Is the Teva Trailpeak as adventurous as its name suggests?

Introduction to the Teva Trailpeak

ALEX: Teva has been making trail shoes since 2001, but is still relatively new to the trail running space. The Trailpeak was developed with the Teva Bureau of Adventure Team, and is built around the idea of staying agile and connected to the terrain, from cruising singletrack, scrambling over rocks, to trading the trail for some off-trail adventures.

All that sets the Trailpeak up to have a pretty big, ambitious job. Teva wants this one to be light and fast enough to move quickly, capable enough for technical terrain, and comfortable enough to support big days in the mountains. On foot, it feels exceptionally light for a shoe claiming to do this much, which, naturally, made me super curious to find out just how much it can actually handle.

JARED: When I think of Teva, sandals come to mind, so when the Trailpeak, a trail running shoe, showed up at my door, I was both curious and a little skeptical. Teva claims it’s a daily trainer that can also be used for big, fast days in the mountains, and I was excited to put those claims to the test.

After about 30 miles of testing in the Wasatch Mountains, across everything from rolling singletrack to steep and rocky climbs and descents, I’ve found it to be a surprisingly good shoe. The low stack height and flexible ride provide a light, nimble, and connected feel that I really enjoy. The question is whether the Trailpeak is equipped for big mountain adventures.

What we like about the Teva Trailpeak

ALEX: The Teva Trailpeak is one of the lightest shoes I have tested. A US W7 is just 6.5 oz. On the run, it feels like you aren’t wearing anything. Which is fun, to a point. The Trailpeak has a breathable nylon mesh upper and a Speedlace system that's pretty straightforward. The heel collar is well-designed and reminds me of a Brooks heel collar – smooth, well-padded, unobtrusive.

I'm all for more moderate to lower-stacked shoes. The industry feels like it has gone pretty far the other way so I welcome a return to a bit more agility and groundfeel. Maybe just not to this degree.

There’s no traditional insole in the Trailpeak, putting your foot in more direct contact with the Hyper-Comf Plus midsole. The supercritical ATPU foam feels light and responsive, and I like the idea of eliminating unnecessary layers in a shoe. I just wish there were a little more something underfoot. What initially feels impressively light and connected eventually started to feel a bit exposed and underprotected.

Finally, the Spider Rubber Endure outsole and 3mm lugs were nice and sticky over varied terrain, though the inability for me to get a secure lockdown kind of interfered with fully testing that feature.

JARED: The highlight of the Trailpeak is how light and nimble it feels. The combination of a lower stack height (30.5 mm/24.5 mm), a bouncy Hyper-Comf Plus midsole made with supercritical aTPU foam, and a lightweight construction (9.5 oz. in a US M11.5) creates a ride that feels fun, fast, and natural.

I feel connected to the trail in a way that makes me feel agile and light on my feet, which feels great on both smooth and moderately technical trails. In this way, it reminds me of the Norda 005 and NNormal Kjerag 2; light, fast, and natural. In other ways, the Trailpeak doesn’t live up to the 005 and Kjerag, which I’ll get into more in the next section.

The speed lacing system works well, and there’s an elastic strap to keep the excess lace from flopping around. The laces are a little long, though, so I had to wrap them around the strap a few times.

The upper is very light and breathable, which is nice on warmer days. I didn’t get the shoe wet, but I would guess it drains well.

Overall, there’s a lot to like about this shoe. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed running in it, but there are some opportunities for improvement, as well.

Shop Teva Trailpeak - Men Shop Teva trailpeak - Women 

What we don't like about the Teva Trailpeak

ALEX: This shoe felt like a Nike Free with some traction and Speedlaces. Speaking of those laces, because I had to pull them pretty tight in an attempt to get a secure lockdown, there was a lot of excess. I would have loved a Salomon-esque lace garage to park that long, loose end in.

The biggest issue for me was lockdown. No matter how much I adjusted and readjusted the Speedlaces, I never felt completely secure in the shoe. On smoother terrain that wasn't a huge issue, but once I got onto anything uneven, I could feel my foot moving around way too much. Add a really flexible platform, and it wasn't exactly confidence-inspiring. Or protective.

I could run in this on some smooth buttery singletrack up to a couple of hours. Beyond that, my feet got fatigued and felt a little more beat up than usual for the same distance run in a more protective shoe.

The colorway seemed to integrate all the colors available to Teva in a bit of a chaotic way. Not a dealbreaker, just not the more minimal, muted aesthetic that I prefer.

JARED: The biggest issue I had was with the lockdown. I have an average-width foot, and the upper feels a little sloppy. There’s an internal cage with 12 anchor points and as I tightened the laces, I could feel the cage hugging my foot. The upper, however does not hug my foot, which keeps the shoe from feeling as secure as I would have liked it to. This is also where the comparison to the Norda 005 and NNormal Kjerag breaks down. Those shoes offer a very secure lockdown that the Trailpeak doesn’t measure up to.

There’s also not a lot of protection underfoot. It’s a moderate stack height on paper (30.5mm/24.5mm), but on my foot it feels more minimal than that. One reason is that the outsole doesn’t cover the entire bottom of the shoe, leaving some midsole foam exposed. This contributes to more ground feel and a flexible ride. On one hand this is what makes the shoe feel so connected and nimble, but the tradeoff is less protection on rocky trails.

The outsole has 3mm lugs and is made of Spider Rubber Endure, which I found to have moderate traction on dry, rocky trails. I did fall on my ass while descending one particularly steep section of trail, which made me a little less confident in the grip. I didn’t have a chance to take the shoes on wet, muddy, or snowy trails, but I wouldn’t expect the shallow lugs to offer much traction in those conditions.

How a shoe looks is important to me, and while the general aesthetic of the Trailpeak isn’t bad, I don’t like the colorway. Every time I put the shoe on, I find myself wishing for a more simple, neutral colorway. There’s a little too much going on for my taste.

Lastly, the $160 price feels a little high for what you’re getting. The midsole, outsole, and upper all use Teva’s proprietary technologies, and while the midsole performs well, the upper and outsole didn’t feel refined enough to justify the price given that Teva hasn’t really proven themselves in the trail running space, yet. The one thing that could change my mind about the price point is durability, which I haven’t been able to test yet after just 30 miles.

Shop Teva Trailpeak - Men Shop Teva trailpeak - Women 

Final thoughts on the Teva Trailpeak

ALEX: Where Teva lost me on this one is the intent vs the execution. The shoe is marketed as a nimble trail shoe that is agile and secure for fast mountain adventures. Without a secure lockdown and a bit more protection, this is not the category I would put this shoe in. I also realized the more I ran in these that I was constantly searching for a smooth patch of trail to land on because I did not fully trust it over technical terrain.

At $160, the Trailpeak is competing with shoes like the Asics Fuji Lite and Salomon Pulsar that offer similarly nimble, lightweight experiences for less, while the Hoka Zinal 2 and Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed are also at or around the same price. Spend a little more and shoes like the Salomon S/Lab Genesis or NNormal Kjerag open up more capability for fast, technical mountain running.

I think Teva is onto something here, the Trailpeak just needs a little refinement before it can really be competitive in this space and price.

JARED: I enjoyed running in the Teva Trailpeak. Teva created a capable, lightweight trail running shoe with a notably bouncy supercritical aTPU midsole that's a lot of fun underfoot, and it works well across a wide variety of terrain. But it's geared more toward trails than peaks. The lockdown was just okay, and it wasn't protective or grippy enough for me to feel confident on technical mountain terrain. 

At $160, it also feels a little pricey given the materials and the fact that Teva hasn't yet proven itself in the trail running space; though durability, still untested at 30 miles, could shift that. Still, if you're looking for a lightweight shoe with genuine ground feel in a world where brands keep adding millimeters to the stack, the Trailpeak is worth a try.

You can pick up the Teva Trailpeak for $160 at Teva by using the buttons below.

Shop Teva Trailpeak - Men Shop Teva trailpeak - Women