South Sister. They also offer more lateral stability that I was anticipating given their appearance... I'm intrigued to see what the next generation of PureGrit shoes looks like...

A Tip or Two: If the mesh rips, cut it off- otherwise, it just keeps ripping until there's basically nothing left...