Mountain shoes
Product 2018
Man
The Mizuno Wave Mujin 5 designers have brought an almost maniacal care to its manufacture. The number of seams and reinforcements is high. There is no doubt about their toughness, you feel it the moment you put them on: the Wave Mujin 5 is designed for tough terrain. They must resist abrasion and shocks. This intrinsic quality, this “durability” has one disadvantage: its weight. You immediately feel the 357g for the size 42.5, does not belong in the light weight shoe category. You feel most of this weight in the heel where the layers of materials are stacked. The question is: could Mizuno have made them lighter with different materials (if only just a little)?
Beyond their durability, the other positive point about these shoes are their instant comfort … and over long distances. We immediately noticed large comfy layers of foam all around the ankle. While the general trend in running brands is to manufacture thin tabs like cigarette paper, Mizuno does the opposite and provides a nice padded tongue. And honestly it’s great, you don’t even think about it when tightening the laces and the forefoot is never cut in two even when running for a long time. As a result, the Wave Mujin 5 are rather warm and of course get heavier with added humidity (careful when river crossing), these additional grams are not really welcome. They also take a long time to dry out.
They envelop the feet well with a high comfort / precision ratio. You can consider long distances without any worries. The toe box is nicely designed giving width at the sides and tapering at the front. The heel fits well, again with a good mix between comfort and precision.
The stone guard is fairly flexible but it does its job. It is integrated and secured to the shoe by double stitching. Most brands have chosen to remove these seams by using thermo-bonding, it is more aesthetic but a question of taste.
The flat laces require care, especially at the front of the foot where you need to retighten. The pressure is well distributed over the foot. The support ensures standard precision.
The cushioning is practically non-existent at the front of the foot, and very firm at the back. You really have to press your foot into the heel to feel it. The stride is fluid, the sole provides torsional twist that master crossing slopes. You feel confident. The 12mm drop (18/30) surprised us a bit because we thought it was lower than this.
The Michelin sole made from Xtaride has a major advantage: it never saturates with mud. The lugs are well spaced and small stones cannot get blocked. The lugs are small, especially under the forefoot, you do lose traction power especially in very sticky muddy terrain. The rubber used is effective on stone slabs and on wet ground. The other big positive point about this sole is that it prevents you feeling stony ground. We have run a lot on very technical paths (sharp rocks, etc …), the Mizuno looks after your feet, and this is precious.
To resume, the Mizuno Wave Mujin 5 are solid shoes, rustic in some respects but very comfortable. They are designed for long distances. Only downside is its weight.
18 mm12 mm 
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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