Can someone school me on drop?

[2ski]

I'm wanting to buy a new pair of hiking shoes(not for hunting) and honestly most of the "main brands" have left me wanting. The only brand I've really loved was a leather Ahnu from like 12 years ago, which was bought by Teva and they only make them for women now. I've tried Merrill, Oboz, Keen, North Face, and Solomon, etc. Nothing really fit like those Ahnu. I put them on today and hikes and still like a glove, other than the heel padding is worn out.

So I thought maybe trying something from a company that makes shoes for trail running. Brooks and whatnot. But I'm seeing where they have drop listed. 6mm. 8mm. What does that mean and what should I be looking for?

Tried going into the Bozeman Running Company and the two girls working acted like they could give a shit I was there. They were helping people but could've at least offered a greeting but the whole thing felt really awkward and in a running store I'm out of my comfort zone.

 

[Maverick1]

Drop is just a measurement of the difference between the amount of cushion under your heel and the ball of your feet. It is usually measured in millimeters. The lower the number, the lower the slope from the back of the shoe/boot to the front. Zero drop is flat front to back. 14 mm drop has a difference of 14 mm from heel to toe.

Can make a big difference in comfort and feel. Very individual, specific to each person. What works for one person does not universally work for everybody.

 

[Maverick1]

This article says it better. LOL.

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

I’d recommend googling it and reading some of the stuff you’ll find geared towards runners etc. Low to zero drop (5mm-0mm) is what most would call minimalist. It promotes a mid to forefoot strike. This puts more strain on the calves and Achilles and takes getting used to if you’re coming from higher drop footware. The more traditional drops of 10mm+ promote more of a heel strike. There are some that believe this is not how humans were designed to walk/run and therefore causes issues.

The Peter Attia Drive podcast #128 has a lady named Dr Irene Davis on it. It’s worth a listen if this interests you.

 

[eamyrick]

I’d recommend googling it and reading some of the stuff you’ll find geared towards runners etc. Low to zero drop (5mm-0mm) is what most would call minimalist. It promotes a mid to forefoot strike. This puts more strain on the calves and Achilles and takes getting used to if you’re coming from higher drop footware. The more traditional drops of 10mm+ promote more of a heel strike. There are some that believe this is not how humans were designed to walk/run and therefore causes issues.

The Peter Attia Drive podcast #128 has a lady named Dr Irene Davis on it. It’s worth a listen if this interests you.

Pretty spot on. I’ve been a runner for 20 years. Higher drop was tough on my knees/IT. I now wear zero drop altras with a superfeet insole (probably adds 2-3mm) and I get tighter calfs and hips. Pick what works best for you.

 

[P Carter]

I would also add that measured/reported drops can be deceptive—some feel more, some less. Bottom line, gotta try different shoes until you find what works. Go back to a running shop and demand satisfaction! (Half kidding, maybe try an rei or scheels.)

Some good places to start: topo athletic; Salomon; altar (these will take getting used to due to the low drop); merrel; Nike.

For most of my trail shoes, i just go to running warehouse.com and see what trail shoes are on clearance. (These are for running, so I go through a few pairs a year.) You don’t need anything fancy.

Personally, I don’t like the high stack height (height of sole) trend, and try to find the lowest reasonable stack heights, which puts me in topo athletic terraventures, which I like.

 

[2ski]

Drop is just a measurement of the difference between the amount of cushion under your heel and the ball of your feet. It is usually measured in millimeters. The lower the number, the lower the slope from the back of the shoe/boot to the front. Zero drop is flat front to back. 14 mm drop has a difference of 14 mm from heel to toe.

Can make a big difference in comfort and feel. Very individual, specific to each person. What works for one person does not universally work for everybody.

So what would a normal shoe be? Or like a normal say Oboz or Keen since they dont list it.

 

[Blowdowner]

Buy the women's shoe.

 

[2ski]

I would also add that measured/reported drops can be deceptive—some feel more, some less. Bottom line, gotta try different shoes until you find what works. Go back to a running shop and demand satisfaction! (Half kidding, maybe try an rei or scheels.)

Some good places to start: topo athletic; Salomon; altar (these will take getting used to due to the low drop); merrel; Nike.

For most of my trail shoes, i just go to running warehouse.com and see what trail shoes are on clearance. (These are for running, so I go through a few pairs a year.) You don’t need anything fancy.

Personally, I don’t like the high stack height (height of sole) trend, and try to find the lowest reasonable stack heights, which puts me in topo athletic terraventures, which I like.

I'm glad you said that about the stack height. I'm looking at those on the shelf and wondering of it takes away the "feel" of the terain this making you more likely to sparin and ankle.

Also I get a discount on Brooks amd when I go through their "fit you with the right shoe" prompts it suggests I go with a 8mm drop shoe.

 

[Jason Snyder]

For every day trail hiking, I just buy whatever trail runner is on the best sale. I’ve worn a lot of Salomon XA Pro, which I think are in the 6-8mm range.

 

[gfisch]

Hey 2ski, did your Ahnus look something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H9IA3S0?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1
I had both the shoes and the chukkas, still have the chukkas. I think I bought those when they were closing everything out. Fit my feet perfectly, and the shoes were worn pretty much every day back when people went into work and lasted several years. Only thing comparable that I've found for everyday and light hiking was Ecco's (with waterproofing being a criteria)

 

[P Carter]

I'm glad you said that about the stack height. I'm looking at those on the shelf and wondering of it takes away the "feel" of the terain this making you more likely to sparin and ankle.

Also I get a discount on Brooks amd when I go through their "fit you with the right shoe" prompts it suggests I go with a 8mm drop shoe.

For me, yes - large stack height is more unstable and I tend to roll my ankle. Seems to be less about losing feel for the terrain and more about inherent instability—the stack height is a lever arm that increases the force of being on an angle. Probably fine for buffed out trails but not good for off trail.

They also exacerbate some post-tibial issues. I loved Salomon speedcross but moved away from them for this reason.

The topo adventures terraventure and the Salomon forces speed assault 2 have low stack height. I like them both, though the forces are hard to get locked down with their lace configuration.

An 8mm drop is fine; middle of the road and should work for most people. I find the drop less important than stack height.

 

[2ski]

Hey 2ski, did your Ahnus look something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H9IA3S0?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1
I had both the shoes and the chukkas, still have the chukkas. I think I bought those when they were closing everything out. Fit my feet perfectly, and the shoes were worn pretty much every day back when people went into work and lasted several years. Only thing comparable that I've found for everyday and light hiking was Ecco's (with waterproofing being a criteria)

Yes. Those look about like the ones I had. Its funny I bought my first ones. Put alot of miles on them and a few years later bought another pair. The new pair just weren't the same as the old pair.

 

[2ski]

For me, yes - large stack height is more unstable and I tend to roll my ankle. Seems to be less about losing feel for the terrain and more about inherent instability—the stack height is a lever arm that increases the force of being on an angle. Probably fine for buffed out trails but not good for off trail.

They also exacerbate some post-tibial issues. I loved Salomon speedcross but moved away from them for this reason.

The topo adventures terraventure and the Salomon forces speed assault 2 have low stack height. I like them both, though the forces are hard to get locked down with their lace configuration.

An 8mm drop is fine; middle of the road and should work for most people. I find the drop less important than stack height.

The Solomon that I've tried haven't felt comfortable in the width dept for me. So ive never tried anything else from them.

 

[Kurts86]

I would say drop is a marketing term that Altra made popular in the last decade or so to describe more minimalist shoes. We had the same shoes for 20 years before that but they didn’t have the label of drop MM associated.

 

[sveltri]

Going to 3mm topo's from other standard trail shoes resulted in an immediate reduction of ankle rolling for me.

 

[P Carter]

I would say drop is a marketing term that Altra made popular in the last decade or so to describe more minimalist shoes. We had the same shoes for 20 years before that but they didn’t have the label of drop MM associated.

As I recall, the Born to Run and Five Fingers craze launched in 2009ish just before Altra, and introduced the concept of "drop," which Altra really capitalized on. Which, hilariously, has now translated into low-drop but high-stack-height monstrosities that don't at all match with the "ethos" of the originating craze. Kinda like low-fat brownies as a health food. Also: man, I am old.