Ecco Terracruise II

Firstly, this is in no way a hiking shoe. I have had my pair for one year, and already there are signs of serious wear and tear to the webbing. I have a Gore-Tex version; and it is not waterproof.

I have and have had several pairs of Ecco shoes and sandals, and the Terracruise are the first that are not satisfactory. Mine are just over a year old; and I will probably have to throw them out soon.

On one shoe, some damage to the webbing was inflicted by the nails of an excited puppy (should this have happened?); but I noticed yesterday that the webbing is breaking away from the stitching leaving white showing on the other shoe.

The Gore-Tex—for which one pays extra—is next to useless, other than in drizzle. I replaced the Ecco laces with some that I bought, but the designed over the top of the shoe is such that it is not easy to get them to be comfortable.

As I said above, these are not hiking shoes. They are simply not solid enough (I know, I have Hanwag and Garmont shoes) and do not offer support around the ankles other than for a stroll across the local golf course. In short, the fit is fine; and they look good (or did), but, in the end, a disappointment.

Experience

Extensive. Over the past two years, walking and hiking I average over seven miles a day.

Ecco cheaped out on the redesign.

They cheaped out. The original Terracruise was a much better shoe. Better materials and design.

The original shoe was a favorite for light and mid-range hikes, 2-10 miles.

The big issue for me is the now non-elastic ankle padding. It slips back and forth, instead of hugging the ankle, rubbing your ankle raw after just a few miles. You can tell the shoe is cheaply made, compared to its predecessor. 

A super ventilated, well-structured trail running shoe that easily works for hiking and backpacking.

Like many Western hikers and backpackers, I am a proponent of using trail running shoes for hiking and backpacking due to their lightweight and excellent traction. Ecco shoes have long been a favorite of mine as they are super comfortable and fit my foot shape well.

At first glance, I knew the Ecco Terracruise II was going to be great during the summer season as the upper is comprised mostly of mesh with just enough synthetic material to give the shoe its shape. The sole, while providing plenty of traction on pavement or dirt, is not overly aggressive.

I received a pair of the Terracruise for testing in December so my initial testing was done wearing the shoes as an everyday shoe. A size 9 fit my feet well even though they were oversized a half size so I could use them during my backpacking trips. As usual for Ecco shoes, they were very comfortable with a nice supportive insole and a soft removable footbed.

Once spring came around I was ready to take them on the trail where they worked just great. Traction was really good on trails whether they were rocky and loose or wet and slick.

The toe bumpers did a good job of protecting my toes from damage and the mesh upper really helped to keep my feet cool and dry. The shock cord style speed lace system worked great and not having to worry about the laces coming untied is always a plus on the trail.

Once late spring came it was time to hit the trail with the Ecco Terracruise II to see how they would work on a number of backpacking trips. Living in California means we don't have to worry about the rain during the summer so trail runners have been my choice for backpacking for the last five years. With a normal pack weight of 20 pounds, these runners felt great. Support is really good even with all that mesh constructions.

I found blisters to be a total non-issue as the ventilation kept my feet dry all day no matter how many miles I hiked, even in temperatures in the upper 80's.

Traction was great on trail whether it was dirt, sand, or loose gravel. After dunking the shoes during a water crossing I found that they dried out very quickly after a squeezed out the water in the insoles.

The only shortcoming that the Terracruise has is that my socks and feet would be very dirty at the end of the day. While the mesh is fine enough to keep sand out, it definitely lets the trail dust pass through easily. I have found that trail dust acts a lot like talcum powder and actually helps keep my feet dry, so in a way, it's a plus. 

Product Info:

• Price: Reg $130, on sale now $119.99
• Sizes: 5-13
• Colors: Black, Dark Shadow, Wild Dove

Disclosure: I received a sample of this product for purposes of this review, but the opinions expressed are my own.