Saucony Peregrine 2 Review

Saucony Peregrine 2 Review

I have been running in Saucony Kinvaras for several years, so when I decided to go with a lighter, more minimal trail shoe, the Peregrine 2s were a no-brainer, since they are basically a trail version of the Kinvaras.

The first thing I noticed when putting these on for the first time is the weight.  Very light (9.9 ounces), which was a big change for me because my primary trail shoes for the last 4 years have been Brooks Cascadias.  The uppers are made of a very light, airish mesh material.  There was plenty of room in the toe box and my toes did not feel cramped or confined.  The shoe did seem to feel a little larger than I was used too.  I always get a size 12.5, but could have maybe gotten by with a 12.  No matter.  I just had to tighten them up a little more.  When you put these shoes on for the first time, you will notice that they are very stiff, but if you are familiar with the Kinvaras at all, then you know this is normal.  It take a few runs to soften them up.  Once you do, they feel great.  Also, these shoes are considered to be a minimalist shoe and have the 4mm heal to toe drop.  This makes every step feel solid and stable, and very low to the ground.

I tried to run in every type of trail condition available to me here in Louisiana.  I will break down their performance by terrain:

1.  Hard/Packed Trails-  Performed well.  Almost felt like wearing Kinvaras.

2.  Mud-  Good traction in the mud.  The lugs are spaced out enough, where the mud doesn't stick to the bottom of the shoe, which keeps them feeling light.

3.  Water-  I ran in all types.  These shoes are light, in part because of the mesh uppers.  However, this means that the lightest touch in the shallowest of puddles ususally leaves you with damp feet.  There is very little protection from the water in these shoes.  The upside is they dry just as quickly.  In deeper water where the shoe is totally submerged, I found they dried pretty quick and never felt heavy.  This is a huge plus to me.

4.  Rocks-  I ran on several gravel/levee type roads, on everything from pea gravel to larger, golf ball sized rocks.  The shoes provided good protection from every type of rock I encountered.

Overall, I'd give this shoe an A-.  It gives me everything I need, but I feel there is always room for some type of improvement.  If you run in cold/snowy conditions, this may not be the shoe for you.  In snow or extremely cold conditions, you will definitely have cold, wet feet.  However, if you run mostly in warm conditions, like I do, this is a great shoe.