Any runners here? I'm interested in exchanging ideas about bringing along running shoes while keeping to one bag and lightweight. A regular pair is out of the question for me. I don't want running shoes as my main pair of walking shoes and the volume they occupy as a second pair is too much.

Years ago Reebok made a pair of shoes called Travel Trainers. I never saw a pair and I don't think they make them anymore. They seemed ideal for traveling though I don't know if they would hold up to running on the street.

Nike has a pair called Mayfly that weigh 135g and last 100 kilometers per their description. It's a real running shoe. It sounds ideal, the upper is ripstop nylon so it sounds like they could be flattened pretty easily. I haven't see a pair up close yet.

Any other ideas?

If size and space are the main issue you could try racing flats. They should be available from must about every brand in any decent running store. Ages ago when I tried to improve my times I learned that the racing shoes could improve your time by a few seconds per mile. But I eventually decided that I too slow to worry about a few seconds and I'd prefer the extra protection and cushion you get from a "regular" running shoe.

I mostly just bite the bullet and take my full sized shoes. The main problem I have is isolating the smell since I sweat a lot and my shoes will get smelly. I have used plastic bags but I might try a water proof stuff sack used by backpackers to see if that works.

My main bag is a Tom Bihn Aeronaut and my shoes take up one side pocket. So far it's worked but that limits me to just one more pair of shoes (which I wear on the plane).

I think the Nike Mayfly is a racing flat. I have a pair on order so I'll soon find out what they're like. My target packing volume is more like the Western Flyer. I can see the Aeronaut being comfortable with a regular pair of running shoes.

About the stink: small stuff sacks are a good solution. I think I posted elsewhere in the forum about the ones I use for hiking which are very lightweight and made with waterproof material. Aren't there some heavy duty plastic ziplocs that can do the job, too?

I also like to bring a pair of racing flats. Currently I like to use the Saucony Type A2, which is smushable. Also I like cross country flats sometimes because they are very low profile, light weight, and also quite inexpensive. The two in my rotation are Saucony Kilkenny XC2 and Nike Waffle Racer V. Each pair was around $25-30 from Foot Locker. com with a coupon code.

A couple of weeks ago I was in a Puma shop and saw something similar to the Reebok
Travel Trainer described above. The Puma was called the Train Away 2. They could pack flat. I thought about buying a pair but they were still $85 on sale. There are a couple of hits from a Google Search, but still pricey. I like the yellow ones.

I have not tried the May Fly but I think that would be a good packable solution. I don't know about the pricing of those, but my understanding is that they are designed to wear out after very few miles, like 50 or so.

I got the Mayfly's in the mail today. They're comfortable, very packable, very ugly, and very light. I paid less than 40€ including shipping from the UK to Spain. There's a label that says they're made to last 100km, or 62 miles. I have yet to try them out but if they work out OK, then it's not a bad traveling solution.

That sounds like a good deal. Please post a review after you try them a couple of times.