Saucony Peregrine 13 Review For Hiking & Backpacking

Best traditional trail runner if you dislike HOKA or Altra

This Saucony Peregrine 13 review is for hiking and backpacking, rather than trail running , and we find it to be the best option if you dislike the cushiness of HOKA or the zero drop of Altra. This trail runner builds on a legacy of excellence, is simple, effective, and straight down the middle in terms of fit, cushion, drop, and toe box. Shop now

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• Price: $140
• M’s Weight: 9 oz | W’s Weight: 8 oz
• Heel-Forefoot-Drop: M’s 28-24-4 | W’s 28-24-4
• Lugs: 5 mm | Rockplate: Yes
• Width: Slightly Narrow | Overall Fit: True
• Wide Sizes Available: Yes
• On Trail/Off trail? Both
• Pros: Lightweight. Great traction. Rockplate. Comfortable. Durable. Splash resistant. Traditional fit, drop, cushion, toe box width.
• Cons: Heel cup doesn’t have the best hold on inclines. Prefer a slightly wider toe box. Arroyo colorway (pictured) has inferior laces & upper)

Saucony Peregrine 13 Features

At only 9 oz Suacony Peregrine 13 is on the lighter weight end of hiking shoes, which helps you move faster and more efficiently. It has an average height heel stack and cushion level with a very slight drop of 4mm (our preferred sweet spot).

It’s beefed up with a rock plate too, and this trail runner proved to be quite comfortable on rocky trail. The toe box is slightly wide, but fairly standard. This reviewer has narrow heels, and we find that the heel cup does not lock us down perfectly and we have room to spare in that department. A bit more cushion here would have been nice, however, anyone with average or wide heels should be fine.

The bottom tread is very grippy, and has a very potent chevron pattern with 5mm tread. The toe cap is reinforced with a hardened plastic, and the entire lower half is reinforced with protective mesh for added durability against scrapes. We expect this to be a longer-than-average-lasting pair of trail running shoes.

One interesting note is that the pair we tested, the arroyo colorway, came with different laces and a different mesh upper than all of the rest of the colors. Arroyo has round rather than flat laces, which were more prone to coming untied. What’s more, the Arroyo colorway upper also has a less breathable upper material. Avoid Arroyo because it has worse laces and less breathability. We’ve never experienced anything quite like this in a pair of trail running shoes, and we certainly we wish we bought a different colorway.

Testing

These are comfy out of the box, but before taking them into the backcountry, it still seemed wise to break them in on local neighborhood park trails. After which, I took them out for a 24 mile, 4200′ elevation gain overnight in Washington’s Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It was muddy, rocky, steep, and with snow patches and the Saucony Peregrine 13s performed marvelously for hiking and backpacking purposes.

I did not get any blisters but I did tape one of my lower Achilles after a hot spot developed while ascending a super long steep section. I have particularly narrow heels, and my heel kept pulling up and rubbing. Wouldn’t expect this to be a problem for most people though.

On the entire trip, I only lost my grip on the ground once in some really nasty mud. Needless to say, these have excellent traction. The tight weave uppers kept me dry splashing through puddles, however, I do prefer a looser knit or weave to allow more airflow to my feet.

All-in-all these are a great pair of trail runners that I will wear until the tread eventually wears down to rounded knobs, as all trail runners eventually do.

Saucony Peregrine 13 Review for Hiking Verdict

Saucony Peregrine 13 are a well-made and well-rounded, great overall pair of trail runners. From the fit to the cushion to the feature set, they take a middle-of the road approach in all aspects which makes them universally appealing. We wish it had a more cushioned/lock-in heel cup, and more breathability on the mesh uppers. Choose if you dislike the hyper-cushioning of HOKA or the zero drop/extra wide toe box of Altra.