In part 2 of this review, EndurElite Chief Endurance Officer Matt Mosman discusses the fit, feel, and performance of the Icebug DTS3 BUGRIP running shoe after putting it to a month-long test.
Icebug DTS3 BUGRIP Running Shoe Review
Come quick. Come quick. Or you'll miss it. We don't wanna miss this. She's a beaut. Behold, the Icebug DTS3 running shoe in its natural environment. Notice its bright blue colors which attracts mates. And a sharp carbide tips that stays off its most ferocious predator, snow and ice. Let's gently pick up this beauty and go talk about it.
Good morning, family of fast, Matt Mosman, the endurance guru over at EndurElite, coming at you with our part two review of the Icebug DTS3 BUGrip running shoe. Now if you missed our first video, we kinda talked about more the technical features of the Icebug DTS3 running shoe, such as the water resistant upper, the wider last [SP], the fully cushioned sole, and of course the carbide spikes and grippy sole on the bottom. Now part two of this review is really where the "rubber meets the road" in terms of I went out, I tested them, and I think I gave 'em a fair test. So I'm here back to report to you how the shoes performed in the nasty winters in South Dakota. But before I get to that, I'm gonna show you a little clip of some of the conditions I tested the Icebug DTS3 BUGrip running shoe in.
All right EndurElite family of fast, here is the first test of the Icebug shoes today. Now right away I notice like if I were running in my regular shoes or Yaktrax, I would already be slipping all over my ass. But besides all the divots here, the shoes actually feel really stable, really grippy which I really like. Because I appreciate not falling on my ass. From the recent melting snow, you can't see it, but there is a sheet of ice underneath the snow. So far no slip and very surefooted. Nice job, Icebug. So we are entering the tunnel that I was talking about before there is a pure sheet of ice. Let's take a look at it real quick. So you can see how icy that is. That is super icy. So we are gonna go regular stride, not be too timid, and see how these Icebug DTS3 do on this. Here we go. I'm kinda scared right now but very excited how well these are doing. Holy traction.
So as you can see from that video, I tested these things in snow and ice, on pure sheets of ice, and again everything else in between, basically the worst that the South Dakota winters could throw at that shoe...or at the shoe, I put it to the test. Now what we're gonna discuss today in this video are a few different things. We're gonna tell you about the fit of the shoe, the feel of the shoe, and most importantly, how the shoe performed. And then we'll kinda end with the pros and cons and who this shoe is really gonna work best for.
The Fit Of The Icebug DTS3 BUGRIP
Now in terms of the fit, right off the bat the shoe fit really well, and I think that's a tribute to my wide foot. And so this shoe has a wider lass, so it slipped in real nice, it wasn't really tight anywhere at all, and overall it just fit really comfortable to begin with. I did notice when I first put it on, there was kind of a weird crease as I got up on the toe...from heel to toe, and I was curious if that was going to bug me while I was running.
The Feel Of The Icebug Shoes
So the kind of the next thing we'll go to is the feel of the shoe. When I took out the shoe to run in it for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised that it felt good right off the bat and that crease in the toe really didn't bug me at all. Look, it's pretty rare that I can put on a running shoe and determine if I like it right away, it usually takes me a good probably, I don't know, one to two weeks to see if I really like the shoe. But the Icebug felt really good off the bat. There was no weird slipping, there was no hot spots or rubbing. The shoe felt extremely responsive. In terms of like energy return it almost felt springy. So I think on the first run I took it out for an hour and a half and I had zero issues which, like I said before, that's really rare for that to happen when I'm trying a new running shoe. So fit and feel absolutely amazing. Nice job, Icebug.
The Performance
Now to what we really want to know, how did this shoe perform on the ice, in the snow, in the just the nasty ass winners in South Dakota. Truth be told, when I first put it on for the first test, I was afraid and I was a little timid going over ice. If you remember that "Bambi" movie, and Bambi on ice slipping all over, that was kinda what I envisioned happen happen. But after about a good five minutes of going over like pure ice and just a bunch of junk, I got the confidence to really like keep regular stride on icy and snowy surfaces. And I kid you not, I did not slip once, and that is beyond exciting for me because I've tried everything underneath the sun to prevent myself from slipping on my ass, from Yaktrax, to screw shoes, to MICROspikes, and everything else in between, and nothing ever seemed to really work. So I'm very, very happy to say in the Icebug DTS3 running shoe that I never slipped once, and more importantly, I had the confidence on my runs to just keep my regular stride to go on nasty conditions and avoid the treadmill and not having to worry about slipping and falling. So performance-wise is out of this world. Like you will not slip in this shoe. I mean I went over pure sheets of ice, you saw in that video, didn't slip once. I've sprinted over pure sheets of ice, didn't slip once. So very high marks on this shoe.
Pro And Cons Of The Icebug Running Shoes
So let's go over the pros and cons of this particular shoe. Pros, again, water resistant upper, works perfectly for the wintertime, so your foot doesn't get wet. Very responsive, I like the wider last. And what I like most of all is obviously the BUGrip technology here on the bottom. These carbide tips are absolutely amazing and giving you a ton of traction. So pros there. One question I did get when I was testing these is, "Matt, how did the carbide tips perform on the cement? Did you slip all around?" And the answer is no. A lot of times I would run to the icy surfaces or trails where I was testing this out, and it would be dry cement. And it's not slippery when you are on that dry hard cement, and that's because the carbide spikes kind react to the surface you are running on depending how hard it is, really dictates how far these carbide spikes sink into the sole. So you don't have to worry about going from pavement to trail and back and forth and slipping all about on that. So that's the pros of the shoe.
Now the cons of the shoe, I really am reaching for things here because there's so much I like about the shoe, and I'm gonna tell you two things that you may not like about the shoe, and we're gonna talk around these a little bit, too. If you have a narrower foot, the DTS3 running shoe might not be the best fit for you. It may be a little bit too wide and you might wanna look at some other Icebug shoes, which their website has a ton of great information about the fit of each shoe and kind of the foot it's best meant for. Now the only other con I can really think of, and again this is just being nitpicky, is the price of the shoe. Now this shoe is $180, and you may be going like, "What, $180?" But let me tell you this. If you live in an icy, snowy place and nothing else is working for you, the $180 is well spent, so you're not gonna slip around, you are not gonna hurt yourself. And if you think about it, I don't think you're gonna need these shoes every day during the winter. Of course, you might get snow storms and ice at certain times of the year and you might break them out, but I can see this shoe, you know, lasting at least three or four winter seasons, so you kinda gotta factor that in with the cost of the shoe. So $180, again, a little bit of a downside but in my opinion it's totally worth it. Additionally, I mean you could use the shoes for like wet and slippery surfaces during the spring. Hell, I even use it when I was snow blowing my driveway in the wintertime when it was really icy and it did really, really good. So that's the pros and cons of the shoes.
Who Will The Shoes Work Best For?
Now who is this shoe best meant for? I can see, you know, a few different circumstances where the shoe would work really well. Obviously in the icy, snowy winters. If you're trail running, I can see this shoe working out really, really good. In fact, I'm gonna test it on the trails this summer and and see how it goes. And then if you're an obstacle course racer, and I don't know if they allow these on racing anymore, but for training this would be an excellent fit if you're going from wet and muddy and slippery surfaces to climbing up stuff and everything in between. So those are the three situations where I can really see the Icebug DTS3 BUGrip running shoe working well.
Where to buy Icebug Running Shoes
Probably the easiest place to pick up a pair of Icebugs is through Amazon.
So let's wrap this all up. Again, a huge thank you to Icebug USA for sending me these shoes to test. As always I'm gonna give you my honest opinion on the gear and I hope I gave you an accurate and fair review on this shoe in regards to what I liked and what I didn't like. So definitely check out the Icebug website and all their selection of shoes. They have more padded cushion running shoes, they have lightweight trainers, they have more trail shoes, they have boots. They have a whole bunch of different shoes for different applications, with and without spikes. So I highly encourage you to check them out. So I appreciate you guys stay in tuned for part two of this review, and until next time, EndurElite family of fast, stay fueled, stay focused, and stay fast.
