The Shoe Guides are Coming!

It’s that time of the year when many of the outdoor magazines give us their annual “Shoe Guides.” It used to be that Runner’s World, Running Times, and Backpacker were the main two. Then Trail Runner came along, with Adventure Sports until it disappeared a few years ago. Now every magazine with an outdoor theme is giving us their opinion of the best shoes for our feet. March seems to be the magic month.
     I just received my March issue of National Geographic Adventure. And the March issue of Backpacker, their annual Gear Guide, was on my doorstep last week. The others will be here shortly. Even Outside and Men’s Journal give us their opinion.
     National Geographic Adventure has a two page spread in their Gear section, titled The Cut: A running shoe for every foot. Ten shoes are featured. Most are from companies you would recognize: New Balance, Saucony, Reebok, Brooks, Asics, Nike, The North Face, and Pearl Izumi. A fairly new one is Newton and one I have never heard of is Kayland. Their article gives a 20-30 word review of each shoe and then rates each in three areas: traction, protection, and agility – on a 1-5 scale. All in all, the article is pretty good.
     While all these “Shoe Guides” are helpful, it is important to remember a few basics. First, use them as a guide only and remember they are not complete. There are many more shoes than any of these Guides articles can cover. NG Adventure may tell me that a particular shoe is best for “pronators” but if I pronate, I really need to try on the shoe before making a choice. Second, I read these Guides wondering why they seem to always have different companies represented but rarely two shoes from one company. Are the shoes they pick really the best or are they the best based on their effort to be fair and give representation to all companies? In otherwords, what if shoe company X really has the best shoes in two categories but the editors change it to be fairer to multiple companies? So, while I enjoy the Guides, I will always read them knowing that are not all encompassing.
     If you are interested in new footwear, check out some of these magazines at your favorite newsstand.