Topo Athletic Terraventure 2

Our take From California’s Eastern Sierra to Arizona’s red desert, speeding up rocky inclines to bombing slick descents, testers raved about the comfort of the Terraventure 2. A generous toebox keeps wider feet happy, but even those with a narrower forefoot lauded the extra space for splay. “These aren’t so spacious that they get sloppy,” said one tester after 32 days on trail. The dual-density EVA midsole is relatively thin, but the plastic rock plate prevented bruising on a bumpy, 6-mile run on California’s San Bruno Mountain.

The details The Terraventure 2 has a PU exoskeleton to improve the durability of the mesh upper without affecting airflow. “These breathe so well that my feet never overheated even when I was pushing hard for hours on a 90°F day,” says our California tester. A 3mm drop will please minimalist runners, but heel-strikers may want to look elsewhere. The shoe has attachment points for gaiters ($20, sold separately), but they sag and allow debris in.

Trail cred “Arizona slickrock isn’t easy on footwear, but after 200 miles, there isn’t even a loose seam,” one tester says. “Even the midsole is holding up well.”