Walking through the airport, I got a number of comments on my stylish shoes, which was great but of course not really the point of a road to trail shoe. What I really wanted to know was how would the Teva Hurricane Trailsetter hold up on steep hills, sandy slabs and my trust road runs.
Some folks are surprised to hear the words Teva and trail running in the same sentence. But that’s only if you’ve learned about the brand recently because it actually has a pretty storied history in trails and just took a pivot for a few years to focus on their wildly popular lifestyle shoes.
But they started the comeback in 2024 with their running sandal and have continued to slowly inch their way back into full on running shoes now that we’re call getting used to the idea. Bonus points for us that they will be sharing a testing lab with Hoka as part of the Decker’s family (we already compared their sandal to a Clifton many, many times).
I had the unique opportunity to test these out in Zion National Park for hikes and some early solo mornings along the roads of Zion. So tighten your velcro it’s time for the review.
Who Is It Good For?
- Wide Feet: More narrow fit through midfoot and toebox.
- Technical Trails: Great grip on sandy slick rock, but I’d look for something else for wet trails or if needed big time traction.
- Long Runs: Absolutely can handle long periods on your feet, plenty of cushion, just not max cushion.
- Front of the Pack: Not designed to be a speed shoe, but light enough to hit a variety of paces.
This is a great moderate cushion shoe that easily transitions from road to most trails, while giving you some style points and plenty of comfort.
Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Overview
Having run in a few recent models of Teva, it was no surprise to me that this felt great underfoot. But I know many of you are newer to the brand, so what does that mean?!
As a moderate cushioned shoe, it falls right in line with a lot of road daily trainers. You’ve got their HyperComf foam providing that sweet spot of enough cushion from forefoot to heel to be really comfortable for long periods, but not a max stack cushion that takes away your preconception.
These are the types of shoes I’ve been gravitating towards this year after too many miles is super bouncy or squishy shoes.
Of course, Teva is also ensuring they’re giving you high quality foam and durable foam because this is a shoe for many miles, not race day.
As a road to trail option, it’s going to please a lot of folks. I know many runners now who are hitting gravel paths, getting dirt curious, but still doing a lot on the roads. I found this really comfortable to transition back and forth. The lugs are small enough that you won’t feel like you’re hitting them on the roads or wearing down a key feature of a trail shoe.
Meanwhile, I have to give their Spider Rubber outsole a nod.
My fear of falling on slick things is high. I’m clumsy. So you put sand on slabs of rock and my brain is like “this is not going to end well”. But it was absolutely grippy. I put in a lot of pressure, I changed up my steps, my speed and every time the shoe grabbed just like you’d hope!
What makes this model a road to trail option?
- 2mm lugs – these are low enough to feel fine running on pavement and still give you some traction on light trails
- Tiered and directional lugs – having different heights and facing different directions means you’ll be getting that grip for steep up or downhill sections
- Spider Rubber outsole – again you’ll get that nice traction and extra durablity for the outsole running on gravel, but not so much grip that you’d want them on technical trails
- Synch lacing – this allows you to easily adjust fit, which is great over long miles where feet can swell
- Overlays – added durablity on the upper, so you can snag branches, rocks, etc and not rip the shoe up
Teva Hurricane Trailsetter Specs
- Brand: Teva
- Usage: Road to trail
- Previous Model: None
- Weight: 10 oz men’s, 8.5oz women’s
- Stack: 37mm
- Heel Drop: 6 mm
- Not available in wide
- Available in four colors
- Available from rei.com for $135
I’ve already said I love the look of these and I wasn’t alone. A lot of folks asked about them (also in the other colors), while we were hitting the trails in Zion.
Hurricane Trailsetter Fit
What’s amazing about Teva is they really think about all the ways you can adjust fit with the lacing system (the originals had a velcro top strap and that was cool, but not available now). And that’s all fabulous if you have the right size to start with.
The very shallow toebox left me with some unhappy toes.
I personally would recommend going up a 1/2 size to get a better fit for toe space and length. However, I’m already a women’s 11 which is the top end of their sizing, so that means switching over to men’s sizes.
Having the men’s size in the Hurricane XLT3 CT, I know that this isn’t a brand where for me the men’s fits as well. I like the slightly narrow fit of Teva in the womens and how it cups my heel. So for anyone under a women’s 11 you’re in luck, just size up.
The tongue is moderately padded and the heel cup is a great fit with plenty of cushion.
Because of the padding and the overlays, I could see this being a hot shoe for summer miles. That being said I was wearing it in 80 degrees and didn’t feel overly concerned, but also wasn’t doing a 15 mile day.
Similar Shoes to Hurricane Trailsetter
- Brooks Ghost Trail– Yup it’s the road to trail version of their most popular daily trainer, feels a little less cushioned
- Mount to Coast H1 – A little more cushioned and really promoting their durability for long miles
- On Cloudsurfer Trail – Another road shoe adapted for the trails, it’s very similar in cushion feel and best for light trails
Our Verdict
A fantastic moderately cushioned daily trainer that’s going to carry you from roads to trails at one of the best prices we’ve seen recently. It will be extremely durable and we like the look of it! We’d rate it higher if the toebox had just a smidge more room.
All right there is our Teva Hurricane Trailsetter review!
Did you know they had a history in trail running? Have you tried any of their recent running shoes?
Looking for more running shoe tips?
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