I have been looking for a pair of shoes that fits my athletic personality. I grew up in athletic wear and work in a gym that allows me to wear athletic style clothes. Comfy running shoes is one perk of working in a gym setting. When I go hiking I also want to be comfortable and not feel lugged down with boots.
After digging into running shoes and looking at different styles and brands. I have three pairs of Adidas lifting and running shoes so I figured I’d see if they had any trail running style shoes.
That’s when I came across the AX2R’S. I love they are light and look like an athletic type shoe. Great looking grip traction in the bottom as well.
Right out of the box I strapped them on and hiked 5 miles up Alum Cave in the Smoky Mountains. I was nervous mainly due to them being straight out of the box and I have not worn them previously to break them in. Usually a big no no. The hiking boots I had were not very comfortable and a bit painful so I took a gamble on the new shoes I bought hoping for the best.
So after 5 miles of steep and rugged mountain terrain these shoes not only held up very well. They felt so comfortable.
Day two, I strapped them back on in the Smoky Mountains and hiked a very rooted and rocky trail to Abram Falls. Another 5 miles round trip. Again they held up well and felt even more comfortable. I felt stable and they had great support.
My only issue is that these are the athletic style with mesh so they will get soaked if stepping in deep puddles or hiking in the rain. I sprayed them down with a waterproof protective spray and while it didn’t keep them bone dry, it did seem to help
Fast forward a whole year, these shoes are still holding strong. I have worn these on every hike over the past year. There has been no collapse on the soles or loose stitching at all. They are holding up a lot better than I initially anticipated.
I would recommend these shoes over and over again.
