UKH

I run 4 days a week now and looking but  for a change  of scenery  one day a week so be taking one of my runs after from the roads  public footpaths by the river  and woods. Is it worth be buying a pair of trail shoes. 

I normally run in merrel gloves so looking at the trail version of them. The paths would be a mixture of grass mud trails  with a sport on hard pack gravel. No big rocks  expected.

In reply to Shaunhaynes99:

It probably depends on how muddy it is. I wore my road shoes through the woods in a dry spell of summer, but no way I could now, I'd skite all over the place. 

Maybe try in your road shoes and see how they work. If you lack grip, get some trail shoes

In reply to Shaunhaynes99:

In winter you'll probably notice the benefit of a more aggressive grip, but as said it depends just how muddy/loose/slippery your routes are likely to be. Give your road shoes a go right after heavy rain and see how they feel! I only own trail shoes so wouldn't know what running in a road shoe is like, but I know my wife's tending to go with her trail ones more often now.

In reply to Shaunhaynes99:

It's not necessarily just for grip. Road shoes have loads of cushioning and position you higher up, which increases the risk of going over on your ankle on very uneven ground. Nike Pegasus was the first compromise shoe, now there are dozens. 

In reply to Shaunhaynes99:probably not.  You might suffer a lack of grip in muddy sections but most trail shoes arent great in sticky clay mud anyway

In reply to Shaunhaynes99:

Go for a run and find out. 

In reply to Shaunhaynes99:

Cheers I'll just see how  I go then. It will be easy  enough to just stick to the "trails" in dry weather

In reply to Shaunhaynes99:

Don’t overthink it. You will probably need trails at some point. A lot of us run XCountry or even Fell run. That requires trail shoes on a good day and mudclaws or spikes on a bad day. 
 

Asking if you need to wear trail shoes is a difficult thing to answer without actually seeing the ground you are running on. 
 

Best case would be to buy some and go for the run. If you don’t need them no harm done, if you do then it’s a bonus. 
 

If you’re running on hard man made trails mostly you can get away with road shoes. If you’re running in bridalways, across fields and footpaths then trail shoes will be necessary at some point. 

In reply to DancingOnRock:

I would guest mostly. Man made paths  so  I'll just see how I go if I notice my feet are slipping or I feel stones. I'll swap.

In reply to Shaunhaynes99:to explain my earlier comment - if it's really heavy clay or chalk mud then you'll slide in road shoes, but if you have a heavy trail shoe tread it will just clog up and hold the mud.  

Go and find out

In reply to summo:

Not in the OP's case, given the shoes he says he wears.

In reply to Shaunhaynes99:

Few reasons (most already mentioned)

- Grip 

- Cushioning in road shoes makes them unstable on rougher trail - trail shoes are far nicer to run in

- You will trash your trainers if the ground is rougher / rocky

Try the run in trainers and if any of the above apply consider some trail shoes - I also use them all the time as approach shoes or an alternative to walking boots so even if you don't run in them not a bad purchase. Make sure the shoes you buy are suitable for the surface - trail is different to fell also avoid anything with a goretex liner...