Here’s what makes the Trail Devil 3 Tarkine’s best shoe yet (Hint: It’s Vibram)

Introduction to the Tarkine Trail Devil 3

MARIA: No fuss, I’m just getting straight to it: the Tarkine Trail Devil 3 is a true workhorse. My first impression was just how comfortable and accommodating the shoe feels, especially with its roomy toe box. With the soft upper and squishy foam, it’s a shoe I wouldn’t hesitate taking out on a 20-plus-mile long run straight out of the box.

The Vibram Megagrip outsole and 4mm lugs bite into technical and uneven terrain impressively well. We’ve had absolute scorching heat here in Texas, and the trails are bone dry. Great if you’re looking for a natural surface to fry your morning eggs, less ideal when you’re trying to test a trail shoe across a variety of conditions. Still, the Trail Devil 3 has been biting confidently into dry dirt, rocks and roots, and I’m curious to see how that grip translates once the trails finally get some rain and get slick and muddy.

JOHN: I fell in love with the OG Tarkine Trail Devil when I first reviewed it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was solid enough that I used it on the Viaduct 100. I had high hopes for the Trail Devil 2 and was blown away. Every aspect of the shoe was an upgrade. It has one of the coolest colorways I’ve ever seen in all my reviews at Believe In The Run (just go back and look at the Trail Devil 2 and tell me in the comments if you don’t like it).

Both times I’ve reviewed the Trail Devil, I’ve really enjoyed it and been highly impressed to the point that I felt almost nervous because I really love the Trail Devil, and it’s hard to continuously improve a shoe with every update. With that said, though, just quickly inspecting the shoe, a few things stand out. There’s a Vibram outsole, as always, a crazy cool colorway, the shoe is pretty light, and it looks comfy.

I tested the Trail Devil 3 at the Wild Turkey 50-mile trail run, and I’ve got a lot to say, so let’s get to it!

RENEE: I’m fresh off writing my review of the Tarkine Bandicoot, which was a doozy. It was a fun shoe, just difficult to categorize. I’m happy to join Maria and John again for this review, because the Trail Devil surprised me. While I couldn’t figure out how I would use the Bandicoot compared to other shoes on the market, the Trail Devil is very easy to compare to popular shoes from well-known brands. The brand might not be on the radar of consumers, but this shoe definitely should be.

What we like about the Tarkine Trail Devil 3

MARIA: There’s a lot to like about the Trail Devil 3. For me, comfort and protection top the list, because if a shoe isn’t comfortable, it doesn’t matter how well it performs on paper once the miles start adding up. Tarkine balanced softness and firmness really well here. The upper feels soft, the tongue and heel are heavily padded, and there’s still plenty of support where it’s needed.

I also found the heel lockdown more secure than in another Tarkine model I’ve tested, which is a big plus for me. I wasn’t sure if the roomier heel was going to be a theme across Tarkine models or something specific to that shoe. The heel of the Trail Devil feels comfortably padded without allowing my foot to move around too much, and Tarkine added an extra eyelet if you want to use a runner’s knot for an even better lockdown. Pair that with the roomy toe box, and the overall fit feels pretty accommodating without becoming sloppy.

As I mentioned in the introduction, the midsole and outsole package is another highlight. The foam feels soft without being mushy, and the shoe stays stable when moving over rocks, roots, and uneven surfaces. The Vibram Megagrip outsole and 4mm lugs add plenty of grip without making the Trail Devil 3 feel overly aggressive.

I even had a few miles of concrete to cover before making it to the trailhead on one of my runs, and the shoe handled that stretch just fine as well. I wouldn’t necessarily choose it for a road run, but it didn’t feel awkward or clunky getting there. That’s a nice bonus for anyone who has to connect roads, sidewalks, or gravel to get to the more gnarly stuff.

For a shoe with this much ground feel, the foam also feels surprisingly protective. I can tell what’s happening under my feet, but I don’t feel every sharp rock coming through the bottom of the shoe. That balance is something I really appreciate, especially on longer trail runs where too much ground feel can become a lot less fun after a few hours.

The protection continues around the toe box, where a thicker rubber reinforcement gives some extra security from rocks hitting the toes. Tarkine also built the Trail Devil 3 with gaiters in mind. A metal loop at the bottom of the tongue and a Velcro strip at the back of the heel make adding a gaiter quick and straightforward. It’s a small detail, but one I appreciate in a shoe that’s clearly meant to spend a lot of time getting dirty.

Overall, it feels prepared for just about anything. Mud, rocks, roots, long miles, you name it. It has a lot of interesting components to it without feeling overly built. All the pieces are there to make it comfortable, protective, and dependable on both easy and hard days.

JOHN: I really like Tarkine’s tongue lace pouch. It’s a cool spin on what we’ve seen from brands like Salomon and Fuga, and I’m surprised more companies haven’t experimented with something similar. I have some caveats with the overall lacing and fit that I’ll get into later, but once dialed in, the Trail Devil 3 is comfortable. My favorite part of the fit is the toe box. Tarkine gives your toes plenty of room to spread without your foot shifting around inside the shoe. I’m not a big gaiter guy, but having the attachments there is another nice option.

Tarkine also continues to make some of the best-looking trail shoes out there. Their wild colorways remind me of what Nike was doing with trail shoes from 2019 to 2022. While a lot of brands play it safe, Tarkine goes for it. These are shoes people notice, ask about, and they look great on social media.

The biggest upgrade, though, is the Vibram Megagrip outsole. Grip is far superior to the Claw outsole on the Trail Devil 2, especially when things get more technical. It gives the Trail Devil 3 more capability and confidence on terrain where I wanted more from the previous version.

That upgrade isn’t without tradeoffs, which I’ll get into in the next section, but I don’t want those issues to overshadow the improvement itself. The Trail Devil 3 has significantly better traction than the 2, and adding Vibram was a meaningful upgrade.

RENEE: The shoe has major Topo vibes. Wide toebox. Vibram outsole. The shoe strikes a balance between ground feel when you need it and some cushion when you need that. The Trail Devil isn’t overbuilt, so despite the weight, I found it easy to pick up the pace, especially thanks to the grippy Vibram outsole.

And speaking of outsole, the lug pattern and flex grooves offer a more versatile ride compared to the Topos I ran in recently. The shoe is a mix between the MTN Racer and the Ultraventure, but with an outsole that grips wet surfaces while managing traction through rocks and digging into some mud.

For fit, the shoe is true to size. I don’t need or want a wide toebox most often, but the security is good enough that my foot isn’t slipping around. While I don’t have a heel hold as good as I get with a Topo (I have narrow heels), I never had issues in this shoe once I got the laces tight.

What we don’t like about the Tarkine Trail Devil 3

MARIA: There honestly isn’t much I don’t like about the Trail Devil 3 so far, which makes this section a little harder to write. If I had to point to one thing, the upper does run a bit warm. The thicker material, reinforced areas, and generous padding around the tongue and heel are a big part of what makes the shoe so comfortable, but they also seem to hold onto a little more heat than a thinner upper would.

To be fair, Texas in August isn’t exactly doing any shoe any favors. Most of my testing has been in pretty brutal heat, so I’m not ready to blame the Trail Devil 3 entirely. However, my feet felt a bit warmer than what I’ve experienced in other shoes with a thinner upper. The slightly thicker upper makes it more durable, but I think a little more airflow would make the shoe even better for hot-weather running.

Looking ahead, I’d love to see the Trail Devil 3 in a few more colorways. Don’t get me wrong, the current options look good, but for a shoe I can see myself reaching for often, a little more variety, including a few cleaner color options, would make it even more attractive.

Neither of these points takes much away from the shoe for me. The warmer upper is something I noticed, but it is far from a dealbreaker for an otherwise legitimately good shoe.

JOHN: I only ended up running 10 miles in the Tarkine Trail Devil 3 at Wild Turkey, and I’m not going to lie, it was tough. I didn’t expect the outsole to need a break-in period, and initially I struggled to run comfortably. Since then, I’ve done two more 6-mile runs for 22 total, and the shoe has gotten considerably better. Once broken in, it became more flexible and comfortable, and I was able to run better-quality miles at faster paces.

The Trail Devil 2 didn’t need a break-in period at all. The 3 is far grippier, but I wouldn’t take it straight out of the box and race in it. Get in a couple of shorter runs on softer dirt first. Initially, on rocks and gravel, it felt stiff, was surprisingly loud, and even made that Alphafly-style “chomp” sound.

The last shoe that gave me similar issues was the Altra Lone Peak 9+ Gore-Tex. That break-in was worse, but the comparison came to mind because both gained Vibram and initially felt stiff underfoot.

After only 10 miles, the toe rand had already started to delaminate, and the shoe looked like it had far more miles on it. That’s a frustrating combination: the shoe was finally starting to feel good while other parts were already showing significant wear. At $199, that matters.

I also initially struggled with a loose fit around the ankle, but experimenting with the lacing helped dial it in.
This is a much different shoe than the Trail Devil 2. My biggest advice is to give it some time. After Wild Turkey, I was frustrated. At 22 miles, I’m having a completely different experience and genuinely enjoying running in it.

RENEE: I’m with Maria here. I don’t have any glaring negatives about this shoe. I did experience a bit of a break-in period, as John called it. The shoe has cushion, but it felt a bit harsh on runnable terrain initially. It feels better when picking up the pace some, so it might not be the best option for slow ultra distances, at least when runnable terrain is in the mix.

I found myself thinking of the Topo MTN Racer 3, which has more stack and protection for that terrain. I guess that’s my one gripe about the shoe. The price is a bit hefty for the shoe’s usage, especially compared to the Topo MTN Racer or Ultraventure.

Final thoughts on the Tarkine Trail Devil 3

MARIA: The Trail Devil 3 is exactly what I look for in a trainer I plan to use for daily mileage, long runs, and when the trails get gnarly. It has a lot of qualities and handles a lot of things very well. The roomy fit, lightweight feel, and grip of the Vibram Megagrip outsole make it perfect for longer efforts and rougher terrain. I can see myself liking this shoe even more as the miles add up, which is exactly what I want from a true workhorse.

JOHN: This review started extremely bumpy, but as the shoe broke in, the ride got much better. After 22 miles, I like the Trail Devil 3 considerably more than I did at mile one.

You know me, if a shoe feels good, I’ll run an ultra in it. But these took about 10 miles to break in. At Wild Turkey, I flat-out struggled to run comfortably and did a lot of walking. Once they broke in, though, the shoe became more flexible, comfortable, and easier to run faster paces in.

My biggest concern now is durability. I put at least 200 miles on the Trail Devil 2, and I expect the Vibram outsole on the 3 to hold up extremely well. However, I’m already seeing damage to the upper and toe rand after only 22 miles. The strange part is that as the shoe started feeling better, it was also showing more wear.

Ultimately, I think this is a solid update. The Vibram outsole is a major upgrade in grip, but for me it came with a significant break-in period. I’m enjoying the Trail Devil 3 much more now, and I’m curious to see how the rest of the shoe holds up as the miles add up.

RENEE: I wish the shoe were around $20 cheaper to be more in line with some comparable options. Still, if you need a versatile trail shoe, the Trail Devil is a wonderful option, especially for those looking for a wide toe box.

You can pick up the Tarkine Trail Devil 3 for $199 from Tarkine by using the buttons below.