Trail-Running Shoes Buying Guide

With their cushioned feel and grippy outsoles, the men's On Cloudultra 2 trail-running shoes are ready for everything from quick jogs on your neighborhood trails to long runs in the mountains.
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Imported.
View all On Men's Trail-Running ShoesBest Use | Trail Running |
---|---|
Trail-Running Shoe Type | Rugged-Trail |
Running Shoe Cushioning | Moderate Cushion |
Heel-to-Toe Drop (mm) | 6 |
Footwear Height | Ankle |
Footwear Closure | Lace-up |
Upper | Recycled polyester double-layer mesh |
Lining | Recycled polyester engineered knit |
Midsole | Helion superfoam |
Outsole | Missiongrip rubber |
Rock Plate | No |
Weight (Pair) | 1 lb. 4.8 oz. |
Gender | Men's |
Sustainability | Contains recycled materials |
7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 14 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. Men's | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13 | 14 |
UK | 6.5 | 7 | 7.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 9 | 9.5 | 10 | 10.5 | 11 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.5 | 13.5 |
EU | 40 | 40.5 | 41 | 42 | 42.5 | 43 | 44 | 44.5 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 47.5 | 48 | 49 |
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I bought these shoes to wear as my work shoes as a documentary filmmaker. Shoes are one of the most important things for me as I am constantly in mixed environments that require tough shoes with grip and resistance to the elements with the ability to sprint. I was excited to try these shoes and see how they hold up, and for the first couple of weeks they were excellent. They are true to size and are perfect for people who have a normal width foot. Unfortunately around the 50 mile mark of use issues started to develop - my forefoot and toes started to get sore and I'm still dealing with the aftermath. I come to find out that the sole in the forefoot section has worn down, and the cushioning has gone flat. At this point I can't wear these shoes until my foot fully recovers because the pain comes back immediately. This is my fifth pair of Ons this year, I am trying all of their latest styles to see which will work for me the best as I no longer wear Adidas because they are too narrow for my feet, and I don't care for Nike. On has come a long way since their first run of shoes, but they are far from perfected. Some changes I'd like to see moving forward for the Cloud Ultra 3 would be a better formula for the sole, increase cushioning, increase durability, some weather resistance variants - not fully waterproof necessarily but something to keep your feet dry in the rain. This is so close to being the perfect mixed use shoe!
I was really excited to try a pair of these after having On recommended to me from several people. These shoes felt good at first but completely fell apart on me with less than 200 miles of trail. The upper split along a seam on the inside of the foot making them unusable. I reached out to On about the issue and they explained it wasn't covered by the manufacturers warranty. Fit and feel of these shoes is great, but I really couldn't recommend them to someone at this price when they just don't hold up to trail running. The descriptions of "ultra" and "technical trail" feel very misleading after my experience with them.
very nice cushioning given the not high 27mm heel stack height, ample forefoot room and toe shape to allow for toe splay yet still narrow in the mid-foot and heel. The plastic lace tensioner is gimmicky and I do not use it, other than that this 2nd iteration of Cloudultra is winner, much better fit in toe area than prior generation due to more intelligent shaping of toe cap and significantly better cushioning without an increased stand height, not a twitchy shoe on technical trails.
These shoes are amazing! I went to test them out with a 4 mile trail run, but ended up running 10 miles. They just felt so good and protective. Truly build for going the distance. I will say if you’re expecting a super max shoe like the Speedgoats, these are not that. Think goldilocks level of cushion — not too little, not too much.
Comfortable out of the box. They are lightweight. They kind of form to your foot. They are too soft to wear all day. Not too much in foot support for a shoe like this. They will roll your feet inward when walking. Don’t really seem to be stiffer “trail” shoe. I certainly would not hike in these.