Customer Reviews Nike Air Zoom Terra Kiger 5

I was looking for a new trail runner and heard great things about the Kiger 5 (from the Ginger Runner, Road Trail Run, Believe in the Run, etc.), including it having (1) good durability, (2) a wide (but low height) toe box and (3) a comfortable ride stemming from Nike's react foam. So I decided to check it out... indoors. This is a fit/feel review from someone with non-Nike preferences. I can't speak to observed durability, traction in different trail conditions, etc. I'm usually an Altra guy. I love the huge toe box and splay hard. I've been wearing zero drop and minimal shoes (Vivobarefoot) for more than five years now, so these 4 mm weren't too offensive but were closer to heels than my daily kicks. I was hoping to branch out between the low drop and purportedly wide toe box. Interestingly, despite my love for Altra and toe freedom, a 3D scan (fit id via Volumental) of my feet from a local running shoe store shows my feet are actually a somewhat petite. Relative to the scanned male population, they are on the small/narrow side (girth and width of ball and heel) with a low instep height and average width. Maybe I'm just a little claustrophobic. The machine also claims my feet are sizes 9.2 (left) and 9.8 (right). I tried the black Kigers in 10 and 10.5. The 10 was very snug around the midfoot, compressing my feet into arch support I'm not used to and don't like. The toe box was also tiny compared to Altra's offerings. The 10.5 was much better, and I almost kept them. That half size up made the arch support much more subtle and provided a toe box I could actually live with, which means it's one of Nike's wider ones. It is a lower toe box, but my foot is not very high and the toe box upper material is stretchy so it didn't bother me. The dealbreaker for me was the less forgiving material toward the front of the midfoot, which compressed my feet uncomfortably. I could not reduce the snugness of that area regardless of how I laced them. There was plenty of extra room in front and if laced loosely there was a lot of heel slippage, so a bigger size would not have solved the problem. I also wasn't that impressed with the cushioning. It was pretty firm while jogging around my house. I'm a fore/midfoot striker and not used to Nike foams, but there is a lot of hype around Nike's react foam. Maybe it was just this implementation or I just prefer more cushion for running. Unexpectedly, they also squeaked when walking in them. All four shoes of the two pairs. Maybe this goes away when they are broken in. Unfortunately these didn't work out for me and I ended up returning them. Instead, I ended up with Altra's new Superior 4 minimalist trail runner. It's supposed to be less durable, but otherwise hits all the marks for me. Compared to the Kiger 5s, the Altras had (1) MUCH more room upfront and (2) much softer cushioning (even with the rockplates inserted; I took them out for use). The whole shoe was just way more comfortable than the Nikes for my feet. They won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I encourage anyone checking out the Kiger who finds them a little tight to also look at Altra (or Topo).

Great shoes built for a specific purpose, trail running, trail walking. These shoes are great on a trail. They have a fairly aggressive sole that works but isn't really designed to be used on the sidewalk or street. On hard surfaces they kind of feel like walking on cleats. If your looking for an off road light running shoes this is it. If your running mainly on hard surfaces there's better choices. Overall for my use these are fantastic.

Shoes were great however end cap became delaminated only after a few days at toe box.

These shoes have the BEST traction. They feel so cool to walk in. I bought these for my son’s hiking trip and they did not disappoint.

Love these, second pair, great in sloppy and uneven terrain, took a half size up, and the toe box is awesome

Durable and stylish! Really happy with the purchase.

Great for mountain biking.

Love the look of these shoes! I have fairly low arches and like less support at the forefoot, so these have been great! Very responsive with each stride cycle while providing great support!

Its nice view hope fit it tome

Greta fitting and stable trail shoe. Using these to play disc golf and pretty easily the best shoe I’ve worn for the sport. Price is steep but worth it compared to the other trail shoes out there. Dope styling too!

I bought these for playing speed disc golf, so the real telling factor will be how well I can pivot with these shoes, or if they’ll be too grippy.

I normally wear a 7 in Mens, I listen to the reviews and got a 7.5 thank god I did the 7.5 fit perfectly. My toes are a little to close to the front of the shoe for my liking but manageable. I feel like an 8 would have been more to my spacious liking. These shoes are very narrow. If you’re in between sizes definitely go up! Other than that comfortable and great!

Great fit and true to size. Tried both these and the Wildhorse 5, but the Kigers just felt a little better. A little less bulky, great lockdown (the Wildhorse had the slightest heel slippage), and the perfect amount of protection underfoot.

Terra Kiger 5 rocks on gravelly rocky dry terrain. Stable and confident. The stiffer heel and integral tongue did not impact comfort for my medium width foot and the toebox was ample for splaying. I hate small toeboxes! The only flaw I found - and why these did not get 5 stars is they don't have that same confident feeling on the thin mud I have encountered. A slight slip but not a fall on your butt slip. I have yet to try these in muck but thinking they might have difficulty. But for dry conditions or wet on hardback, they performed great. And good for feet that prefer Nike lasts.

I moved up half a size for all Nikes, for comfort. And, always add better insole orthotics. Nice color combo on these with the gray soles .

These are the worst shoes I’ve ever purchased. They’re cute (For a running shoe) and that’s about it. Horrible foot pain after every wear. I wish I had sent them back before it was too late. The insole is garbage.