Montrail Sabino Trail Shoe Review

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Do you remember the Montrail Hardrock from the old days? Ok, so it hasn’t been that long since the Hardrock was a favorite among trail runners, but many runners, and their feet, have missed the Hardrock. In comes the Sabino trail, also by Montrail. Although it is not the same as the original Hardrock, Montrail reports that the Sabino has many of the same qualities that the Hardrock once touted. We were extremely excited to see how the Sabino could handle the rugged trails and compare to the shoe of old and current shoes on the market.

The Sabino is middle range as far as weight goes, but the low-profile design made us feel like we were wearing a lighter weight shoe than we really were. The Sabino’s midfoot and forefoot regions have a thermoplastic shank called Trail Shield which we put to the test on a couple of grueling-rugged-rocky trails in Western Colorado.  We were a little disappointed with the underfoot protection after a couple of hours of wear. When flying downhill, we felt some of the major rocks and ruts and were a little sore the next day. The trails were tough, but the Sabino’s did not offer the same protection we remember in the original Hardrocks.

However, when compared to some of our other Spring 2010 trail shoes, we kept wanting to wear the Sabino’s because of the flexibility and excellent traction that they provided. When trail running, it is important to not have to think about how your feet feel the ground during each foot strike, and thankfully the Sabino pulled through. The toe box has a wide fit which offers ample room for your toes to splay without rubbing any seams.  Our tester is a neutral runner, trail and road, and felt the shoes were not overly stiff and truly moved with her.

The Sabino’s are incredibly affordable with a MSRP of $100, which is on the lower range for performance trail shoes, with competitors reaching $140/pair.  Despite the decreased foot protection, we feel that the Sabino’s are well worth their price and would be great for woody-rolling trails.  PS. The Sabino’s took no time at all to break in and the Montrail Customer Service Department has a history of being easy to work with! For more information on the Sabino Trail and other Montrail footwear, please visit www.columbia.com or www.amazon.com/montrail.