aahunt03 Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 good idea or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Antichrome Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Just put them on when you get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trgt Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Is your question if you should wear cleats at the match, or wear them driving your car to the match :-) Assuming you mean at the match ... have you practiced with cleats at the range you are doing the match at? A couple folks I shoot with love their cleats, but then again, they also are used to wearing cleats. I think they are uncomfortable to stand around in all day. Most folks instead of cleats are doing something like a trail running shoes that are a lot more comfortable and still have grip. If you want to spend the $$, like a Solomon Speedcross. The surface at a lot of places is so different, it's almost best to see what folks have figured out is fast and has grip for the range you are doing. And either way, totally agree with ^^^ Robert above, put them on/off at the range, but drive/walk around in something else that isn't tracking lead dust everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2MoreChains Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I used to wear cleats but it depends on the range surfaces your shooting at. Gravel, dirt, grass... then cleats make a lot of sense. But if your match has you running around a lot on wooden surfaces (I've shot matches at ranges that share the bays with cowboy action shooters and they use the same facades with wooden walk-ways) then cleats may not be the right choice especially if wet. However finding a pair of cleats that are comfortable to stand around in all day (for what amounts to 4-6 minutes of shooting) is a challenge. This year I switched to Salomon's and am glad I did that. Much more comfortable and I haven't noticed any loss in grip. In the winter I wear boots since the range conditions could be muddy, icy, snow covered, or just hard pack. Plus boots are warmer for those cold days. Salomon's are not cheap when compared to $40 Nike Landsharks from Sports Authority, but back when I used to run regularly I was going thru 3 pair of $100 Adidas's a year. If I get one season out of my Salomon's I'll be happy, and thereafter I'll have a nice pair of shoes for yardwork. Sometimes I think my feet are the most expensive part of my body... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxshooter Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 I wear Solomon Speed Cross 3s. They are the only cleats I have found that are comfortable when wearing them all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aahunt03 Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Ok cool. Thanks for the input guys! Yea, I don't know how driving in cleats would work! haha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBOpen Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Ok cool. Thanks for the input guys! Yea, I don't know how driving in cleats would work! haha! Haven't had any issues in inov-8 Mudclaws (330, 300, and now 265) for all day wear, including the 85 mile drive each way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigarm Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Ok cool. Thanks for the input guys! Yea, I don't know how driving in cleats would work! haha! Haven't had any issues in inov-8 Mudclaws (330, 300, and now 265) for all day wear, including the 85 mile drive each way. So, what is the difference between the different models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMBOpen Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Model # is shoe weight (grams), thicker heel on 300. 330 is discontinued. 300 is yellow, 265 is red. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Ok cool. Thanks for the input guys! Yea, I don't know how driving in cleats would work! haha! So it sounds like you are talking about wearing them for shooting, right, lol. As someone mentioned earlier, it's very terrain dependent. I wear cleats in the summer when the ground gets loose and dusty here in the west, but I switch to sneakers for lunch (at majors) and teardown. In the winter, the ground is less loose, so I just wear whatever. I personally haven't found trail-running shoes of any kind to offer acceptable traction in dry loose dirt, but at least they're popular (but so was michael jackson). FWIW, I have never fallen entirely off my feet onto the ground, unlike some other posters in this thread. I don't know if that means I'm really slow, or if it means my foot traction recommendations are reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigarm Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 (edited) Model # is shoe weight (grams), thicker heel on 300. 330 is discontinued. 300 is yellow, 265 is red. Thanks. I would like to try them on, but have not found any. Of course I live in the middle of nowhere. I do really like my Salomon Speedcross 3, but I am not fast enough to need them. Turtles don't need shoes. I just find them comfortable. Edited July 28, 2014 by bigarm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaycwebb Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 I have the Speedcross 3's. I wear socks/flip flops to and from my matches and change in and out of my cleats once I'm there. The shoes are very comfortable, but I don't want to damage the rubber by walking around or driving on them when I don't have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimitz Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 (edited) Just order them on line at Zappo.com They have every brand/model on the planet and free return shipping if you need to change sizes ... Edited July 28, 2014 by Nimitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambo Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 +1 on cleats while competing. I come from a sports background so I am used to wearing cleats for extended periods of time. -Make sure you don't cheap out...buy quality! -Make sure you get something stable and flexible. There are different types of cleats for different terrains. I went with Mizuno "turf" shoes and love them! http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008ENFLZ4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1406667958&sr=8-1π=SX200_QL40# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc361 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I recommend the Salomon Speed Cross 3 as well. A wooden or metal surface can be very slippery for cleats if it rains. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mildot1 Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 The only time I didn't take my cleats I busted my ass at area 5. The RM brought a whellbarrow full of rock to fill the mudhole before the next shooter. Take em, doesn't mean you have to wear them. Mildot1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessiveshooter Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 There is nothing special about the Salomon shoes that everyone seems to wear. Anyone with an athletic background can look at the surface of the range and pick something that will work great. Have you ever seen a baseball player or any professional athlete wearing trail running shoes? The amount of movement we do in USPSA is negligible compared to other sports. What works in those sports on similar surfaces will obviously work well in USPSA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alma Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I am still running the Nike Land Sharks. I have thought about Salomons but my cleats work well enough that I couldn't justify the extra expense and don't want to feel like I am chasing each and every trend. If any stage has a lot of movement on wood or something like that then I just put my running shoes back on for that stage but that rarely happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trgt Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 There is nothing special about the Salomon shoes that everyone seems to wear. Anyone with an athletic background can look at the surface of the range and pick something that will work great. Have you ever seen a baseball player or any professional athlete wearing trail running shoes? The amount of movement we do in USPSA is negligible compared to other sports. What works in those sports on similar surfaces will obviously work well in USPSA. That makes perfect sense, probably the main difference though the Pro's get a consistent and nicely groomed surface to work on, while a lot of what we have can be described as 'much slicker' and 'highly variable'? We have some ranges locally that the dirt/gravel/.. combo can easily induce falls and a trail shoe at a minimum is needed not to take a fall, if you are moving quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 There is nothing special about the Salomon shoes that everyone seems to wear. Anyone with an athletic background can look at the surface of the range and pick something that will work great. Have you ever seen a baseball player or any professional athlete wearing trail running shoes? The amount of movement we do in USPSA is negligible compared to other sports. What works in those sports on similar surfaces will obviously work well in USPSA. Actually, there is one difference: comfort. I have used Land Sharks and Corner Blitz shoes. They all give excellent traction but after an all day match, they felt like I was wearing them inside out! SC3 are good for the whole day... YMMV... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 There is nothing special about the Salomon shoes that everyone seems to wear. Anyone with an athletic background can look at the surface of the range and pick something that will work great. Have you ever seen a baseball player or any professional athlete wearing trail running shoes? The amount of movement we do in USPSA is negligible compared to other sports. What works in those sports on similar surfaces will obviously work well in USPSA. That makes perfect sense, probably the main difference though the Pro's get a consistent and nicely groomed surface to work on, while a lot of what we have can be described as 'much slicker' and 'highly variable'? We have some ranges locally that the dirt/gravel/.. combo can easily induce falls and a trail shoe at a minimum is needed not to take a fall, if you are moving quickly. I don't really get the whole 'trailshoe' thing. I wear such shoes (not trendy salomons, but normal-looking merrells and other major brand trail shoes) all the time for hiking and trail running and general wear. I think even the most aggressive treaded trail shoes suck on loose surfaces compared to real cleats. Especially at major matches in the west, the dirt gets very churned up and loose. Comfort is an issue tho, so for all-day matches I bring my regular trail shoes too, and sometimes just wear them for the stand and shoot stuff as well as for lunch and pre-match walkthrough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewbeck Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Moto - I would argue that the true "mud" running shoes from Innov8 or salomon are not typical trail running shoes and the tread design and rubber composition is nothing like a trail runner. From your post it doesn't sound like you have tried a true mud shoe, and I would suggest giving them a try if you find trail runners lacking in grip. The tread provides outstanding grip on loose and even on indoor concrete due to the stickiness of the rubber. I too wore cleats but they are a very stiff rubber and not nearly as comfortable. I have both the Speedcross and now using the fellraiser which I like better because it has a little firmer rubber (more cleat like) but it is not as grippy as the speedcross on slick surfaces due to rubber composition If you google competitions like Tough Mudder you will find reviews on the current best group of cleat like trail runners from a multitude of different manufacturers. Salomons are trendy just like S_I's but there is a reason people are using them. At the end of the day, your choice of footwear is probably the 3rd most important choice in gear for safety after your eyes, and ears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaosshooter00 Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I recommend the Salomon Speed Cross 3 as well. A wooden or metal surface can be very slippery for cleats if it rains. Last time I wore my Nike Sharks, I slipped on a ramp after Unload, show clear. Spiral fracture of right wrist made it really hard to shoot the next few stages, Salomon speed Cross 3 became my range shoes after that, now I wear them daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motosapiens Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 (edited) From your post it doesn't sound like you have tried a true mud shoe, and I would suggest giving them a try if you find trail runners lacking in grip. Perhaps that is true. I used to race cyclocross (8th in nationals in 98 or so), and in a few events that had heinous mud I just wore soccer cleats instead of off-road cycling shoes, had perfect grip and ran away from the competition. No idea what the tough mudder is like, but I doubt it looks like typical uspsa terrain in the west. We shoot in a lot of loose dusty gravelly terrain. Regarding the salomons, I see people wear them alot, and I see many of them slipping in loose terrain where I am not slipping. Based on that observation, I probably won't bother trying them. (plus they are a little too trendy and rudy-project-esque for my tastes). But whatever, people should wear whatever is comfortable and works for their movement style and terrain. Salomons are trendy just like S_I's but there is a reason people are using them. Yep, and that reason (imho) is that people are sheep, and very susceptible to marketing and the desire to fit in with the herd. If Nils and Rob L used a red rubber clown-nose when shooting and claimed it improved their peripheral vision and oxygen uptake, droves of shooters in team jerseys would be lining up to purchase red rubber clown-noses from Dawson and Shooters connection. Edited July 30, 2014 by motosapiens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2rideWV Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I have shot the 2012 Single Stack Nationals and have been shooting a couple of years now. Actually, 2012 was the year I beat Rob Leatham (that is a joke - he got disqualified that year). Also, I got my picture taken with the Great One that year, too. I consider myself a beginner. Anyway, I too thought about the cleats. Long story short - I just wore a tennis shoe with a more aggressive outdoor sole. My reasoning was that I would get more use out of shoes that can be worn everywhere. So far, this approach has worked. If you can sprint and hustle like my 19-year-old son playing baseball, you might be able to benefit from the extra traction. You need to ask yourself if you would benefit from the extra traction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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