KSO Vs Treksport For General Use and Light Hiking

[Ebotshon]

Hey Guys,

My local store has the KSO, Treksports, and Bikila on sale and I think its time I pick up a pair.  Id like to use them walking around my neighborhood with my dog, and doing some "light" hiking.  Most trails around me are bike trails, so mostly dirt, roods, some rocks.  As of now Id still use trail runners for overnight or intense trips, although this could easily change.

The KSO obviously have the best ground feel, but the treksports provide extra traction and protection from rocks.  The sales clerk recommended the Bikila as being a nice middle-ground.

Any thoughts/comments would be great,

Thanks,
Eric

[toh-shu]

hahaha thats funny, those are the 3 pairs that i have!

picking one is pretty tough, because i love all 3 and use them for diffrent things.


for (road) running the bikilas are on the top of my list. ksos come in second for running, and trek sports come in last due to the chunky knobby sole.

its a close tie between the trek sports and ksos for casual wear, but due to the substantially more ground feel, flex, and more comfortable upper and toe pocket fabric the ksos are number one for casual wear, with trek sports in second and bikilas in third (however i just recently got them and have not put many casual miles on them). another little thing i have noticed is that the ksos get stinkier faster than the trek sports do. not sure why, but it seems like the ksos smell worse after a full day use than the trek sports do.

for trails and hiking trek sports hands down. the trek grip is great, and the heel strap really does great keeping it in place, while not needing to cinch the shit out of it to make it tight, and the inside is pretty conformable and smooth (and the trek sports look really good). because i have not really gotten to use the bikilas off the road, it is not fair to rank them vs the ksos in this category, but right now i think it is a toss up between the two. the ksos have a heel strap that keeps it in place while the bikila only has a top strap (albeit a very tight snug like fit). on the other side the kso has a super slippry flat sole, which would not provide near the same traction as the bikila.

just today i went for a run in the bikilas, then a bit later i walked my dogs in the trek sports because half the walk was on dirt roads with rocks. when walking on the dirt trails the trek sports did great obviously, kept the sharp rocks from stabbing me, and kept all the goat heads out, and were really comfy. when just walking on the street i didnt notice the chunky sole all too much.

if your not planning on doing road running, and keeping trails and hiking your priority i would say trek sport.  good luck! edit: forgot to mention, overall, all things considered the ksos are my favorite pair i own

[anthonysaudiojournal]

Listen to To-shu, he is absolutely correct. I hike in my Black KSO Treks, run the roads in my Bikias and wear my Luna Leadvilles everywhere.

http:www.anthonysaudiojournal.com

[Ebotshon]

Thanks guys,

Both of you, an REI salesman and other reasearch ive found all seem to lead to the same conclusion.  If you plan on spending more time off-road go with the treksports/trek.  The added protection is well worth it.

Plus if in a few months I find myself wearning them a lot, ill pick up a pair of KSO's.

[BlackFoxSees]

That's probably a good choice if your focus is the hiking. I love hiking in my KSO's, but I'm in Arizona. When I make a return to moister environments I might pick up something with a Trek or Spyridon sole. My KSO's give me all the grip I need on stone and gritty dirt trails, though.

I talked my dad into a pair of Treksports last fall. He uses them pretty exclusively for trail running. I'm not able to try them on, but just handling them has me pretty convinced I wouldn't enjoy them as much for casual wear. They're just too stiff.