Xero Ridgeway Mesh Low Shoe - Men's Morel, 11.0

"What Our Gearhead® Experts Are Saying:""The Ridgeway Mesh Low surprised me. It looks like a lifestyle sneaker until you actually put it on trail—then the toothy outsole earns its keep on loose dirt and rocky approaches. The TrailFoam layer irons out the sharp stuff underfoot without killing ground feel, which is the whole point with Xero. The mesh breathes well enough that I wore these through a full summer of day hikes without an issue.""The approach is three miles before the real hike even starts—loose rock, rooted dirt, the kind of terrain that reveals what your shoes are actually made of. The Ridgeway Mesh Low from Xero Shoes handles it without fuss. The aggressive toothy outsole bites into uneven ground and keeps traction consistent on both the way up and the way back down, while the abrasion-resistant toe guard takes the hits that come with off-trail footwork. What makes these different from most low hikers is what's underneath: a TrailFoam layer embedded into the construction that smooths out sharp rocks and root edges without stacking up the heel or deadening the natural flex Xero builds into every sole. The engineered mesh upper keeps air moving on sustained climbs, and at under eleven ounces, the Ridgeway Mesh Low doesn't make you earn every step. Back at the trailhead, they clean up well enough that you don't need to change before dinner."

Price: $129.99 from Backcountry