Xero Shoes - Prio

I dunno about y’all but I’ve had my prio’s and my mesa trails for years and like, theyre still as good as the day I bought them albeit more muddy

Altra has the Superior and King Mtn, both of which have less cushioning and arch support than the Lone Peaks. The Superior 6 is my go-to right now. I train almost exclusively in Xero Prios. I also run in Mesa Trail IIs with a rock plate.

The only Vivos I've purchased gave me a blister on my heel after casually walking a mile with no weight. They felt solid though. I switched to Xero and haven't looked back. They fit well, look good, made to last...I just love them so much I bought 4 different shoes: Prio Neo, Dillons, Alpine (grippy and warm), and the Ridgeway which I still need to try.

Xero soles are extremely hard wearing. You'll get thousands of Kms in Zeros due to their high rubber content soles. They have 5000km warranty on their shoes. Vivos last 500 miles

I don't think flexibility is an issue in Xeros... they roll up in your hand lol. The soles on my prios are are virtually no wear too, after probably 5000kms so far. Although the upper I've super glued back together twice now. I'm not concerned about stickiness because the tread pattern also plays a part and I make sure to learn some sort of muscle memory of what my shoes are capable of.

I like my xero shoes, but they are zero rise. Zero rise shoes like xeros and altras will add strain to your achilles if you aren't used to them, so switch to them gradually and with caution. On the plus side I think minimal shoes like xeros are less prone to ankle twisting, and they feel more agile when the trail gets techy. For non-zero-rise shoes, I've liked every pair of scarpas I've owned. They fit my feet well and have good grip.

I wear Danner Mountain Light II boots when it's cold or the weather sucks. When it's hot I wear zero drop trail shoes, Xero or Lems. Pros and cons to all of them. Sometimes I wear Jim Green boots as well if I don't need waterproof or lots of traction (Ranger boots). IMO, there is no 'one size fits all' shoe for hiking.