Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe

Review by Erin Trail

The Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe is a shoe that can do it all, from hiking to running, with the classic trail-readiness that we expect from Teva.

Specifications

• Breathable mesh upper with added overlays for durability and protection
• Speed lace system for quick fit adjustments
• HYPER-COMF® technology combines responsiveness of Supercritical Foams and supportive EVA for ample cushioning
• Spider Rubber® Endure outsole with tiered traction lugs for grip on trails
• Directional lugs provide grip for braking at the heel and propulsive acceleration at the forefoot
• Sustainability Initiative(s): 100% REPREVE® recycled polyester speed lace
• Best for: Trail Running, All-Purpose Trail, Day Hikes
• Half pair weight for W7: 8.3oz
• Drop: 6mm

Detailed Review

I am a long-time Teva sandal wearer but am brand new to the trail running line that Teva launched last year.  Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.  But as I started to test the shoes, I became really impressed with the Trailsetters because of their comfort and versatility.

The Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe don’t have a ton of bells and whistles.  No carbon, subtle colorways, no extreme lugs or space-age materials.  But looks can be deceiving: the Trailsetter is a reliable, comfortable, and very functional trail shoe that has become the shoes that I’ve been grabbing most often for casual trail runs or hikes.

My race season is focused on a lot of adventure-y races, mostly off road, with a focus on fun.  And elevation gain.   One of my favorite “runs” that I do regularly is my local mini-incline.  It’s 132 BIG steps to the top (approximately 150 feet vertical gain) with a steep dirt trail down.  Each lap is about 1 mile and I like to do 3-4 laps one evening a week. This route falls squarely between a hike and a run, with hiking UP the steps and running the downs and flats. The footing on the steps is straightforward, but the return trail is fairly eroded and loose.  I’ve also been doing more social trail runs in the past few weeks, focusing more on smiles-and-miles over race pace and training scores.

Fit and Function

The Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe fits true to size and is a middle-of-the road fit.  The toe box is neither too wide or too narrow and my heels lock in fairly well.

Instead of laces, the Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe uses a speed lace system, with non-elastic laces and a slider for easy adjusting. The excess lace tucks into an elastic strap that goes across the lower tongue area of the shoe.  This speed lacing system is good, but not great.  I don’t like tying or adjusting my shoes after I get the lace tightness dialed in.  I usually take my shoes off without untying the laces.  The lacing on the Trailsetters is non-elastic and the shoes don’t have the usual heel-lock lace hole that most shoes do.  In order to get my heels locked into place, I need to tighten down the speed laces pretty tight.  The downside is that the laces are tight enough where I have to release via the slider to take the shoes on or off.  The slider is also a little sticky and takes some oomph to adjust.  If the laces were elastic, I could have my “set it and forget it” preference.  For now, this is a minor annoyance, but I can also see me cutting the laces out of the shoes and installing some elastic speed laces in their place.

On the upside, my feet have plenty of room in the Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe, even with the laces tightened down.  I need to wear special insoles to accommodate a torn plantar plate tear.  These shoes had no issue accommodating my insoles and still left plenty of room for my foot without pinch points or numbness.

The other parts of the shoe are darn near perfection.

The upper is fairly muted, compared to other shoes in my fleet. The styling of the Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe is such that they don’t scream “running shoe” or “hiking shoe”.  I think they’re cute looking shoes (which is a very unscientific and hard to define review criteria) and they easily move from the trail to more casual wear without looking out of place in either environment.

The Spider Rubber® Endure outsole with directional lugs are plenty grippy and offer a nice amount of traction on loose, steep surfaces and also on rocky surfaces.  The footing is well balanced – no tippiness on awkward surfaces. The lugs are also on the smaller side, are silent on hard floors, and don’t have that squishy sensation when you are wearing them on non-trail surfaces.

The cushioning also falls into the “just right” category, neither feeling too hard to too marshmallowy.  The midsole uses Teva’s HYPER-COMF® technology , which combines responsiveness of Supercritical Foams and supportive EVA for ample cushioning.  The shoe just feels good when you wear it.

The uppers, somehow, also don’t show or hold onto a lot of dirt.  Granted, my testing has been on dry trails, but the shoes look almost as good as new.  The trails I run and hike on are dusty and it’s hard to avoid a little dirt sheen on light colored shoes.  The upper sheds dust and dirt well, which helps to keep them in the “more than just a trail shoe” category.

The Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe is designed with a reinforced toe, both with the outsole coming up onto the toe and a reinforced upper, helping to keep your toes protected.  The heel has a generous strap which can be used to affix gaiters to or to assist the wearer in pulling up the shoe.  Consistent with the rest of the shoe, the design of this strap blends into the overall shoe aesthetic and doesn’t shout “trail shoe”, even though this functionality is very much for trail use.

Closing Thoughts

The Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe is a fantastic – and affordably priced – shoe that’s great for a range of activities, from casual walks, to hikes, to trail runs.  The styling is subtle and the shoe as a whole is very versatile and comfortable.  These shoes will be my pick for days (or trips) where I want a versatile “do it all” shoe that can tackle a big range of activities.

The Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Trail Running Shoe is available in both men’s and women’s sizes.  Men’s shoes range from 7 – 14 (with select half sizes), women’s shoes range from 5 – 11 (with half sizes).  Both genders have four colorways to choose from.

Erin Trail

Trail Boss of Stoke

Erin Trail on her mountain bike at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race

Erin Trail on her running at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race