New Balance Fresh Foam X More Trail v3 Review: Maximum Cushion on the Trails

Introduction

New Balance’s trail lineup recently showed us two very different ends of the spectrum. Where the Summit Unknown v4 leans strict and grounded, the Fresh Foam X More Trail v3 goes all-in on one thing: cushioning. This is the deepest-cushioned trail shoe we have run in, and after a seven-mile first outing on the trails, the verdict is genuinely mixed.

First Impressions and Construction

The box alone tells you what to expect. The More Trail v3’s packaging is large enough to fit the Summit Unknown v4’s box inside it, which gives you some idea of just how colossal this shoe is. In a UK 10, it weighs 335 grams, which sounds heavy until you account for the sheer volume of Fresh Foam X in the midsole. The drop is a 4 mm heel offset, though exact stack heights are not published anywhere.

The midsole itself is a two-part construction: softer at the top, firmer toward the bottom, with at least three percent bio-based content to reduce the carbon footprint. Because you sink into the foam, the depth is a little misleading. The raised edges around your foot act as a guide rail designed to add stability on uneven ground.

The upper continues the eco-friendly theme with New Balance’s Green Leaf standard, meaning at least 50 percent recycled content. It uses lightweight synthetic mesh with a bootie-style design, where the tongue forms part of the shoe for a precise midfoot fit. There are overlays wrapping the toe box, reinforcement around the laces, a substantial recycled heel cup, a heel pull tab, and a protective toe bumper.

Grip and Outsole

The outsole is Vibram EcoStep rubber, produced using at least 30 recycled materials while still delivering strong grip. The lug pattern is a chunky, deep 5 mm design, and it is genuinely rare to find a max-cushion trail shoe paired with such an aggressive outsole.

On our dry-weather test run, the rubber felt sticky and delivered excellent traction on loose and sandy sections. Based on how it performed, it should cope well with UK winter conditions too.

How It Performed on the Trail

On hard compacted trails and tarmac, this shoe is outstanding. The Fresh Foam X compound is extremely soft and highly bouncy, and the rocker geometry felt efficient over long stretches. For an ultra event with lots of flat gravelly towpaths, fire roads, and tarmac sections, this would be a serious candidate, and the plush ride should help with muscle fatigue over long distances.

On more uneven ground, the picture changes. Ground feel is minimal, to the point of guessing what terrain is underfoot. There were a few sketchy, wobbly moments on off-camber sections where the foot slid across the midsole and the upper struggled to hold it in place, requiring a couple of stops to re-tie the laces for better lockdown.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The platform is extremely wide, poking out well beyond the upper. That design helps stability on soft foam, but it felt awkward in narrow gullies where the midsole kept catching the trail edges. If you run mixed, technical, or uneven terrain, the loss of connection may be a dealbreaker.

This shoe retails in the UK for £150, so it is an expensive trail running option, and it is a very specific kind of trail shoe. It is worth buying only if your routes lean toward firm, flat, and compacted surfaces.

Buying Advice

If your typical runs involve long stretches of towpath, gravel fire roads, or tarmac mixed into ultra-length efforts, the More Trail v3 makes a lot of sense. If your trails are technical, rocky, or uneven, you will likely give up too much ground feel and confidence.

Conclusion

After the first outing, the jury is out on this shoe. It is superbly comfortable, soft, and bouncy on firmer flat trails, but the cushioning may be a step too far for mixed terrain. With more miles, it may simply require adjustment, or it may prove to be the wrong shoe for certain trail styles. As a max-cushion option for smoother routes, though, it is very hard to beat on comfort.