The END Stumptown 12oz Trail running shoe is an incredible shoe! I have worn this shoe for three weeks straight, and have put it to the test, trail running, street running, casual walking and just about anything you could do to a shoe. I am very impressed with the shoes durability. It's tread hasn't worn down at all. The shoe still looks brand new after having tromped through shallow ponds and streams, mud, snow and the slushy mess you get when it snows in the city. The shoe is incredibly comfortable and light weight. It weighs less than any of my sandals! Each shoe, most definately, wheighs only 12oz and seems to fit true to size. The toe box in the shoe is a bit more roomy than most other shoes i have had but isn't too roomy. The shoe gives just enough room for your toes to swell as you run, but not so much room that your feet are swimming in them. This shoe also has decent arch support.
The most incredible thing about the END Stumptown 12oz Trail Running Shoe is how incredibly waterproof they are! I have worn them in a constant downpour, ran through shallow ponds, streams, and puddles, snow, even sprayed them with a high pressure power washer while cleaning the mud off my car and NOT once have my socks and feet gotten wet! The one issue i have had with the shoes is that when hiking through the snow my feet did get cold, really cold! I thought my socks were wet so I pulled off my shoe, inspected the sock and to my amazement, the socks were completely dry! I attribute the cold to the lightness of the shoe, being that a 12oz shoe isnt going to have a lot of material or insulation. However, this shoe is worthy of year round wear because it breaths well and is completely waterproof!

...but I love them.

Things I like:

1) simplicity of the design: seems they have found the right balance with materials, features and construction. and they look quite nice.

2) weight: they feel very light for a trail shoe. My last pair of trail runners were salomon XA pro with XCR. so much lighter.

3) philosophy: this played a big part in me gambling on buying a shoe from a little known brand. The company is making a concerted effort to improve its ecological footprint. Sure it's not perfect, but I'd prefer to put my money towards a company that is trying. I also appreciate that ecological awareness is part of their core philosophy (like Patagonia). What good is having a small range of green shoes when the rest of your products do not involve these practices (e.g. nike).

Two unknowns so far:

1) water resistant?: I just went running in snow and they seemed to hold up okay. I'm curious if they'll do okay in wetter conditions. obviously they are not goretex. They do breath better than my old XCR shoes.

2) durability: this will be the biggest test for these shoes. I can't see any potential problems, but it is always a risk with simple-lightweight shoes, and of course, the benefit of buying green shoes is reduced if you have to buy twice as many. time will tell!

I was initially very pleased with these shoes as most other reviewers seem to be. They fit well (true to size) with adequate support, handling some rough runs in the Grand Canyon. The true problem with these shoes, or at least my pair of shoes is that they seem to be put together quite poorly. Granted, I've owned them for several months, little over half a year, purchased 4/18/08, but for the last couple months, the shoes have self destructed on me. The soles of the shoes are flapping like a dog's tongue on a hot day. Actually that is the biggest problem, but a huge problem. I'm an infrequent runner, maybe a couple times a month and I feel these shoes should have held up much better for the trails that I put them on. Forewarned.

Been swapping back and forth between these and the Montrail Streak on trail runs. Trying to decide which of these lighter weight trail shoes work better for me. The Stumptown 12oz is lighter, and the sole is much softer and way more flexible. I like that it folds around rocks and allows me to "feel" the trail better -- but I would doubt that this will work for everyone. Because of the minimalist construction, they do dry out quickly after running through puddles or streams -- but, in my experience, they are decidedly not waterproof as James states below.

Lightest most comfortable athletic shoe I have ever worn. I have a wide foot and a high arch and these babies really fit me. And I like the environmental part too.

These END Stumptowns are Rock Stars! They are like wearing slippers. Use mostly for cross-training and biking. The END design makes me feel even better about wearing them!