Salewa Lite Train

Field Notes: While Salewa might not have as large of a name in the running world as some bigger brands, the company is renowned in the world of mountaineering. So, when they made a running shoe, it’s no surprise they promoted it for “mountain training.” These guys actually partnered with Michelin (yeah, the tire company) and created a shoe with mountain bike tires for outsoles. In our tester’s experience, no shoe has had this good of traction on trail, wet or dry, rock or dirt. That innovation along with other elements of design in the trail shoe is why testers named is best women’s trail running shoe for overall performance.

With slightly less cushion than some other running shoes Active Junky tried on, the Salewa Lite Train is lightweight and the most flexible of the collection of trail running shoes we reviewed, perfect for rolling over whatever is in your way with speed and agility. Because of the outstanding lugs and light-on-the-foot feel, this women’s trail running shoe also did particularly well in soft conditions like mud or loose gravel. 

The Lite Train includes Salewa’s climbing lacing 3F Total System designed to increase comfort, stability and control as well. And with the lining and upper shoe being made with breathable mesh, at least your feet will be happy while you’re sucking wind. 

Tester Comments: “We recommend breaking in these shoes on a couple shorter runs before hitting the mountains. Once on the trails we were stoked to find that Salewa has created a shoe that allows us to have our cake and eat it too. You can look and run like a badass with a shoe that performs too.”

Pros: Salewa has the history and experience of quality mountain footwear, and their line of trail running shoes is no different. While delivering on looks, the Lite Train follows through on performance, especially with grip and tread. 

Cons: Right out of the box, these shoes delivered a couple pressure points while walking around. They require breaking in on a couple shorter runs before hitting the mountains.

Key Attribute: Design