Advnture Verdict
A heavily armoured pair of shoes built for going hard on rough terrain, the Saucony Peregrine 11s are not for people who like a lot a trail feel (because there is none).
Pros
- +
Protective upper
- +
Savage grip
- +
Available in regular & wide fit (U.S. only)
Cons
- -
Very little trail feel
- -
Relatively heavy
- -
Quite stiff
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First impressions
The Saucony Peregrine 11 comes from a good heritage. The Peregrine has been a very successful dynasty for the house of Saucony, and the continued popularity of this trail running shoe pays credit to the brand’s willingness to keep updating and evolving it, presumably listening to the feedback of runner and reviewers.
- Explore all the best trail running shoes with our buying guide
- Feel the trail beneath your feet with the best barefoot running shoes
- Learn how to choose trail running shoes with these tips
In this, the eleventh iteration of the Peregrine, there are perhaps fewer genuinely new elements than were introduced in the Peregrine 10, but the synthetic textile upper has once again been overhauled to provide extra protection while – Saucony claim – retaining the shoe’s relatively low weight (in fact, the weight has crept up by a few grams by our reckoning, and this trail running shoe is among the heaviest we have on test at the moment). But, it is built big to blast along tough trails, and that will suit plenty of trail runners down to the ground.
• RRP: $120 (US) / £115 (UK)
• Weight (per shoe): Men’s 310g / 11oz Women’s 270g / 9.5oz
• Drop: 4mm
• Materials: Synthetic upper, PWRRUN cushioning, PWRTRAC rubber lugs
• Colors: Men’s Gravel & Black / Storm & Gravel / Black & Future (with orange & green flourishes) Women’s Zinc, Sky & Loom / Black & Future (with orange & pink flourishes)
• Compatibility: The rougher and tougher the trails, the more you will love these grippy beasts
On the trails
We have been taking the Peregrine 11s out on trail swooping test flights all across Southern England, from Dartmoor, Exmoor and the South West Coast Path to the South Downs Way. Overall, these shoes offer a pretty smooth ride across the rough stuff, they’re nice and comfortable, and their grip is superb.
The PWRTRAC outsole is armed with a formidable set of 6mm lugs, shaped like chevrons and intelligently arranged on the forefoot and heel to provide propulsion traction on the one hand and excellent braking control on the other. With a near-neutral drop of just 4mm, this is a shoe that exudes confidence on muddy, rocky and otherwise technical terrain, but doesn’t feel quite so great on sealed surfaces (which isn’t what it was made for, to be fair).
There is a reasonable amount of cushioning in the PWRRUN midsole – so much so, in fact, that between this, the protective rockplate and the aggressiveness of the outsole, you can’t really read the ground at all, so it’s not one for tactile runners who like lots of trail feel, but it will please those who just want to go hard over seriously challenging landscapes.
The big thick tongue, integrated bootie, extensive cushioning around the heel and cuff, and formfit insole all supply excellent levels of comfort. One area of weakness that presented after about 150km of running, is that the pull loops on the back of the heel failed – a bit disappointing but not a complete deal breaker as this doesn’t impact the performance of the shoe at all.
