Shoe Review: New La Sportiva Crosslite

Shoe Review: New La Sportiva Crosslite tested in rainy Portland, Oregon.

Testing Environment: I ran about 100 miles of hilly single-track trails and dirt roads in Portland, Oregon's Forest Park with the La Sportiva Crosslite. As is typical this time of year in the Pacific Northwest, we had a lot of rain and even a bit of snow making the trails very wet and muddy - perfect conditions for the burly outsole of the Crosslite. I had to hose down the shoes (and myself) after nearly every run. It's always difficult to judge mileage with trail running, but I did runs ranging in length from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours. In addition to being muddy, the over 70 miles of trails in Forest Park are very twisty in places, can be steep and range in elevation from 100' to 1300' above sea level.

Initial Impressions: Looking at the La Sportiva Crosslite fresh out of the box I really liked it and looked forward to that first run. The shoe felt very light considering the aggressive outsole and durability features like the reinforced toe box and partial lace cover.

Ideal Terrain and Conditions: The Crosslite is clearly a mud and snow shoe for racing and/or runners who prefer a lighter weight trainer. Only the Inov8 Mudclaw shoes have a more aggressive outsole than the Crosslite. Unlike the Mudclaw, the Crosslite can be used on the roads for short distances because of its flatter and softer lugs - not ideal, but "do-able".

Best Features: In addition to its lightweight and prowess in muddy conditions, the Crosslite is a great fitting running shoe. Most of the mesh upper material is actually quite soft and supple making for a nice "hot-spot" free fit right out of the box. The partially covered laces are also a nice feature providing some lace protection but allowing the shoe to be easily tied and untied. Some running shoe companies have experimented with fully covered laces or even built in gators which are ok once you're laced up, but can be cumbersome to put on or tie up.

Worst Features: What I dislike about this shoe? That's tough.....maybe waiting for it to dry out for the next run? I suppose the one real drawback of the Crosslite is that it really is a trail only shoe not well suited to mixed on-road / off-road runs. I also think the aggressive outsole is overkill for dry conditions making this a real specialist condition shoe.

Overall Rating: I would rate the La Sportiva Crosslite a 10 out of 10 for racing and running in the mud. A true off-road Dr. Jekyll, no other shoe is as light while also providing such high levels of grip. Unfortunately, in more mild mannered Mr. Hyde conditions, these shoes can't be suitably toned down for hard packed dirt or paved roads.

Final Thoughts: La Sportiva Crosslite is a great mud tool for those runners who keep multiple shoes in their box of tricks. Looking to buy 2 pairs of super light off-road running shoes? Consider the La Sportiva Skylite as your dry conditions counterpart to the mud loving Crosslite. Both shoes show that La Sportiva has been listening to what off-road runners have been asking for - specialized mountain and trail running shoes and not modified road shoes or hiking boots.

Shoe Review: The Inov-8 F-Lite 300

England’s premier off-road shoemaker takes on an Oregon winter.

Testing Environment: I tested the Inov-8 F-Lite 300 in and around Forest Park (5000 acres / 70 miles of trails) in Portland, Oregon. Forest Park features both single-track and fire-road running with over 1000' of vertical climb from the lowest to highest points. I ran in these shoes 2 to 4 times each week in the usual assortment of winter-time mud, rock-hard frozen dirt and up to 5 inches of snow.

Initial Impressions: My first impression of this shoe was very positive. The F-Lite 300 has the fantastic, no-frills fit of other Inov-8 shoes with a trim mid-sole and medium tread for mixed on and off road use. Once again Inov-8 has given us a lightweight training shoe with the durability of a hiking boot. Unlike a hiking boot and unlike many heavier trail running shoes, the Inov-8 F-Lite 300 is comfortable right out of the box requiring little or no break-in period.

Ideal Terrain and Conditions: The F-Lite 300 is a superb all-around shoe, smack dab in the middle of Inov-8's broad range of off-road running shoes. No other running shoe company makes 13 different models designed for so many specific conditions. Need a superlight racer for dry, uphill mountain races? Inov-8 makes a shoe for that (F-Lite 250). Need a shoe with a super aggressive tread with studs for winter racing? Inov-8 makes a shoe for that (MudClaw O+ 340). Got mud? Try the MudRoc 280. Got dry hard packed dirt? Try the RocLite 315. The only downside of so much specialization is that some Inov-8 shoes are nearly un-usable in the wrong conditions - for example, if you had to run on pavement with the "soccer cleat-like" MudClaw O 330, it would be quite uncomfortable. The F-Lite 300 strikes a great balance of on and off road effectiveness with the classic glove-like Inov-8 fit and super tough materials and construction. The best conditions for the F-Lite 300 would be dry to slightly wet mixed trail / road running. Less ideal conditions would be deep mud, wet grass, snow and other loose unconsolidated surfaces.

Best Features: My favorite feature of the Inov-8 F-Lite 300 is the construction of the upper. No other shoe company has nailed the lightweight and durable like Inov-8. Inov-8 has just enough abrasion resistant materials in the toe and heel uses a very light but stiff material across the top of the foot. The F-Lite 300 also has contoured eyelets only where they are needed, at the top of the lacing pattern. Other nice details include a simple and breathable padded tongue that is NOT sewn into the shoe. Too many trail shoes have nearly the entire tongue sewn in under the guise of water-proofing, which creates bunching and hot-spots.

Worst Features: The only thing I don't like about this shoe is that it is a jack of all conditions and a master of none. Fortunately, Inov-8 makes plenty of other shoes to choose from.

Final Thoughts: For what it is designed for, I think the F-Lite 300 is an excellent all around trail running shoe. In a town where "too cool for school" Nike and Adidas employees are wearing all manner of prototype shoes, the F-Lite 300 still gets fellow runners asking enviously, "what kind of shoe is that"?