Advnture Verdict
Dynafit offers a range of trail shoes that fit a narrower foot and provide a great amount of support. The Feline SL trail running shoe was a joy to test thanks to the construction of the shoe, which meant my foot felt secure and had less tendency to pronate thanks to a Pomoca outer sole, invisible lacing system and heel support. I felt the shoes gave support more similar to a mountain approach shoe than other more trainer-like running shoes on the market, while still packing in a lot of features suited for long days on steep mountains.
Pros
- +
Easy to adjust lacing
- +
Great grip
- +
Stretch mesh
- +
Good value for money
Cons
- -
Hard to keep clean once in the bog
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Meet the reviewer
A former brand ambassador for Merrell and current Ordnance Survey #GetOutside Champion, Jessie Leong’s lifelong outdoor odyssey began with Duke of Edinburgh’s Award walks in the Peak District. This segued into long hill hikes in the Yorkshire Dales, multi-day treks in the Lake District, scrambles in North Wales and adventures scaling alpine pinnacles.
Dynafit Feline SL Running Shoes: first impressions
• List price: From £130 (UK) / €160 (EU)
• Sizes (women’s): 3-9 (UK) / 35-43 (EU)
• Sizes (men’s): 6-13 (UK) / 39-48.5 (EU)
• Weight: 8.8oz / 250g
• Colors (women’s): Beet red pink glo / Black fluo pink / Blueberry mokarosa / Marine blue blueberry / Poseidon silvretta/ Super mint quiet shade
• Colors (men’s): Alloy black out / Lime punch fjord / Mallard blue blueberry / Yerba thyme
• Drop: 8mm
• Lugs: 5.5mm
• Compatibility: Hillwalking / trail running
Austrian ski boot brand Dynafit has been producing running gear since 2011, and I was excited to get mountain ready with a pair of trail running shoes designed for muddy trails, specifically aimed at a mixture of gravel and mid-steep descents.
Much like one of Austria’s most famous dishes, the Käsespätzle (a pasta and cheese combo that’s the country’s answer to macaroni-cheese), Dynafit trail shoes just seem a bit more glamorous and exciting than our UK offerings. Packed with features, Dynafit’s Feline SL is more than just a standard trail running shoe and includes plenty of great engineering for your money.
Dynafit Feline SL Running Shoes: on the trails
My first outing testing the Dynafit Feline SL shoe was not on the alpine zig-zags of Tyrol, but rather on the gravel trails of Llyn Trawsfynydd in North Wales. No Austrian lift stations in sight, but rather a lush testing ground with kilometer after kilometer of perfect trail running around a man-made reservoir with undulating terrain, with some mud sections, short boulder-hopping river crossings and wooded paths. Indeed, the Dynafit Feline SL trail shoes have been my go-to shoe for the last four months, from running among the Trotternish ridge on Skye to pounding the footpaths and urban sprawl of Sheffield. It’s a sure sign of a great running shoe if you find yourself not wanting to wear any other.
Dynafit Feline SL Running Shoes: sizing and fit
I’ve often struggled with trail running shoes, having bounced around in various offerings from different running brands, including Saucony Peregrine Falcons, Salomon Speedcross and Inov8 Parkclaws. I have a wide toe box, medium-arched feet, plus a narrowing at the back and low volume foot. Hence, trail running shoes that don’t pinch the foot are what I’ve been looking for.
For this test, I wore a size 6.5 (EU 40) shoe. The shoes were wide enough to fit a standard trail running sock, and I found the overall fit, based on Dynafit’s ‘sensitive fit’, meant the shoe didn’t feel too bulky. It also gave enough precise support to allow me to run my normal gait, a natural roll-through into a toe off.
Dynafit Feline SL Running Shoes: features
The Dynafit Feline SL trail running shoe combines several important features to help make wearing trail running shoes stress free. Thanks to the Quick Lacing System plus the protection of the Dynafit Invisible Lacing Technology, it’s possible to lace the shoe quickly and precisely one-handed, while the stretch lace cover ensures that no rocks and dirt get into the shoe and that the laces remain safely stowed without any worry about them becoming undone.
Additional features of the Dynafit Feline SL trail running shoe include an injection-molded TPU toe cap (also known as the ballistic bumper) to decrease the effect of impacts on the toes and forefoot so the feet don’t get crushed when striking rocky terrain. The back of the shoe also has a 'Heel Preloader', a diagonal reinforcement at the heel which helps improve overall hold.
Dynafit Feline SL Running Shoes: terrain
With its deep, aggressive tread, the Feline SL running shoe is a shoe that offers a degree of security when navigating swathes of soft and muddy surfaces. From plunging bog to long grassy ferns to coastal walk-ins, the Feline SL is an impressive, versatile, sturdy trail shoe that I’ve found surprisingly adaptable to a whole host of terrain surfaces and can even be used on mud and snow. For those who have their eyes on longer runs, it does well for responsiveness (so doesn’t feel too clunky / bulky as a shoe) and has good traction when navigating steep drops and rocky surfaces, coping well with the classic wet rock that is typical of British trails.
For those who require stability, the Pomoca outsole provides an effective amount in the forefoot while carefully spaced lugs offer excellent grip in the mid-foot area and traction at the toes and heel. A lug drop of 8mm guarantees good support and enough push so that when striking the ground there’s sufficient power to pick the pace up.
Dynafit Feline SL Running Shoes: waterproofing
The only downside to the Dynafit Feline SL is the lack of any waterproof membrane. The shoes are breathable and allow sweat to pass through, but unfortunately, at one point I found my foot completely submerged and then struggled with damp feet for the rest of the run. It’s a great shoe and for most summer adventures it provides good resistance to water, but the GTX version might be more practical for hardy fell runners.
