Saucony Peregrine ISO Review

The award-winning Saucony Peregrine trail running shoe has been Saucony’s gift to the trail running community for 8 years now, after the original Progrid Peregrine was launched in the Spring of 2011. As each trail running season passes in Australia, both trail running’s popularity and the legend of the Saucony Peregrine shoe, continue to grow.

Successor to the popular Saucony Peregrine 8, the latest release in the Peregrine series from the good folks at Saucony, the Saucony Peregrine ISO, has received a number of significant updates from the Peregrine 8 shoe – updates we think you’re going to love.

SHOP the Peregrine ISO Men's or the Peregrine ISO Women's online now!

Saucony Peregrine ISO Overview

• Release date (Australia): January 2019
• Price (Australian dollars): A$220
• Weight (grams): Women’s – 260g, Men’s – 297g
• Heel-to-toe drop (offset): 4mm (heel: 22.5mm, forefoot: 18.5mm)
• Shoe type: Neutral
• Pronation: Neutral
• Foot arch: Normal (mid)
• Cushion: Responsive
• Recommended surface: Trail, grass

Peregrine ISO Key Updates

Let’s walk through the key updates to the Saucony Peregrine ISO from the Peregrine 8, starting with the Peregrine ISO’s new upper, changes to the Peregrine’s midsole and lastly updates to the Peregrine ISO’s outsole.

Peregrine ISO Upper

SAUCONY ISOFIT SYSTEM

Arguably the biggest update to the Peregrine shoe is the addition of Saucony’s ISOFIT system to the Peregrine ISO’s upper, hence the shoe’s name ‘Peregrine ISO’ (rather than Peregrine 9).

Saucony describe their ISOFIT system as:

"A soft inner sleeve and floating support cage combine to create a dynamic fit system that adapts to the shape and motion of your foot."

The ISOFIT system included in the new Peregrine ISO has been designed, tested, refined and then rolled out to other Saucony running shoes such as the Guide ISO 2, Freedom ISO 2, Hurricane ISO 5, before being included in Peregrine shoe. The Peregrine ISO therefore enjoys the benefit of the refinement of the ISOFIT system on the other Saucony shoes, receiving the most optimised, refined version of the ISOFIT system. The introduction of ISOFIT to the Peregrine shoe adds another level of comfort to your trail running adventures, as well as protection from the debris of the trails entering your shoes mid-run.

REINFORCED UPPER MESH

Hard-wearing reinforced mesh has been added to the Peregrine ISO’s upper in high-wear, high-impact and high-heat/moisture areas of the Peregrine ISO. This new reinforced mesh material helps the shoe stand up to brushes with trail elements such as sticks and rocks, gives the Peregrine ISO additional breathability as well as making the ISOFIT system more flexible and giving the Peregrine ISO an updated, more rugged, industrial look which we really like.

TOE AND HEEL PROTECTION

As trail runners your feet are regularly receiving a hammering from the trail, be it trees, rocks, holes in the ground, uneven stairs on the trail, the list goes on and on. Saucony recognise the additional stress the trail puts on the trail runner’s feet and have reacted to this feedback by adding additional toe and heel protection into the new Peregine ISO, without compromising the shoe’s flexibility and handling. Not exactly a significant update but better protecting your most valuable running assets, your feet, is clearly a good idea.

All in all, these significant upper changes have elevated the Peregrine ISO to a more comfortable, more functional and better-looking trail running shoe.

Peregrine ISO Midsole

FORMFIT SYSTEM

In their Spring 2019 running shoe line up, Saucony have incorporated FORMFIT into all of their running shoe updates, including the Peregrine ISO. There are three elements that comprise the Saucony FORMFIT system – the top layer, middle layer and lower layer.

The first layer directly under your foot is the top layer – a soft sockliner that conforms to your shape, creating a customised contact surface along your entire foot. The middle layer is Saucony’s EVERUN topsole, a lively, durable compound layer that adapts to your foot’s unique pressure pattern and smooths your forward roll. The final element of FORMFIT is the lower layer midsole which has been contoured to cradle and support your natural foot shape while absorbing impact and giving you the right spring for your stride.

In a nutshell, the layers of the shoe from directly underneath your foot through to the midsole makes up the FORMFIT system, introduced into the first Saucony shoe in 2018 and is now available in the new Saucony Peregrine ISO in 2019. The FORMFIT system can be likened to the chassis of a car, providing structure and a foundation for the shoe.

Saucony have retained the PWRFOAM midsole from previous Peregrine models.

Peregrine ISO Outsole

PWRTRAC OUTSOLE

A new feature of the Peregrine ISO’s outsole is full length PWRTRAC. Saucony describe PWRTRAC as:

"Tacky, durable rubber providing exceptional traction and abrasion resistance. The compound has a Coefficient of Friction (COF) that is 3x that of normal carbon rubber."

Full length PWRTRAC has been included by Saucony to increase the durability and grip of the outsole, creating a rugged, hard-wearing, long-lasting trail running shoe, giving you the confidence to take on the hardest trails in the harshest of conditions. A feature of the Peregrine ISO’s PWRTRAC outsole is the unique design that includes angular geometric 6.5mm lugs across the full length of the outsole, providing the aforementioned increase in grip.

Peregrine ISO Conclusion

With this latest model of the Peregrine, Saucony have taken their already award-winning Peregrine trail running shoe and updated it with further enhancements and refinements across the board – the upper, midsole and outsole – to make this a modern, comfortable, great-looking, high performance trail shoe that will stand up to the rugged trails in Australia.

The most notable updates to the Peregrine include the addition of the ISOFIT system for a better fit and increased comfort in the upper, the addition of the FORMFIT system through the midsole and the incorporation of full length PWRTRAC across the outsole, providing the Peregrine ISO with better grip and durability. A great deal of runner feedback and input, design thinking and product testing at Saucony’s running labs has gone into creating the new Saucony Peregrine ISO to make it one of the best trail running shoes available in 2019.

If you’re passionate about trail running, we really think you’ll love the look, feel and performance of the new Peregrine ISO.

Give it a run!

SHOP the Saucony Peregrine ISO Men's or Saucony Peregrine ISO Women's online now!

Do you have an opinion on the new Peregrine ISO? Please leave comments or question below, we’d love to hear from you!