Reviews > Footwear > Footbeds and Insoles > Superfeet TrailBlazer Insoles > Test Report by Kurt Papke

Superfeet Trail Blazer Insoles

Test Series by Kurt Papke

Initial Report - March 23, 2017

Long Term Report - August 10, 2017

Tester Information

Initial Report

The Superfeet Trail Blazer Insoles (hereafter referred to as "the insoles") are meant to replace shoe manufacturer-provided insoles. They are designed specifically for hikers.  They come in different sizes, but may need to be trimmed by the consumer for exact fit.

I have a size 12 foot (46 EU), but I typically wear a size 13 (47 EU) shoe to avoid problems with black toenails.  Based on that shoe size, I requested an 11.5-13 (45.5-47 EU) sized insole.

Product Information

• Deepest and widest heel cup in the Superfeet line
• Moisture-wicking top layer with odor control
  
• Carbon fiber blend stabilizer cap
• 6mm (0.24 in) dual layer foam
• Impact pad
  

Initial Inspection

Trying them out

I slipped them into two pairs of shoes that I will likely use them in for most of the testing period, as shown in the bottom photo at left.  The shoe on the left is a New Balance trail runner, and that on the right is a Keen lightweight hiking shoe.  Both shoes are size 13 (47 EU), and since that matches the maximum size of the insoles I didn't have to do any trimming to get them to fit.

I walked around the house a bit and they felt nice and comfortable.  My feet felt very well-supported.

Summary

Things I Like So Far:

• Lightweight
• Comfortable
• Good support from the carbon fiber heel cup
  

Things That Concern Me Upfront:

• Potential for foot slippage from the smooth upper surface fabric

Long Term Report

Field Experience

Miller/Turkey Creek Loop

Three-day backpack into the Rincon Mountains that make up the Saguaro National Park East Unit.  This is a great hike as it is one of the few substantial loop hikes in the area, with only a short road walk between the two trailheads to complete the loop.  This is great terrain to test out insoles, as the treadway was a mix of rocks, gravel and small stones.  There were even short stretches of cushy walks through pine needle covered forests.

My feet felt great on this trip - no blisters, no sore feet.  I really appreciated the protection provided to the back half of my feet by the carbon fiber heel cup when ambling over fields of sharp rocks - I was well-protected.  This was a very successful first outing for the insoles.

Grand Falls, Devil's Bridge

This was a 2-night car camping and day hiking trip to a little-visited waterfall, and a highly-visited arch near Sedona, Arizona.  Before departure I replaced the insoles of my brand-new Altra Lone Peak 3.0 trail running shoes.  This was a bit of a challenge, as the toebox of the Lone Peaks are very wide, but the shoe seemed just slightly shorter than my old New Balance models.  Nonetheless, I was able to insert the Superfeet insoles without trimming them.

The trails we walked on at Grand Falls (we hiked to the bottom and back up again) and Devil's Bridge were both very rocky as shown in the above photo.  The Lone Peaks provide quite a bit of cushioning, but with the Superfeet insoles added to the protection arsenal I had very happy feet!

Morse and Echo Canyons

This was a car-camping trip to the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona which included two substantial hikes:

1. Up the Morse Canyon trail with about 1500 ft (460 m) of elevation gain/loss.
2. Echo Canyon descent with about 1300 ft (400 m) of elevation loss.

The Morse Canyon trail was fairly foot-friendly, but the Echo Canyon trail was quite rocky which made me appreciate the Trail Blazer insoles.  I finished both hikes with happy feet.

Canyonlands

This was an epic 6-day tour of Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, Gooseneck State Park, and Canyonlands NP White Rim Trail by Jeep.  We took several day hikes during the week, nothing really long but enough to put my feet through their paces.

I took the picture at left of the insoles in-place just before putting my shoes on.  Our hike was the big wall in the background, though we came just short of summiting it due to time and temperature (too hot!)

The insoles performed just excellent in the rocky terrain of the Moab area.  My feet were comfortable and sustained no injuries or pain of any kind.

The red rocks of the Moab area in Utah stain everything, including the insoles where the dirt just gets ground into the fabric.  Time to throw them in the laundry!  They cleaned up very well and came out looking like new.

San Juans

This was a week-long car camping trip which included hikes every day we were not driving to/from Tucson Arizona.  The trails we explored varied greatly in their foot-friendliness - some stretches were mossy and soft, others were rocky with poor footing.  After a week of daily hiking my feet were in surprisingly good shape with no soreness or pain.  This is a very positive outcome!  Here's what they looked like at the conclusion of this four month test, without any cleaning after I returned from Colorado:

Summary

I have a sordid history of Plant Fasciitis, and I was pleased that I had no flare-ups while hiking with the Trail Blazer insoles.  I found them to be very comfortable, and I was very pleased to see that they held up so well.  I liked the way they gripped my socks - my feet never slid around, and I had no blisters whatsoever during the test period.

I intend to keep using the Superfeet Trail Blazer insoles on all hikes where I use boots or trail runners, i.e. footwear that can accommodate insoles.

Reviews > Footwear > Footbeds and Insoles > Superfeet TrailBlazer Insoles > Test Report by Kurt Papke