It’s late winter of 2026 and you know what that means… we’re inching ever closer to thru-hiker season! Are you excited? Nervous? Still wanting to cozy up by the fire and drink a mug of hot chocolate? I get it! I am often in the same boat.
But when my thoughts DO turn toward slipping hitting the trail again, you know what warms my heart? The thought of trying something new and thinking outside the box (the shoe box, that is). Instead of slipping on a new pair of shoes this year, instead I’m just going to slip IN a new midsole.
How can that be, you say? Let me introduce you to Astral’s Nosobo, the zero drop, wide toe box thru hiking shoe that I have fallen in love with and that might just rethink the way we wear trail shoes.
Astral was (still is) a PFD company used by paddlers, sailors, and water sporters of all stripes. After life jackets, they began making shoes, which has brought incredible grip and breathability to the trail and in many ways has raised the bar of what I am comfortable and confident climbing up and down on the trail. Their rubber outsole creates the kind of traction and stability every hiker wants and needs on slick surfaces that are so common in the Eastern United States, whether the Long Trail in Vermont, the Pinhoti Trail in Alabama, or anywhere in between.
I have spent the past 12 months wearing my Nosobo’s in a variety of changing conditions, including:
– night hiking through the Smokies to watch synchronous fireflies
– walking through the soft sand and wet surf along the coastlines of South Carolina and Florida
– exploring the landslides and washed out watersheds of Hurricane Helene.
– tiptoeing over the most treacherous rock fields in PA
– summiting some of the highest peaks in northern New Mexico
– backpacking a section of the Appalachian Trail with my kids
– and hitting up trails and greenways on business and family trips to Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, Houston, and Philadelphia.
You name it, I have worn my Nosobo’s there and have loved them every step of the way. They may take a few more miles to “break in” than your common trail runner. But also different from the common trail runner, they last 2-3 times as long. Good things come to those who wait, and once the Nosobo insole have gotten to know your heels and your toes, they will, as the saying goes, “fit like a glove.”
Astral has led the charge in sustainable footwear development for years. Environmental responsibility is their MO. (Don’t trust me? Google it). So it makes perfect sense that they would take their shoe design a step further by creating a shoe that doesn’t have to be discarded after what’s essentially a single use. I don’t think any shoe company has really done it before and I am thrilled to be a part of it. One less outer and upper in a landfill? Sign me up! An extra $130 in my bank account for adventuring? Yes, please.
So whether you are hiking northbound, southbound, east or west this year, give the Nosobos and let them guide your foot and your adventuring. I don’t know yet which trails I’ll be hiking and which directions I’ll be headed, but I do know that I’ll be excited to go wherever my durable, sustainable Nosobos take me.
Written by
Jenn Pharr Davis
Astral Archetype, Jennifer Pharr Davis, is an internationally celebrated adventurer, author, mother and business owner who set the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail.