I Mountain-Tested Tracksmith’s New Trail Running Shoe and Apparel. Here’s How It Fared.

Since entering the running apparel scene in 2014, Tracksmith’s aesthetic has exuded clean-cut, preppy, East-Coast vibes. Think fast track runners who put on cardigans once they’re showered at their private New England school. Yet now Tracksmith is charging into a new, dirtier, grungier realm: Trail running.

The brand has made individual pieces of trail running apparel in the past, but as of this week it’s going all-in with the new Overland Collection. Anchored by a new trail running shoe, the line includes a long- and short-sleeve tee, shorts for men and half tights for women, a jacket, hydration vest, and a hat (the only item in the collection under $100).

Since I’m a dirty, grungy trail runner (and proud of it), I happily stepped into just about every item from the new kit, head-to-toe, for a 7-mile mountain run in the Indian Peaks above Boulder, Colorado.

Here’s how each item fared as the run unfolded.

Tracksmith’s Trail Collection: At a Glance

Tracksmith Overland Collection, Trail Tested

It was surprisingly cool and cloudy at the trailhead in late July, a welcome respite from the oppressive summer sun that’s been baking us for months. For that, I was relieved, as I’d worried that the Overland Short Sleeve Tee I was wearing would be too thick and hot for a summer run. The shirt, made from a blend of 49 percent merino wool with 51 percent nylon, looks thicker than a shirt I’d want to wear in the summer; I most often opt for an airy tank made of synthetic mesh.

Overland Short Sleeve Tee

In cool mountain temperatures, however, the shirt felt just right. It’s thinner than it looks and breathed well; perhaps the nylon—made with volcanic sand and coconut shells to remove vapor—helped regulate my body temperature as claimed.

I had been particularly suspicious of the woven, PVC-free, DWR panels along the tops of the shoulders and back yoke. They had me concerned that the extra material would make me hot and, to be honest, annoy me. The fabric panels are intended to keep the main fabric from pilling under a pack. On that cool mountain day, the paneling felt fine, and the wool shirt didn’t start to pill underneath the Overland Hydration Vest.

Overland Hydration Vest

I had loaded the hydration vest at the trailhead with a soft flask full of water in one chest pocket, my phone in another, and a lightweight, hooded, waterproof shell of my own and an Overland Long Sleeve Tee in the main back pocket. (The pack has 10 pockets.)

On the front, the hydration vest fits more like a snug, zip-up shirt or sports bra than the strappy frame of a standard hydration vest. I was pleasantly surprised on the trail that I didn’t feel suffocated by the amount of material. In hotter temperatures, the shirt-like fit of the pack may feel like too much material. In cool temps, it was fine. I had been able to cinch down the side bungees for a secure fit and appreciated how little the pack moved on my body.

I chose not to carry the Overland Windbreaker on this run because it’s simply that: a windbreaker. When there are threatening clouds overhead and in the mountains, I always opt for a waterproof, hooded jacket for protection. I can see using the attractive, non-hooded Overland Windbreaker during cool and cold temps on around-town (not mountain) trails.

Overland Windbreaker

Throughout the run beneath the cirque of the Continental Divide, cruising up a gradual ascent towards a glacier-fed lake, my Overland Half Tight shorts remained comfortable. I didn’t load up any of the five pockets of the shorts with gear—I tend to use hydration vest pockets instead. But the Italian-made nylon/elastane blend felt smooth against my skin, and I appreciated the slightly compressive hug providing a touch of support to the high hamstring that has been bothering me.

Overland Half Tight Shorts

At one point during the run, I shed the hydration vest, the shirt, the Overland Hat, my socks and the Eliot Range shoes and dove into that glacier-fed alpine lake. (This is a common occurrence for this water-obsessed mountain dweller.) Shortly after, I pulled the shirt, hydration vest, socks, and shoes back on for a few more miles back to the car. The wool blend of the tee remained comfortable through the rest of the run, even though it was damp from my wet sports bra. The pack didn’t rub or chafe me. But the half tights stayed soggier than a pair of simple, quick-drying running shorts usually does.

Eliot Range Trail Running Shoes

Ever since I’d pulled them on that morning, the Eliot Range shoes had reminded me of Tracksmith’s road shoe, the Eliot Racer. (Which makes sense given that they are built on the same last.) They have the same thick, drop-in Pebax cushioning unit as the Eliot Racer, which replaces the insole, strobel board and half the midsole, and, in the Eliot Range, sits atop a nylon rock plate for protection from rocky jabs. The plate is also said to help with propulsion, but since I’ve not tried to run fast in this shoe, I can only speak to its rock-shielding capabilities: despite running on rocky trails, I did not feel any sharp pokes under my feet.

I was surprised at how much ground-feel the shoe afforded, despite the plate and the moderately high (34.5mm-25.5mm) stack height. The shoe provides more of a tactile, agile trail experience than a disconnected, roll-over anything, max-cushioned feel. The low-profile, 3 mm lugs seem to help connect with the trail. The entire outsole, made out of Vibram Trek EVO, gripped well on dry rock slabs, and, while it slipped a tad on wet rock, was overall capable.

Back at the car, I shed my wet top half and pulled on a dry sports bra and the Overland Long Sleeve. I wore the soft, breathable layer almost like a thin sweatshirt. It was the perfect layer for grabbing lunch in a rainstorm at a mountain deli.

Overland Long Sleeve Tee

The entire Overland Collection, including the Eliot Range shoe, is now available. My test team and I will be putting more miles on all of these items over the next few months for potential inclusion in Outside’s shoe, apparel, and hydration vest gear guides.