Trail shoes recommendation for paved path and mud

I like Brooks Caldera/Cascadia (they also have a new one, but can't remember name), but they don't have massive lugs, so you are going to have to decide a bit of a tradeoff between the volume of mud and volume of road you have and what you can cope with.

I could pretty much do as much road with them as I want though, so like these (I tend to run 2/3 trail vs 1/3 road to trail)

Inov8 G270

I found the Hoka Cavu up to the task last time i ran on pavement + mud. Not sure why this shoe isn't rated better, as it's the most normal Hoka model.

I've had no problem running on some mud and grassy mountains wearing the reeboks ffe. that or the turbo 2s.

These are the terra ultra right? Heard good things about them and will probably buy next. How do they handle mud? (Not that I would buy them for this purpose). I found the roclite 290 and trail ultra 250 to be a really good all rounder that could deal with a bit of everything but they are obsolete now.

OP: if two thirds is mud then it’s fair to say that 80% of the effort and time or more is going to be spent in the mud, which means you need a mud specific shoe. Also it depends on what you mean by mud and what type. Is it soil based, clay, how deep etc. Is it just due to a little rain and usually dries up?

You won’t get a lot of cushioning in a mud specific shoe because you don’t need it, something to bear in mind for the first part of your run.

There is no such thing as an all round shoe but some fulfil this claim better than others.

If it’s a nice transition shoe that can go from door to trial and handle minor mud, I recommend the Nike terra kiger 5 upwards. Not my favourite shoe because I don’t like the sole for more technical and dry trail running but it ticks the boxes you are after and has good support/cushion trade off.

Inov8 are probably my favourites but tend to be more terrain specific.

Salomon a-lab sense SG (soft ground) also very light and nimble with good protection for this terrain if you like to go fast but are quite expensive.

Thanks for the responses so far.

I may have overstated the muddy part. There is a bit of mud, but this is mainly because it has been very wet recently. When the weather dries up, it would probably be better. Even with the mud, I am currently coping just about okay in my normal road shoes on easy runs, but just need to be careful occasionally when the mud gets too deep and too slippery and sometimes have to slow down and walk in the extremely muddy sections (although I now know better which areas are more muddy and to be avoided now).

What are the inov-8 shoes like in terms of cushioning on hard ground / concrete? Unfortunately it is not possible to try out shoes at the moment as only essential shops are open in my country and it looks to be this way until March / April the earliest. I will have to order over the internet.

I would just get some normal trail running shoes.

If you can get some trail shoes in your arsenal with decent lugs for mud running. Walking through the mud to avoid slipping up sucks. You’ll have so much more fun being able to rip through. They will also last you ages if you only wear them when necessary.

Inov8 are great. They feel so plush, straight out of the box. They have a fairly minimalist philosophy although the have deviated from that slightly to cover a wider base. But generally they are around the 4mm drop mark. Some more some less. You feel more than protected though and the minimal cushioning does it’s job very well. They also have a more generous toe box than most.

I like inov8s both roclite and trailtalons have nice flat lugs that are good on roads, mud and dry trails. The roclites are meant to be all-rounders and have 6mm lugs and the trailtalons 4mm lugs in the same pattern designed for hardpacked trails but good in light mud and a bit lighter in weight. They both come in two versions one 4mm drop and relatively minimalist and a more cushioned 8mm drop version.

My advice would be to buy trail shoes with harder rubber- higher durometer (continental for example) than EVA. Others have given you good specific model suggestions but a shoe like the Hoka Speedgoat, while great for trails, wears out too quickly on the roads. How much the nubs stick out is a factor but how hard the rubber is also matters. If you are a midfoot striker less of an issue but a consideration

Nb1400 are great in muddy conditions

I actually meant trail talon earlier. But the 250 version which has been discontinued (they do 235 and 290 now I believe). But it’s what you say, the relatively wide lugs made them a great all rounder, even for that transition from door to trail. They could also handle a bit of mud. Great for training as they had a nice amount of cushioning wind super comfy but were still light and agile enough to be a race shoe.