Work in progress..
I changed to this shoes around May time 2021. Previously I used to run in mudclaws because that was the only fell running shoes I knew or just simply recommended by everyone I knew. I got my Feline SLs, got them on and went for a run as I would wear any other shoes for fell running. I went through the grassiest, steepest terrains I have behind the house. Then I got them out on the corbetts in Lochailort. I was doing the same running I had before. I learned trust in them very fast. Big test came on my Paddy Buckley Round. Doing a full 24h mountain round through the rough grounds of Wales assured me about the Feeline SLs. The shoes performed ace from top to bottom. They got me through 2021 like a pro! Next came Bob Graham Round in the Lake District and running up and down Ben Nevis 7 times in 22h 43min. These shoes can take a lot of extreme pounding on rough grounds without a doubt.
TALKING GRIP.
To be honest I don’t remember having a slide wearing them. Mud, rock, wet rock, snow, grass. Try to think about any hard terrain and this shoe will tackle it like a pro. You might think that having so much grip on dry/wet rock will speed up wearing and shortening rubber life because it’s soft to ‘stick’. Nothing like this happened even after running 650km in 1 pair. Thanks to Vibram Mapping Compound technology used in these shoes they are flexible, shock absorbing, grippy and they wear down very slow so their life goes on. After 650km I am still using them for training runs.
FITTING.
Snug fit with memory foam fits my feet with high precision and gives comfort and protection so you know you are ready for action any time. I used to go over my ankle quite frequently before I started using the Feline SL. It didn’t happen in 2021. Ordering a pair try to go size up for more room. Still a perfect fit!
The water comes out of them really fast and they dry out pretty quick so there was no feet splashing after sitting in a river to cool down on hot days. I never lost or chipped a stud running my challenges in 2021 which is very satisfying.
On long distance challenges there is no way of avoiding feeling tired and not being able to lift your feet high enough. It happened to me so many times I stopped counting. I started kicking every stone that I was trying to get over. I thought I am going to damage my toes or break them but these shoes saved me from that. The Feeline SL shoes have a Ballistic Bumper on the toes and heels that absorb the impact and keep my feet in one piece over the many long hours in the hills! When you ask me about a good pair of shoes for mountainous terrains this will be the answer.
Update.
The shoes are retired now. After running 850km the shoes came to an end. There is still some grip left in them but not enough for my liking. There is plenty signs of use in them as these shoes done tens of thousands of meters in elevation on very rough and rocky terrain. Constantly being wet then dry. So for safety reasons and ‘grip trust’ I retire them and replace them with a fresh pair for ultimate performance!
My Mountain Lab 