Scarpa Spin Planet Trail Running Shoes Review

Most likely if you consider yourself a trail runner or avid hiker your pretty tuned into the environment. That’s why when Scarpa announced they were making a green more eco-friendly shoe called the Spin Planet for trail running I got really excited.

Why you ask? Well Scarpa makes some of the best footwear for playing in the mountains, and I really want the mountains to stick around for a while, for generations to come, guessing you do to?

About Scarpa

Since 1938 Scarpa has been making some of the finest footwear in the world. From trail running, to hiking, AT skiing and everything in-between, Scarpa has proven to be one of the industry leaders including being the first company to utilize GORE-TEX in the their boots which has now become an industry standard.

Weight

The Scarpa Spin Planet Trail Running Shoes each weigh 10.2oz / (290g) which make them light enough for trail running while still offering some additional support for hikers. It’s sort of the perfect mid weight, as these shoes are not too heavy, and not too light.

Design

One of the first things you notice about the souls of these Scarpa Trail Running Shoes are the different material used on the bottom of the shoes. The colors are different and they actually correlates to the variable stiffness in the materials used.

Towards the rear of the shoe is the “Braking Area” that features stiffer rubber. While the areas toward the front of the shoe on the sides feature a softer blend that is called “Push Zone”. This allows the shoe to move more freely while mimicking your foots natural movements.  Our toes seem to have more give them our heels and Scarpa designed a shoe around that vs using the same material and thickness across the entire sole.

Trail Runners and those hiking on loose rock or gravel will appreciate the 4.5mm lugs on the bottom of the shoe that add some serious grip and tack. Plus 30% of the rubber is recycled adding to the green story of these shoes.

The Scarpa Spin Planet Shoes are available in both mens and women’s versions. With both designed featuring a 4mm drop.

Eco-Friendly Shoes

Mentioned above the souls of these Scarpa Shoes are made of 30% recycled rubber which is great but the entire upper is made of 100% recycled materials and as an added bonus, its super breathable too.

One of my favorite features of these shoes is the tongue which features an Axial TR Tech Tongue.  This will be hard to describe, but think of a traditional shoe tongue and throw that out the window.  Scarpa instead built a tongue that evenly wraps around the top of your foot cutting down on any awkward pressure points.

The right and left tongue are even shaped differently to better mimic the fit and to offer a more secure cradle around the ankle.

This sort of technology exists in ski boots and snowboard boots so to see it coming to trail running shoes is wonderful!

Scarpa Spin Planet Trail Running Shoes Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Lightweight at 10.2 oz
• Eco-friendly with recycled materials
• Unique Axial TR Tech Tongue for comfort

Cons:

• May not be suitable for heavy-duty hiking
• Design may not suit all personal preferences

Overall Impression

In the mountains skiers in the known run Scarpa’s. And now I can honestly say that their trail running shoes are that good too.  The Scarpa Spin Planet Trail Running Shoes ($158.95) check lots of boxes, they fit great, they perform well on dirt and best of all they have a green story to share.

What more do you need in a pair of shoes to explore this planet?

Related Trail Running Shoes

1. adidas Terrex Agravic Trail Running Shoes
2. HOKA Speedgoat Mid 2 Trail Running Shoes
3. Arc’teryx Norvan LD 3 Trail Running Shoes