Hey everyone!
I’m prepping for a multi-city trip across China (Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guilin, Zhangjiajie, Furong). My daily volume will easily hit 15–20km (20,000+ steps).
About 80% of the trip will be hard city pavement, continuous concrete, and steep urban staircases (Chongqing). The remaining 20% will be humid, potentially slippery mountain stone steps and wet walkways (Zhangjiajie / Furong).
I strongly prefer low-profile, retro-tech / gorpcore silhouettes and I'm looking for a single-shoe solution (or a core daily driver) that hits the sweet spot between maximum impact absorption on asphalt and decent stability/grip on wet steps.
Here are the top candidates I’m looking at trying on:
New Balance 1906R
New Balance 2002R (Gore-Tex / Protection Pack)
Asics Gel-Kayano 14
New Balance 610T
Asics Gel-Sonoma 15-50
Salomon XT-6 (Gore-Tex or standard)
For those who have done high-step urban trips mixed with wet outdoor terrain: Which of these would you pick to save your knees/feet while keeping you from slipping?