Icebug Capra Review

A Swedish brand this week, Icebug, and it’s their Capra up for review. Trail running in Sweden is very similar to the UK. They have a lot of wet and muddy conditions, so even Icebug’s cushioned trail designed for harder packed trails have a good level of lugging that gives some traction on softer ground. The rubber used for the outsole always grips well on wet surfaces.

The Icebug Capra is designed to work well on rougher more broken ground. Tove Alexandersson (17 World Orienteering Gold Medals, smashed the record in the 2018 Ring of Steall to become Skyrunning World Champion ahead of the UK’s Victoria Wilkinson) has helped design the shoe. What she wanted was a shoe that was nimble enough to run fast over technical, broken ground but also protective enough to be comfortable on long runs of over three hours. Essentially what Tove was looking for was a skyrunning marathon shoe.

The fit is snug, designed to hold the foot in the shoes when the ground is causing the shoe to twist and turn. However, Icebug shoes all enable a straight big toe line, which means that the toe boxes don’t come to a point. This means you can toe off strongly and your feet can function more naturally in the shoes. Shoes with this shaped toe box always feel like there is more wiggle room for your toes, as your toes aren’t pushed into the point of the shoes. Better foot function not only reduces the chance of bunions, but reduces how much your feet swell when you’re running a long way and the chance of getting various issues associated.

The Icebug Capra is also quite a flexible shoe so you can really toe off strongly and easily get onto your toes to run up steep climbs. They aren’t quite as ‘roll up in your pocket’ flexible as the Icebug Acceleritas8 but they have a lot more underfoot protection. The midsole is thicker to give better cushioning and there is also a rock shield in the forefoot to prevent sharp rocks and thorns from going through the bottom of the shoes.

Although they look like a solid shoe, they weigh in at only 285g for a men’s UK8 and 240g for a women’s UK5.

The outsole has 6mm long multi-directional lugs. These are long enough to bite into soft, muddy terrain to give a good level of traction but not too long that they feel uncomfortable on harder terrain. The length of studs is like other versatile trail shoes like the Scott Supertrac 3 and Saucony Peregrine ST. The rubber outsole is exceptionally sticky. It’s the same rubber that is used on the other Icebug models we have previously reviewed (Icebug Outrun, Icebug Horizon and Icebug Acceleritas8). The outsoles that grip well on wet rock and wood are generally made from a soft rubber. This moulds to the surfaces and grips better than a harder more durable rubber. The RB9X rubber compound was designed to offer exception grip on wet slippery surfaces and be as durable as a road running shoe outsole. Our experience of Icebug shoes is that they do just that. Strangely the rubber is quite hard and makes a bit of a clip clop sound when you run on tarmac. This is the opposite to a lot of other sticky rubber outsoles that are soft and pliable. This hardness also improves the grip on soft ground as the studs dig into the ground very effectively, giving a good level of traction.

The heel to forefoot drop is 7mm, which fits with the versatility of the shoe in that it is low enough to land on your midfoot for quicker running but is high enough for some slower easier running too. The midsole is well cushioned but isn’t too soft and squishy, which gives you a good feel for the floor so you can be nimble.

The midfoot is torsionally stable. This is supplied by a plastic insert between the outsole and the midsole. This gives the foot some support and a bit of propulsion, which is nice towards the end of longer runs when your feet are tired and you need a little bit of help from your shoes.
The upper is seamless so there is nothing to rub and the upper moulds to your foot shape. There is a protective rand that runs around the base of the upper to protect your foot and the shoe from abrasion. The rand also sheds mud effectively so you don’t get mud sticking to the shoe upper, which could rub and wear holes in the upper. The heel cup is plastic, secure and stable. The padding in the heel cup is light to reduce the absorption of water. The tongue is also lightly padded but with adequate protection from the laces.

They are a bit stiffer than a ‘fast’ shoe would be and have more of a solid protective feel. I feel the same about the Scott Supertrac and the Saucony Peregrine ST, which are both similar shoes. Once you have been running a while the shoes feel comfortable and responsive. The stiffness that gives you the support when you have been running a while is different by design than the super-fast light trail shoes that feel great on shorter runs, but harder to run in towards the end of a long run. The Capra has hit the right level of stiffness for me to be the perfect compromise. I can’t fault the grippiness of the outsole. I can’t recall an occasion when the shoes didn’t stick to the ground. The flex in the forefoot works the worst of the clay/mud out once you hit some harder ground.

The midsole is firmer and more responsive than the midsoles used for the Icebug Outrun and Horizon. I prefer this feel. It makes the shoe feel nimbler and react quicker to changes in direction. The firmness is similar to the VJ or Scott trail shoes.

I found Icebug to be a smaller fitting brand. Like Hoka or La Sportiva in length. If you need any advice on sizing, drop us an email.
A lot of running shoe brands are starting to partially make their shoes out of recycled material. Icebug have always been a green brand. The uppers of their shoes are 100% recycled materials. In 2019 they became the Worlds first climate positive shoe company (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). They publish their key sustainability indicators for all footwear models.

In Summary the Icebug Capra is a very grippy, responsive, versatile trail shoe. Ideal for British trails. If you are looking for a trail shoe that will cope with a bit of road to get you to your trail and then perform exceptionally well on a mixture of underfoot conditions in the wet or dry over a variety of distances, then the Icebug Capra is a great option.

Other Considerations

Scott Supertrac 3: Like the Icebug Capra the Scott Supertrac 3 has enough cushion for firmer trails but is also grippy enough to give you some traction in Great British mud. northernrunner.com/blog/scott-supertrac-3-review

Saucony Peregrine ST 12: These are a similarly versatile trail shoe. They are more suited to softer terrain as the upper doesn’t offer as much protection from rocks etc. So, they wouldn’t be a good choice for mountain use.
northernrunner.com/blog/saucony-peregrine-12-st-review

La Sportiva Mutant: The Mutant isn’t as versatile as the Capra but, if you are looking for a shoe for long days out in the hills then these would be worth considering a long with the Capra. Here is our review:
northernrunner.com/blog/la-sportiva-mutant-review