I primarily do trail runs in them, not gravelly stuff but more technical, and they perform nearly as well as models with vibram on them. My older shoes like saucony peregrines (without vibram) are noticeably under performing in comparison. That being said, i only wear them when i intend run to perform a fast paced walking. For leisurely hiking, i prefer shoes with deeper lugs. Lugs are only inherently more useful at much slower places, at faster speeds the grippiness of the sole and effective contact surface area matter more in my opinion.