Introduction to the Eager Search
REESE: I briefly noticed this shoe on the TrailCon/Western States expo. I merely noticed it out of the nook of my eye, and I bear in mind considering, “Everyone seems to be making a path shoe nowadays.” Which, honest sufficient, it appears like increasingly manufacturers are dipping their toe into the proverbial path working waters. Manufacturers like Tracksmith and Rabbit come to thoughts. And now… Eager? The maker of the bizarre climbing sandals?
Over time, they’ve been getting extra into trend collabs, so their foray into path working is a little bit of a shock. Type of, I assume. Manufacturers don’t put money into a phase except they count on to see a return; that’s, it’s a rising area with room for them to seize market share. Ah, sure, Economics 101. That’s factor, I suppose, to listen to that path working is rising in reputation. Extra individuals having fun with time outdoors in nature, versus, say, doom-scrolling, is definitely factor.
All that being stated, making a path shoe shouldn’t be so simple as including lugs to an outsole and calling it good. The truth is, many well-known manufacturers within the area appear to be struggling to supply high-end sneakers. We’ve seen smaller manufacturers like La Sportiva and Arc’teryx drop a few of our favorites, however massive manufacturers like Nike and Brooks appear to be stalling out a bit. So it’s a lofty activity. My expectations had been… lukewarm… for this shoe. Spoiler alert: Eager made a fairly good path shoe. Say what?
