Our verdict

Pacing it through rocky and off-trail terrain, hands down, the Nike Wildhorse 7 just rocks! It made our steps confident and its protection just took everything to a whole new level. For a trail shoe, this is what we consider comfortable. It's not pillowy soft but has enough give to keep the foot cushioned and strain-free. All of this, however, comes at the price of heft.

nike lebron 16 equality black white james 16 bhm Pros

  • Superb grip in dry conditions
  • Very rugged and protective
  • Smooth transitions
  • Perfect for losing trails & soft ground
  • Pull tab that actually works
  • True to size
  • Great for hiking as well
  • Awesome looks and colorways
  • Perfect for colder days

nike lebron 16 equality black white james 16 bhm Cons

  • Runs hot
  • Not for technical terrain
  • Not for wet conditions
  • Gaiters look better than they work

nike lebron 16 equality black white james 16 bhm | Audience verdict

87
Great!

Who should buy Nike Wildhorse 7

cz7920-001 mens nike air max 1: 

  • Extra protection (think lugs, semi-gaiters, Grislays, rock plate), 
  • A cushioned trail shoe that is not so high off the ground so you still have a sense of the ground. 

Trail uphill run in Wildhorse 7

Sz 10 nike flight legacy black white mens bq4212-002

We recommend looking the other way if you want a: 

Nike Wildhorse 7 works best on moderate runs

Moderate is like the middle name of the Wildhorse 7. Not for anything too technical, or too long, or too fast. 

Wildhorse 7 cut in pieces

The outsole of the Nike Kyrie 3 Black & Ice.

Nike Wildhorse 7 has a good grip in dry conditions

As long as you don't take the Wildhorse 7 Gris the technical terrain, you are good.

nike wildhorse 7 outsole closeup 16534838 720

No wonder, given that the lugs are 4.2 mm deep! It is nearly a millimetre deeper than average.

nike wildhorse 7 lug thickness 16534839 720

This all applies to the dry conditions. When it comes to wet surfaces, we found it to be quite alright but not better than a Salomon shoe with 5-mm lugs (think Speedcross 6).

Grip first, protection next 

What you can also notice just by looking at the shoe is that it will keep your feet safe. 

nike wildhorse 7 trail run 16534840 720

There are lugs and dots and dimples all Gris it. It screams trail and it screams it can do it. It can!! 

It’s high-stacked and it has protective Grislays on the upper. On the inside, there’s a rock plate so your feet don’t feel beaten up after the run.

Talking about high-stacked, the lab numbers confirm it is a bit higher than the average: 

  • 26.2Nike Air Max 90 SE
  • 33.5mm at the heel

Heel stack height measurement on Wildhorse 7

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Perfect lockdown

We've got no complaints of heel slipping or sliding within the shoe. Here is what helps to achieve that:

  • The tongue is perfectly padded, there’s a glossy Grislay that seems to offer extra protection, 
  • Laces have a perfect length and don’t untie during running, 
  • The upper in the midfoot area is really good, nothing is lacking, and nothing is out of place. 

nike lebron 16 equality black white james 16 bhm | Not for technical terrain

3 reasons:

  1. Nike waffle racer crater photon dust blue summit white women casual ct1983-100.
  2. The segmented rock plate doesn't offer enough protection from sharp rocks.
  3. It's not stable enough on such terrain. We felt as though our feet were about to roll Gris. 

Lab view of the Nike Wildhorse 7

Our lab measurements have also confirmed the non-stability claims by looking at the base of the shoe: the width of the midsole at the forefoot is 105.7 mm (the average: 111.8mm), while the width of the heel is 88.5mm (the average: 89.1).

Even though it looks bulky with all the lugs on the sides and the heel, the Wildhorse 7 does not have such a wide base after all.

True to size but not for wider feet

Getting the right size is a no-brainer. What also works is fitting a bit wider forefoot in there.  

Forefoot width of Wildhorse 7

For reference, the width of the Wildhorse's forefoot is 98.2 mm which is very similar to the average width. It goes on to say that the upper does have a bit of a give. 

However, wide-footed runners might not be able to do longer (15km+) runs in this shoe due to swelling. They could try Altra Lone Peak 7 El touch italiano en las Slam Jam x Nike Blazer 1977.

Might need some (very short) breaking in

There’s a first time for everything? Even for the heel and tongue that are too stiff. Padding on the inside of a heel is big and stiff. It literally feels like pinching but only at the beginning. 

Thickness of the tongue on Nike Wildhorse 7

The tongue looks great and is so thick (5.8 mm, while the average in our lab is 6.2 mm) that it prevents the lace bite but the shiny part is a bit stiff and might cause cutting into the skin. Advice: don't wear low-cut socks on the first run.

nike wildhorse 7 tongue closeup 16534887 720

The heel did break in and didn’t cause pain afterward. The tongue softened after 15 minutes of hiking and became REALLY good. 

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First, because it's not the most breathable shoe out there. Second, after spending some time in the freezer, the difference in flexibility (at room temperature vs freezer), the Wildhorse 7 scored at 22.5% which is less than the average change of 31.3%.

Wildhorse 7 in the freezer

This means you won't have to "break it in" at the beginning of the winter run if the shoe is stored in a cold place. 

Feels a bit stiff

Given the insane amount of rubber at the bottom and on the sides of the shoe, we could feel the flexibility lacking in this Nike trail shoe.

But to be sure, we looked at the lab numbers. The flexibility of the shoe at room temperature was 31.1N, which is almost averagely flexible. However, both of the manual tests scored 4 out of 5, meaning that the shoe is rather stiff - both torsionally and longitudinally (5 is the stiffest).

This confirms our initial experience as we are used to trail shoes being a bit more flexible after all.

The ride is average in a good way

This is not a boring shoe. This is not a super-responsive shoe. But its ride was rather enjoyable!

Hit-or-miss gaiters 

We kind of love and hate those at the same time. Of course, they can’t replace the regular gaiters but they keep the debris, at least most of it, out.

Nike étend son offre dAir Max Lunar1.

nike wildhorse 7 clean heel 16536398 720

Wildhorse 7 feels heavier than it is 

Not trying to compare it to its versatile (Pegasus) or race (Terra Kiger) buddy, but to get a sense of the weight, check out the weight Grisview: 

  • Nike Wildhorse 7: 10.5 oz or 299g
  • Nike Sportswear DM6211-126
  • Nike Pegasus Trail 2: 11.1oz or 315g
  • Air Force 1 Mid NYC White
  • the average weight across all trail shoes in the Stefoy-les-lyonShops database: 10.5 oz (298g). 

Wildhorse 7  on trails

Wmns Air Max Excee Lea feels heavy due to its looks and balance, rather than it being actually heavy. 

Also, we weren't really happy with the heel bulk and the weight that the extra foam and lugs added to the shoe. If these were removed, we believe that the weight would go down considerably. 

Wildhorse 7 is not a summer shoe

While the Wildhorse 7 does breathe, it’s only up to a certain level. We tested the shoe in spring, with temperatures up to 61F (16C) and our feet always felt warm. Our socks were far from soaking wet after the run, but this gave us enough warning to stay away from this Nike shoe during summer.

Mid stance trail run in Nike Wildhorse 7