Mount to Coast T1

When I first saw the Mount to Coast T1 trail shoes at The Running Event last year, I was pretty excited to try them, and it seemed like everyone in the trail community was eager to see what this first trail shoe from Mount to Coast would be like. Well I have been testing them for a couple of weeks now, and I have some thoughts, so stay tuned to see what the T1 is all about! 

STATS

Well like always lets start off with the stats of the Mount to Coast T1.  First it is a neutral trail running shoe designed for the long haul.  There is a little flexibility, but I am using quite a bit of torque to get it to flex.  

As for the stack height, the rear of the shoe came in at 36mm, and the front came in at 32mm, for an 4mm drop.    

And for the weight of the R1, I put my mens size 11 on the scale and they weighed in at 9.9 ounces or 281 grams.  Under 10 ounces is a really great weight for a trail shoe!  

For the sizing, I recommend going with your normal size, as the T1 runs true to size.  

UPPER

The upper of the T1 is made from a high-performance woven fabric and reinforced with aramid fibers that are five times stronger than steel. In case you are wondering what aramid fibers are, they are a type of synthetic, high-strength fiber known for their exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and resistance to heat and impact. These are often used in various applications, including ballistic protection, aerospace, and automotive industries, due to their ability to withstand extreme conditions.  So needless to say, this upper should be incredibly durable! 

Mount to Coast claims this upper is breathable and fast drying, well I put it to the test.  First let's take a look at the tissue test.  With the hair dryer on low, the tissue didn’t move a whole lot.  When I switched the hair dryer to high, the tissue came up a bit more, but still not a lot.  Certainly not as much as the Mount to Coast R1, or even the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro.  

Next I wanted to test the fast-drying claim so I completely submerged my feet for a good 20-30 seconds in a creek.  As I stepped out I could see some water draining down the midsole, but I could also see a bunch of water sort of trapped inside the tightly woven aramid fibers.  The shoe did drain decently, but not as well as I had hoped, and not quite as well as the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro in my opinion. As I ran all the water escaped, and I felt like they would dry pretty quickly.  Obviously durability with those tightly woven aramid fibers is a huge plus, but the breathability and drainability may be a bit of a downside.  

The T1 has a wider toe box and broad platform, offering plenty of room for those ultra marathons where your foot may swell a bit.  There is a nice toe bumper at the front too, to help protect your toes from any impacts with rocks or roots.  

The midfoot was also very comfortable, and offered plenty of room for my average to narrow width foot. I had no issues in the toe box or midfoot with any rubbing or hot spots. 

The anti-siphon knit tongue repels water pretty well and is quite thin. If you are someone that really likes to cinch those laces down tight, you may feel them across the top of your foot. I get my laces decently tight, and I did not feel any pressure across the top of the foot, except for under the upper quick lace piece once it stowed away.  

The T1 features their TUNEDFIT dual lacing system designed to give you the most adjustability across your foot.  At the bottom of the lacing system there is a quick lace, but I really wish they would have included the little lace clip like on the R1 so you don’t have to worry about the excess flapping around. 

Just above that there is another quick lace system, and there is a very minimal lace garage you can tuck the excess into, but the sides are open, so it's not terribly secure. I wish this was enclosed on 3 of the four sides to really keep those laces secure.  So far I have not had any issues with my quick laces loosening on the run either.  Oh and I should note that inside the box there was a pair of laces if you want to change out the quick laces. 

Moving to the rear of the shoe, the heel collar is nicely padded and very comfortable, and feels practically identical to the heel collar on the R1. It's not excessive, but provides a great level of comfort and lockdown for your heel.  I didn't have any achilles issues either, or experience any heel slippage.  

Overall the upper of the T1 is pretty darn great, and should be incredibly durable on the trail. On the next version I would maybe like to see a slightly more padded tongue, and more secure lace garage.

MIDSOLE

The midsole of the T1 is their LightCELL midsole base material, which starts as a PEBA-hybrid compound before being charged with pure nitrogen to create a supercritical foam. The result is a material that is 50 percent lighter than EVA, while offering 45 percent more energy return.  LightCELL is designed to offer consistent cushioning and maintain its structure over extended mileage. This is the same midsole as in the R1, but it did feel different to me.  

Underfoot the midsole feels cushioned, but not spongy.  It felt stable over technical terrain like rocks and roots, but not near as responsive as say the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro.   Now the T1, like all Mount to Coast shoes, is marketed as a long distance shoe, and yes I would wear the T1 for a 50k, probably even a 50 miler.  However, the forefoot of the midsole left me wanting more for a 100 mile shoe, especially if it was a rocky course.  

The forefoot feels very soft, even to the touch as I press through the outsole.  When running over rocky terrain I could feel the rocks a bit.  Now it wasn’t an issue because I was only out for a 1.5 hour run, but I could see my foot fatiguing from rocks in a 100 mile race with these.  The heel was great and I don’t foresee any issues there.  It’s just the forefoot of the midsole that gives me some concern when talking about using these as a 100 mile shoe.  

Overall, the midsole is great for a 50k to 50 miler type distance in my mind, and it is very stable.

OUTSOLE

The outsole of the T1 is Vibram Megagrip Lightbase with Traction Lugs. The lugs are 4mm in depth, and spaced apart nicely, and shaped a bit like the Mount to Coast logo.  This outsole will likely excel in muddy terrain, as the lug pattern should not clump up too much with mud.  

The Vibram outsole is very tacky.  When I put these on in my house just walking across my floors, I could hear them sticking to the floor!  On the trails, whether that was hard packed dirt, crushed gravel, or even bigger rocks, the VIbram outsole worked flawlessly.  Jumping from rock to rock left me feeling very confident.  

Even when walking in a creek they felt grippy!  

I don’t have anything negative to say about this outsole. Simply put, its amazing!  

PRICE

Well the Mount to Coast T1 retails for $180 USD, which is OK I guess.  Honestly though I would rather see this priced at $165, as it is very similar to the R1.  The R1 has other technologies that this does not, and this T1 has things the R1 does not.  BUT thanks to Mount to Coast, they have given viewers of my channel a 10% discount, so if you use my link below in the description, you will save 10%!  Just add the shoes to your shopping cart to see the discount.  With that said, if the T1 lasts as long as the R1 does, then it will be well worth it.  

BOTTOM LINE

The bottom line of the Mount to Coast T1, is it is a great first trail shoe from Mount to Coast.  There are some areas that could be improved, and hopefully we see those in the next version, as I think this could be one of the best long distance trail shoes out there in the future, we’re just not quite there yet.  But this is all just my opinion, what do I know? 

Affiliate Link: https://mounttocoast.com/discount/STEVEN 

Full video review: https://youtu.be/bfxbDLZYGng