Hi fasttimes. I have an old pair of Vasque Sundowners that are made in Italy. That shows you how far back I go.

I switched to trail runners about 10 years ago and they have worked for me. Oh my friends would see me with my backpack and trail runners and tell me I was going to snap my skinny ankles for sure. I hike mostly, but not always, in the Sierra of Northern California and encounter some pretty rugged, rocky trails. My pack weight is below 25 lb. I haven't snapped those bird legs yet.

I'm partial to Montrail and loved the old discontinued Hardrock. I still have a pair of Hardrock wides, but they have seen better days. I recently bought a pair of Montrail AT Plus's, which have a slightly different feel than the Hardrock's, but seem to work OK. They don't come in wide, but the regular seems to fit my slightly wide foot all right.

I don't like GTX, but will wear it reluctantly in winter or the shoulder seasons. I have a pair of North Face Hedge Hog GTX's that work for me. Some other non GTX shoes that I have liked are the Merrell Moab Ventilators, and the Brooks Cascadia series. The Montrails seem to be a little stiffer with a better rockplate however.

I have size 10 1/2 D width men's feet. I am what they call a supinator or under pronator which is just fancy talk for slightly high arches and wearing out the outside of the heel first. I sometimes use replacement insoles for added arch support. If your feet are not like mine, the above shoes may not work for you. Fit is a personal thing.