Trail Run Hub: Top 3 Lightweight Trail Running Shoes For 2022

Every trail running shoe offers a different experience – whether plush and protective to make trail running easier on your body while clocking up high mileage, or responsive, agile and minimalist to discover the joy of moving fast off-road. Of course, shoe categories can overlap and aren't clear cut so reading an in-depth review on the trail running shoes you are considering is well worth your time to run happily and confidently to reach your running goals.

We’ve already discussed the Top 3 Cushioned Trail Running Shoes and Top 3 Max Cushioned Trail Running Shoes in our Trail Run Hub blog series for 2022. Today we’re going to dive into the other end of the spectrum – lightweight trail running shoes for fast-paced runs in nature.

We review the 3 best lightweight trail running shoes for 2022 to keep you light, nimble and unencumbered on your feet – the Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 8, Hoka One One Torrent 2 and Asics Fuji Lite 2.

Featuring thinner or firmer cushioning technologies, lightweight trail running shoes provide improved ground feel to run more intuitively as you shift the pace up a gear during your tempo runs off the beaten path. They deliver durability in strategic zones while shedding non-essential weight to conquer the twisty turns, gnarled roots or whatever you may encounter off-road with a natural, free-feeling ride.

Offering lightweight protection, they're a fantastic option for beginner trail runners to wear on race day before transitioning to trail shoes that are geared more specifically to racing and outrunning the pack, which we'll discuss in the next blog of this series.

With their responsiveness and grippy properties to bite into soft grounds, these lightweight trail shoes are also ideal for taking your fitness to your local park for running sessions on wet or dewy grass. For road runners, adding a grass session to your weekly running routine can help prevent injury as grass is more forgiving on your joints than hard, repetitive impacts on the road.

Whether running on the trail or grass pitches, wearing lightweight trail shoes that encourage agility and controlled, intuitive footwork on the fly is also an excellent option for team sports players to build speed and endurance during off-season winter training.

With less weight to hold you back you can unleash your speed on the trail and cut seconds off your personal best in comfort.

Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 8: Lightweight Protection For Medium To Long Runs

Overview

Nike has certainly made its mark on the lightweight and fast running shoe category with shoes like the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% that Eliud Kipchoge wore when breaking the 2-hour marathon barrier in 2019. You can read more about this revolutionary shoe and its history in Sportitude's blog celebrating Nike’s 50th Anniversary.

This ground-breaking sportswear brand is taking their innovation from the road to the trail. The Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 8 trail running shoes are pleasantly uncomplicated. It’s a no-nonsense trail shoe that sheds non-essential bulk for an ideal balance of agility and stability.

It’s fun to run in, pure and simple.

Being a lightweight trail shoe isn't just about the specs on paper, but the feel. Nike have balanced the weight perfectly in the upper and midsole so it feels quick and agile, while the outsole offers enough flexibility to stay true to these characteristics.

Attention to detail is where Nike shines and every aspect of the Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 8 is refined for lightweight performance and comfort. Having a fast and nimble design doesn’t mean they’ve sacrificed cushioning – and you can trust in this springy ride that allows you to run faster for longer. 

Nike did an overhaul on this trail shoe family when the Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 7 rolled in. In its latest iteration, the Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 8, Nike have made some tweaks but the overall DNA of the shoe is the same – lightweight with protection to tackle medium to long runs.

Upper

Accommodating for standard foot types, the upper offers a secure lockdown. The heel counter is particularly noteworthy, hugging comfortably to your rearfoot so your feet and trail running shoes move in harmony without irritation or heel slippage. The secret to Nike’s heel counter is a strategic firmness of materials – towards the base of your foot the material is more rigid and higher up closer to your ankle, it’s softer for a balance of comfort and support.

Having a reliable lockdown is particularly relevant on the trail. Chances are the path ahead won’t be consistent – it’ll be littered with natural debris you’ll have to dodge or fly over, and the elevation of the slope may be ever-changing. The benefits of having a secure lockdown and trustworthy heel counter shouldn’t be overlooked – keeping you stable and confident on the platform.

Simple yet effective, the breathable mesh adds to the lightweight and agile feel – allowing heat, humidity and sweat to escape while creating a protective shell to keep nature out of your shoe where you can enjoy it. If you hold the shoe up to the light, you nearly can see through the ultra-fine mesh. The net-like or grid-like structure at the forefoot turns the breathability up a notch compared to its predecessor, while an inner lining provides a protective barrier against debris. Overlays with thicker material surrounding the mesh and the toe bumper provide durability and reduce the risk of this airy upper potentially tearing.

A thoughtful lacing system and gusseted, padded tongue contributes to the wrapped-in, secure feel. Two additional eyelets at the top lets you lace it just-right based on your preference for a customised fit. Being padded in the right places, the upper provides distraction-free, irritation-free comfort. It’s true to size compared to other Nike shoes – so there’s no unwanted surprises in terms of fit if you’re a loyal Nike fan purchasing online.

Midsole

The Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 8 has evolved from its family members – pairing a lightweight design with protective cushioning. Earlier generations were less cushioned and therefore, less versatile when it comes to conquering longer distances.

A heel stack of 30mm allows Nike to load up on cushioning underneath the foot in the Nike Terra Kiger 8. You may assume more cushioning translates to less responsiveness, but this isn’t always the case. The density of foam makes a difference.

Nike React foam is relatively firm – providing protection without compromise to stability. Too plush a foam and you risk ‘wobbling’ on the platform as it compresses underfoot and your feet sink into the marshmallow-like softness.

About 30km – 40km in, you may find the foam softens up. Unlike max cushioned trail running shoes, it doesn’t overly dampen your ground feel – you still feel connected to your running surface.

Nike React provides a confidence-inspiring balance and a bouncy ride that glides over trails efficiently at any pace – even hiking or jogging – although with its energy return, running at speed is where it excels. Of course, extra softness has its place. When you’re engaging your forefoot to toe-off, the Zoom Air unit beneath the forefoot provides a more protected feel – like a springy bubble to snap into your next stride.

Cushioning isn’t just about providing shock-absorption to tackle longer distances. In the Nike Terra Kiger 8’s case, it allows you to conquer aggressive terrain – and that includes rocky, unforgiving grounds or sharp stones that would give your feet a beating without the right or adequate amount of foam underfoot to protect them. Even when slapping your heel down hard on steep descents, the protection is honest and reliable.

Outsole

The outsole naturally complements the midsole and features a segmented rock plate for reliable protection without sacrificing the flexibility that kicks into gear at a faster pace. Sitting around 4-6mm, aggressive lugs provide multi-directional grip and although they can handle solid, rocky terrain, we wouldn’t go so far as to take them off-road.

They’re in their element on dry, soft grounds whether loose or densely-packed, in bushland or mountainous terrain. They bite confidently into a variety of surfaces but wet rocks and mud are where you may run into trouble. Honestly, that’s the case for most trail shoes so you shouldn’t hold that against them.

When forefoot striking on harder surfaces some runners have said that they can feel the lugs through the sole of the forefoot too sensitively. This can potentially be distracting or result in soreness after a long session. When midfoot striking however the problem is completely eliminated. It’s a case of choosing the right shoe for your foot type and personal running gait.

• Support: Neutral
• Upper: Mesh
• Midsole: Nike React, Nike Zoom Air
• Offset / Drop: 4mm
• Heel Height: 30mm
• Forefoot Height: 26mm

Men

• Weight: 298g / 10.5oz
• Width: D (standard)

Women

• Weight: 249g / 8.8oz
• Width: B (standard)

Hoka One One Torrent 2: High On Versatility & Sustainability, Low On Weight

Overview

Running in the wake of the original Hoka One One Torrent, the Hoka One One Torrent 2 has some big shoes to fill – pun intended. In literal terms, we know Hoka One One is a brand that’s big on cushioning so it may be a surprise to you that the Hoka Torrent 2 ticks the boxes of a lightweight trail shoe.

For a Hoka shoe, the stack height is relatively modest with an 18mm forefoot and 23mm heel in the men's model and 16mm forefoot and 21mm heel in the women's model. This positions your feet closer to the ground compared to something jacked up with cushioning like the Hoka One One Stinson ATR 6 or Hoka One One Speedgoat 4.

Fast and nimble for both training and racing up to a 50K distance, this is a versatile design that adapts on-the-go – unleashing its aggressive side when the trail gets technical. It’s equally happy winding down with recovery runs, as it is to slashing seconds off your PB. Even after clocking up high mileage in one trail session, fatigued legs and hot spots are history with the Hoka Torrent 2 on your feet

If you want a do-it-all trail running shoe that’s lightweight and responsive enough to pick up speed and protective enough to stretch your endurance during slower, longer runs, the Hoka One One Torrent 2 may be your ideal fit.

Upper

For some runners the biggest and potentially only gripe of the original Hoka Torrent was concerns with the upper fit – and with a sigh of relief and two thumbs up to Hoka, we’re happy to report they’ve listened, and the results are pure luxury and confidence on the trail.

An updated engineered mesh upper offers a more precise and dialled in fit. With a touch more flexibility, softness and security, it completes the winning formula that the Hoka Torrent set out to achieve. It’s accommodating to meet the demands of longer runs, with a rounded (rather than pointed) toe box allowing your forefoot to naturally expand without feeling restricted or suffocated. However, runners with narrower feet may find it too spacious but all up it provides a secure yet natural-feeling fit.

Like everything about the Hoka Torrent 2, the upper offers a balance. In this case, we’re talking about durability and breathability – the mesh is thicker than the previous generation for extra protection and airy enough to allow your feet to breathe, with slightly more stretch and pliability than the Hoka Speedgoat 4 . Even better, like their max cushioned trail shoe the Hoka Stinson ATR 6, the upper is made of recycled yarn called Unifi REPREVE – giving discarded plastic waste a new life as your favourite trail shoes.

Supportive overlays keep your feet secure on the platform when conditions underfoot get rough or as you turn sharply to fly around hazards. As a small yet worthy detail, the long laces of the Hoka Torrent 2 are ideal for putting a runners' lock lace into action if you want a touch more secure and personalised fit.

Midsole

The Hoka One One Torrent 2 cradles your feet in a dual density midsole. The material is strategically softer in the high-impact zone of the heel for greater shock absorption (making more comfortable work of steep descents), and firmer at the forefoot to kick the responsiveness up a gear. Again, it’s a trail running shoe that respects balance in its engineering.

The ProFly midsole has been transferred over from the original Hoka Torrent to stay honest to its roots but the feel beneath the foot is overall firmer. You get a satisfying ground feel – a desirable characteristic to improve your proprioception (awareness of your body in space) and to move more intuitively with the feedback from your feet. This makes sense on the trail, where conditions are constantly changing meaning you must engage your feet and body in new ways on the fly to stay balanced and stable.

With a stack height that isn't overkill and no sign of a rock plate, the cushioning provides more protection than you’d expect without having to be cloud-soft.

On the rare occasion, you may miss a rock plate when picking up the pace on rocky grounds or if you have the bad luck of stepping on a particularly sharp stone on a technical trail. However, with the lighter weight, flexibility and forgiving cushioning this is certainly not a deal breaker.

In fact, going more minimal by eliminating the need of a rock plate is rewarded with a more snappy sensation when engaging your forefoot to toe-off. 

Outsole

Whatever the surface, you never need to second guess whether the traction can handle it. Packed dirt roads – it can handle it. Loose gravel – it can handle it. Mountainous, rocky terrain – it can handle it. When we say handle, we really should be saying conquer because the Hoka One One Torrent 2 makes easy work of almost any terrain, no matter how steep – even at high speeds. Perhaps deep mud and wet rock are its only real challenges, but that’s easy to say of most trail shoes.

With a softer and stickier rubber compound underneath your feet compared to the first generation, the Hoka Torrent 2 bites effortlessly onto nearly any natural terrain with its multi-directional lugs – wet or dry, uphill or downhill. Being softer, there is a potential for the outsole to wear out earlier, but it’s a worthwhile trade considering the increased traction and performance you get out of it.

If we were to weigh it up against the Hoka Speedgoat 4, the Speedgoat 4 has a more aggressive traction underfoot to tackle the toughest of technical trails. Cutting back on the aggressiveness just a touch, the Hoka Torrent 2 creates a smooth and swift sensation underfoot to complement the lighter weight and reduced stack height compared to its Hoka cousins. Its sweet spot is on cross country style trails, although it’s obviously forgiving no matter how you want to stretch its limits.

• Support: Neutral
• Upper: Mesh
• Midsole: Hoka One One ProFly

Men

• Weight: 264g / 9.3oz
• Width: D (standard)
• Offset / Drop: 5mm
• Heel Height: 23mm
• Forefoot Height: 18mm

Women

• Weight: 215g / 7.6oz
• Width: B (standard)
• Offset / Drop: 5mm
• Heel Height: 21mm
• Forefoot Height: 16mm

Asics Fuji Lite 2: Uncomplicated, Fast & Eco-Friendly

Overview

The Asics Fuji Lite 2’s predecessor, the Asics Fuji Trabuco Lite was a trail shoe that defied trends. When high stacked shoes boomed in popularity, the Asics Fuji Trabuco Lite was a wildcard, featuring a more minimalist design that wasn’t afraid to pick up speed. It was rare for a leading sportswear brand to release a shoe that steered away what was conventional or mainstream to pave its own path – but the Asics Fuji Trabuco Lite did just that.

Eventually it evolved into the Asics Fuji Lite 2 which elevates the stack height fractionally to give more runners the opportunity to enjoy the lightness and ground feel of this running shoe family without compromise to protection. With a natural-feeling 4mm heel-to-toe drop, it's ideal for midfoot to forefoot strikers.

Upper

The Asics Fuji Lite 2 has taken an eco-friendly turn with an engineered mesh that puts recycled materials into play. When you’re exploring nature, it’s satisfying to know that your trail shoes are light on your foot and the environment - preserving resources and reducing wastage.

A dual-layer upper gives you the best of both worlds, with a thick yet airy outer mesh that provides optimal ventilation, even in warm conditions and a structured inner layer. Together, it’s a formula for run-ready breathability and adventure-worthy durability.

It’s snug-fitting with almost a race-ready feel for many runners even without a runners' lock lace – so wider foot types may prefer to size up. However, there’s some conflicting opinions regarding the fit, particularly when we look at narrow foot types. Some either find the fit to be just-right or have their doubts about achieving a secure lockdown due to the lower heel counter.

This is particularly the case on technical trails where you’re not running in a straight line or on a smooth surface. It’s here where any fit or support problems really shine through the cracks – potentially leaving you feeling unstable if you essentially don’t have enough foot to fill the space.

In some cases, a low heel collar may be to blame for not having enough 'grab' around your heel, while other trail blazers praise the padding it offered to create the comfortable and secure lockdown. Other runners may find the heel counter is almost too stiff and those with sensitivities of the Achilles or calcaneus may seek out a more relaxed style.

There’s no cookie cutter solution for running shoes – it’s a classic case of having to pair the right shoe with the right foot.  

Weighing in at 245g in the men’s model and 215g in the women’s model, it’s a weight-saving design and is lighter than virtually all its competitors. However, the tongue has been referred to by some runners as bulky, and being non-integrated it may allow the odd pebble to sneak past and enter your shoe.

A lace garage allows you to tuck your laces out of the way to prevent them becoming a trip hazard and a solid toe bumper provides extra armour in the right place to save your toes from harm during any collisions with natural debris.

Midsole

The new FlyteFoam midsole is pure and uncomplicated. Like the upper, it puts sustainable materials to work. It runs the full length of the shoe from heel-to-toe for consistent cushioning that surpasses its predecessor in softness, yet when weighed up against its competition remains considerably firm.

The shock-absorbing FlyteFoam material provides an energetic feel to support your speed, partnering well with tempo runs and keeping you feeling motivated in every stride. In terms of cushioning it offers a satisfying sweet spot – an element of softness and compression creates a smooth sensation when soaring over natural terrain, while the firmness contributes to the overall responsive feel.

All up the cushioning is minimal compared to its rivals, however for runners wanting to feel fast, nimble and connected to the trail, Asics have the balance just-right. It does lean on the firm side so if plush protection for longer runs or more technical trails is your priority, our top 3 cushioned trail running shoes or top 3 max cushioned trail running shoes may be a better fit.

The rate of compression and low heel-to-toe drop of 4mm provides a stable, close-to-ground feel. If you’re used to shoes with a more prominent heel-to-toe drop, it’s worth transitioning gradually to increase your foot strength before partnering up with the Asics Fuji Lite 2 to reduce your risk of injury. If you prefer a more natural posture and ground feel for short to medium snappy runs off-road, it may be the lightweight ride for you.

Outsole

Being free of a rock plate to keep it more flexible and fast-spirited, the Asics Fuji Lite 2 is best suited to runners that enjoy feeling more of the trail and natural debris beneath their feet or for runners that stick to moderate, well-maintained trail paths over aggressive technical terrain.

The Asics Fuji Lite 2 delivers high-speed traction on dry surfaces and on the occasional slick spots with a full-length AsicsGrip outsole. Featuring low-profile lugs, some runners have taken the Asics Fuji Lite 2 to the road with success, but the trail of course is its comfort zone.

The 4mm lugs feel at home on the trail, biting into dirt roads, rocky terrain or bush trails without being overly aggressive. This is a good balance as an aggressive traction pattern could make them jarring on harder and smoother surfaces like road. During the occasional road run they remain comfortable and there isn’t any excess wear, with the durability proven to be reliable on a variety of terrain types.

 SPECS

• Support: Neutral
• Upper: Mesh
• Midsole: Asics FlyteFoam
• Offset / Drop: 4mm
• Heel Height: 30mm
• Forefoot Height: 26mm

Men

• Weight: 245g / 8.6oz
• Width: D (standard)

Women

• Weight: 215g / 7.6oz
• Width: B (standard)

If you have any questions, queries or theories about these trail running shoes or any other running shoe, please contact our Sportitude shoe experts. We love hearing your thoughts, sharing our passion and providing our guidance to find the ideal fit for you.

For a more in-depth shoe fitting experience, you can book a free 15 minute video chat in a Live Fit session or make an appointment to discover your RunDNA at Sportitude Running@Hindmarsh.

Happy trail running!

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