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2 min readWHEN ALO LAUNCHED in 2007, it was best known for its women's leggings that rivaled lululemon in comfort and performance. Since then, it’s delved into men's workout clothes, churning out stink and sweat-fighting tank tops and shorts that also pair well with casual fits, and have become a go-to style brand for Men’s Health editors. Alo’s also expanded its footwear line, starting with the Alo Recovery Mode back in 2023 and the Alo Runner in 2024. Now, the activewear giant is expanding to the great outdoors with The Trail, a sleek new Gorpcore sneaker. The Trail is available in three colorways: White , Black , and Gravel .
It’s more than just a pretty face. The Trail has some outdoor-heavy specs. I got my hands on a pair after the launch, and although I haven’t taken it for a true test run yet, I wore it to our New York City office and later, the gym. The Trail features a lightweight, water-resistant nylon upper, Thermoplastic Polyurethane toe cap (read: a super durable bumper to protect the front of your feet), and a heel clip to lock you in on all sorts of terrain. The Alo team also added a traction pattern to the outer sole, which is similar to some of our top-tested trail shoes like the Arc'teryx Norvan LD4 and the Brooks Ghost Trail.
Its wide toebox is great for broader-footed guys like me. Unlike most Gorpcore sneakers, it isn’t boxy. This gives the Trail an elevated-yet-rugged look. And despite the plush fit, there wasn’t much wiggle room or slippage throughout the day.
My favorite feature is the shoe’s speed-lacing system. It works like a drawcord, allowing you to tighten and loosen the shoe in a pinch. Not having to retie my shoes throughout the day is a nice touch.
The Trail is built and marketed to wear in all sorts of terrain. In my brief testing, I found the shoes are grippy enough to walk on rougher surfaces, but still sleek enough to wear as an everyday shoe. To highlight this, the brand tapped professional boxer and IBF light-heavyweight champion Ben Whittaker for its campaign. The 28-year-old boxer sports the sneaker between rugged trail runs and training sessions. I’m not training for any championship fights anytime soon, but it did keep me up with my many city commutes throughout the day.
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Tim Kohut is the Deals and Trends Editor for Popular Mechanics, Men’s Health, Best Products, and Runner's World. He has extensive product review and gear coverage expertise, particularly in tech, home, auto, and health. Tim was previously the Deputy Commerce Editor of The Drive and a Commerce Editor at BGR. He’s also overseen gear coverage and strategy at Popular Science, Bob Vila, Outdoor Life, and Field and Stream. He has a strong affinity for cats, Batman, and early 90’s Nicolas Cage films, in that order.
Christian is the Style and Reviews Director at Men's Health and Women’s Health, where he oversees shopping and style content for both brands. He started his magazine career as an accessories assistant at Vogue, and has since held editorial roles at Tatler Asia and The Manual. When he’s not online shopping, you can find him on long walks with his two corgis.
