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The best carbon plate trail shoes for fast, off-road races
Who says carbon speed is just for the tarmac?
Tested by The Runner's World Editors
PB-breaking super shoes are no longer just for the roads and the track. The best carbon plate trail shoes are built specifically for off-road racing, whether you’re wanting to nab a podium finish or conserve energy over several hours. Just look at some of the world's best trail races and you'll see these top-end off-roaders on the feet of athletes including Tom Evans, Kilian Jornet and Jim Walmsley.
Unlike the best carbon plate running shoes for the road, these premium trail shoes have to balance speed with stability to help you tackle trickier terrains with confidence. We've put a number to the test to bring you our winning pairs below. Keep scrolling for the full reviews.
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How do carbon plate trail shoes work?
The main purpose of using a carbon shoe on the trails is the same as on the roads, says Isabel Gerhaeuser, regional product line manager for EMEA at Saucony: 'you want to have speed and efficiency'.‘However, the plate itself, at least what we [at Saucony] are using, is different to what we are using on the road side of things. [This is because] when you run on the road, it’s just straight and there are hardly any obstacles. When you run on the trails, you hit things like rocks, roots and so on.
’For trail running, a carbon shoe needs to be supportive and adaptable, she says. That's why many carbon plate trail shoes use flexible or forked carbon plates.Essentially, this means that, as well as being flexible longitudinally (giving you that push off and efficacy to go faster) like a road shoe, it's also flexible latitudinally, to provide that adaptability. So whereas carbon road shoe are stiff and rigid, carbon trail shoes have more flexibility overall.
Carbon plate road shoes are also known for their high stack heights. However, this can cause difficulties if you're running on the trails, because the more you increase the stack of a shoe, the more unstable it becomes.
‘[At the same time] you need a certain stack height to accommodate the foams and the plate’, explains Gerhaeuser. So when it comes to the design of carbon trail shoes, it really is about striking the balance between the amount of midsole foam and the shoe's stability.
How we test carbon plate trail shoes
We recommended the best trail super shoes based on a wealth of experience and data gathered by the Runner’s World test team, including down and dirty hands-on testing experience by our editors and additional research provided by our contributors. For this guide specifically, that’s taken us from the French Alps in Chamonix to the Sierra Nevada mountains of the Western States 100.
The best trail super shoes, tested & reviewed
Pros
- Snappy and responsive ride
- Vibram outsole offers great grip
- Durable upper
Cons
- Gaiter can take some getting used to
- Slender fit may not suit narrower feet
Read our full Hoka Tecton X3 review
While the Tecton X 3 is, commercially speaking, the immediate successor to the Tecton X 2 shoe, there is in existence a Tecton X 2.5 – a prototype born out of a partnership between Hoka and one of its athletes, US ultramarathon legend Jim Walmsley, who tested and suggested many of the design features before lacing up in it at the 2022 UTMB World Series Final (UTMB), where he finished fourth.
Hoka had concluded that the Tecton X 2.5 was good but not quite there. So, 3,300 miles, 157 samples and 21 test versions later, Hoka and Walmsley settled upon the final Tecton X 3 – the shoe that Walmsley wore in 2023 to win the UTMB in a course record time.
The Tecton X 3 – like the X 2 – features a dual-layer PEBA midsole, only now the foam is a firmer compound that leads to a noticeably snappier and more responsive push-off. As with its predecessor, the Tecton X 3 also benefits from two parallel carbon fibre plates, the difference this time being the added winglets for greater stability. This is a real plus when you’re trying to move rapidly on uneven terrain. Meanwhile, the traction lugs and strong Vibram outsole offer stability and comfort for many miles on testing terrain.
Move up the shoe and you’ll find the most visibly noticeable change: the new gaiter-like knit collar, which extends up the ankle and replaces the Tecton X 2’s more conventional tongue. Unless you’re used to running with gaiters, this feature may feel unusual at the start, but our tester soon forget that the collar was there after a couple of kilometres.
Like most Hoka shoes, the Tecton X 3 has a slender fit without being a squeeze, which makes it good choice for those with narrow or regular-sized feet.
| Weight | 286g (men’s), 223g (women’s) |
|---|---|
| Stack height | 40mm/35mm (men’s), 39mm/34mm (women’s) |
| Drop | 5mm |
| Lug depth | 4mm |
Pros
- Great balance of speed and agility
- Breathable upper
- Updated heel counter creates secure lockdown
Cons
- You may want more cushioning for longer distances
As part of The North Face’s premium Vectiv range, the Sky sits alongside the more robust, long-distance Vectiv Pro – offering a lower stack alternative to those who prefer to feel more connected to the ground.
With a full-length carbon plate, this is a trail shoe that focusses on speed and efficiency while still offering plenty of stability. The sock-fit design makes it a dream to pull on, and there is plenty of room around the toebox for free movement. The new dual-warp seamless upper is beautifully breathable thanks to mapped venting zones, and there's an updated heel counter for improved lockdown and support.
The rocker geometry plus that plate give a lovely toe-off on the run, helped by a responsive Nitrogen TPU midsole - now +3mm higher than the original, despite the shoe coming in 30g lighter. The robust outsole also has 5mm lugs (replacing the original's 3.5mm lugs) for advanced grip, leaning it towards a wider mix of terrain.
| Weight | 238g |
|---|---|
| Stack height | 32mm (heel), 26mm (forefoot) |
| Drop | 6mm |
Pros
- Very comfortable and cushioned underfoot
- Smooth yet speedy ride
- Discomfort from carbon plate has been rectified
Cons
- A little wide in the forefoot
- Lacks versatility for technical terrain due to stack height
The Vectiv Pro was the first ever carbon-plated trail shoe to hit the market, and felt like a true super shoe experience had come to the trails. But there was a major problem with the first two iterations: our testers (and other disgruntled runners on social media) found their feet hitting the edges of the winged carbon plate, which caused big-toe blisters. This has finally been rectified with the latest iteration, and the Pro 3 now features an additional TPU top plate to avoid discomfort and add resilience and stability.
Much of the adjustments to the latest Vectiv Pro also push it further towards longer, smoother ultras. We’re talking Western States 100 length. There’s a generous 4mm increase in the Dream Foam cushioning (a PEBA/EVA compound), which combines with the fairly extreme rocker and full-length carbon-fibre propulsion plate to deliver a smooth yet accelerated ride. The volume of the upper also feels a lot more generous than previous iterations, particularly in the forefoot. In fact, our tester, who wore the shoe for a technical 47km trail run, noted that it might be too spacious — something to bear in mind if you've got narrow feet.
It's also worth noting that the increase in stack makes the Pro 3 somewhat less versatile than the Pro 2, particularly on technical trails. For this reason, we'd recommend it more for those super long distance races where your legs require an abundance of cushioning. Otherwise, the lower stack Vectiv Sky 2 (above) offers more ground feel.
| Weight | 294g |
|---|---|
| Stack height | 37mm (heel), 31mm (forefoot) |
| Drop | 6mm |
| Lug depth | 3.5mm |
Pros
- Good sense of drive and responsiveness
- Lovely balance of grip, cushioning and ground feel
- Fit true to size
Cons
- Vaporweave upper could be more breathable
- You prefer a narrower shoe
- Lacks versatility over different terrains
Read our full Nike Ultrafly review
If you’re racing dry, long trails then these shoes are pretty fantastic and just eat up the miles, hitting a sweet spot between grip, cushioning and ground feel.
The Ultrafly has a firmer ride than its road counterparts, due to the ZoomX foam being wrapped in another material to give it structural integrity. This firmer ride is a welcome attribute on the trails where ground feel is paramount. And this sense of feel is enhanced by the wide toe box and even wider forefoot platform; the amount of shoe that touches down is considerable (especially compared with other carbon plate trail shoes) and that not only provides more surface area for grip, but trail confidence, too.
On the flip side, the width of the shoe does slightly reduce the feeling of nimbleness on super technical trails, so if you’re used to a narrow shoe more inline with the width of your foot, that’s worth bearing in mind.
| Weight | 300g (M), 249g (W) |
|---|---|
| Stack height | 38.5mm (heel), 30mm (forefoot) |
| Drop | 8.5mm |
| Lug depth | 4mm |
Pros
- Smooth and efficient ride
- Good for logging training miles and race day
Cons
- Feels slightly tippy and unstable on technical trails
- Lacks grip in wet conditions
Read our full Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra review
Adidas Terrex's Agravic Speed Ultra brings the brand's top racing tech to trail podiums. In fact, it's the shoe that Tom Evans wore to win the 2023 Western States 100, back when it was still a prototype.
The Speed Ultra’s midsole is composed of Lightstrike Pro cushioning, and the result is responsive comfort. Our testers said they felt they could log long miles in these, but also wear them on race day. Integrated Energy Rods add stiffness to the forefoot, while a rocker profile creates a smooth and efficient ride. However, on technical trails, the shoe felt quite tippy and unstable. That’s not unlike other plated trail shoes though. It’s important to remember that this shoe was designed around faster, more flowy trails.
A mix of 2.5mm and 3.5mm lugs help shave weight, and make it roll more like a road racer. The tradeoff is that, in loose or wet conditions, the shoe won’t have much bite. The Continental rubber outsole, however, is fairly sticky and holds pretty well on rock faces.
Note that though the fit is excellent, roomy but locked-in, most people find they need a half size larger. Snappiness, comfort and those good looks, though? We’re sold.
| Weight | 270g (size UK 8.5) |
|---|---|
| Stack height | 42mm (heel), 24mm (forefoot) |
| Drop | 8mm |
| Lug depth | 3mm/2.5mm directional |
Pros
- Light and agile
- Good ground connection
- Vibram Megagrip outsole
Cons
- Snug fit might not accommodate swelling feet
- Very short lacing system
Read our full New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trail review
The SuperComp Trail is a comfortable yet agile trail shoe, suitable for trail distances up to a marathon. You get a good amount of cushioning and softness underfoot from the FuelCell foam, without sacrificing the ground connection you need to feel stable on the trails. At a cruising pace it feels smooth and agile, but, unsurprisingly, it's when you really start to pick up the speed and get up on your toes that you feel the benefit of the carbon plate.
The shoe is noticeably snug in both the forefoot and toe box (with thicker socks especially) and, we found we had to go an extra half a size up from our usual running shoe size. For this reason, it isn't a shoe we'd recommend to wider-footer runners or those tackling longer distances with lots of descents – you'll need a much roomier toe box for this.
The outsole uses Vibram Megagrip technology. We found this provides excellent grip and traction on woodland paths and more tightly packed trails, but the lugs simply aren't big enough to contend with mud, sludge and anything super technical. If anything, the SC Trail feels slightly more geared towards road-to-trail terrain than technical trail.
| Weight | 272g (M), 208g (W) |
|---|---|
| Stack height | 36.5mm (heel), 26.5mm (forefoot) |
| Drop | 10mm |
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