GORUCK Ballistic Trainers Classic vs. Mid-Top – Our Review

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Before we get started, we invite you to check out our definitive guide to GORUCK backpacks, bags, and vests. We figure if you’re into other kinds of GORUCK gear, you’ll be into the bags, too.

Also, if you’re interested in GORUCK footwear offerings, check out our definitive guides on the GORUCK boots and GORUCK shoe lines!

How different can two of the “same” shoe really be?

We’re going to answer this question today in looking at two different variations of GORUCK Ballistic Trainer: the “classic”, low-top variation and the “mid-top” (which I think is more of a “high top”) variation.

Second question: why should you care about the differences between these shoes?

Well, besides topping our rankings as the “best shoe for ‘dynamic rucking’” (i.e. CrossFit or “functional fitness”-style training) while also winning the title of the “best CrossFit shoe for beginners“, the Ballistic Trainer has certainly earned it’s “Official Shoe of the CrossFit Games” moniker.

So…yeah, I would think this is a conversation and analysis that is worth paying attention to.

GORUCK Ballistic Trainer – “Classic” vs. Mid-top

Like many (all?) of you reading this, when I got my hands on the mid-top Ballistic Trainers, I figured that the only discernible difference between the two would be in appearance.

While I was mostly correct, I wasn’t totally correct.

Interestingly enough, when you look at the listings for the variations on their pages, besides a couple of pictures of the different shoes, there is only a single line of text differentiating between the two.

Classic:

“Lift heavier. Sprint faster. Ruck harder. And look cool doing it. The new standard in functional fitness footwear with 3X Support™ and 3X Stability for all three (3) of your arches, making them the best workout shoes for men and women ever created.”

Mid-top:

“Lift heavier. Sprint faster. Ruck harder. And look cool doing it. The new standard in functional fitness footwear with 3X Support™ and 3X Stability for all three (3) of your arches. Now with a mid rise collar for added ankle stability.”

ballistic trainer

Yeah…so…a lot of clarifying information here, right?

Let’s back up for a second and look at what GORUCK has had to say about its Ballistic Trainers in a more general sense:

“…for use with barbells, sandbags, and all the things that make you strong. The most versatile and functional shoes for training in the real world.

To push past your limits in garages and driveways and in fields and on asphalt the world over — you need a stable platform, and you need more support from your fitness & weight training shoes. When you run, you need support. When you lift, you need support. When you flex, you need support.”

Of course, in early 2024, they added this…innocuous sentence to the description:

OFFICIAL FOOTWEAR OF CROSSFIT® AND THE CROSSFIT GAMES®

(can’t forget those “circle Rs!”)

Those intros aside…

Rucking

75%

70%

CrossFit

95%

90%

General Training

80%

85%

Construction & Materials

85%

85%

Price

80%

85%

Rucking

For some, it will come as a surprise that this is one of the shorter comparison sections. This is because the Ballistic Trainers, despite their company’s reputation (and, ya know, name) aren’t all that great for rucking.

Their traction is pretty poor, they aren’t overly durable (for the purposes of rucking, at least), don’t have adequate padding or other comfort-enhancing properties to facilitate moving long distances under load, and their lack of heel drop can get uncomfortable during extended wear periods.

While neither shoe is really designed for any style of rucking, the mid-tops do slightly better during “pure rucking” ventures to the added protection (and slightly increased stability) they provide to the ankle region. Nobody would ever confuse this extra layer of fabric with something you’d find in actual rucking boots, but they help to keep the stray branches and thistles off your socks.

In contrast, the classic Ballistic Trainers are better overall for moving at a faster pace. I feel better “speed rucking” on these, but only in controlled settings (most notably, rucking on a treadmill or a similar treaded machine) where loss-of-traction isn’t an ever-present concern.

I will still award the point to the mid-tops, but if you’re intent on getting footwear to wear for long distances with a heavy bag strapped to you, opt for specialized (non-Ballistic Trainer!) rucking shoes.

Winner: Mid-tops

CrossFit

I get that these are manufactured by “the rucking company”, but at this point, I’d be willing to bet that most people are looking at these for CrossFit or other related workouts. With all of the publicity GORUCK is getting on the, admittedly terribly-produced, CrossFit broadcasts, I’d actually put money on this.

This is the context where the vast majority of my wear in these shoes, particularly the mid-tops, has taken place…

…and this is a good thing because both are excellent options for just about any metcon you’re likely to experience.

The first thing that sticks out about both of these shoes is their 8 millimeter heel drop. If you’re new to CrossFit/functional fitness shoes, this may actually seem pretty normal as this is more in line with what you might find in your average running shoe than with 3-6 millimeter heel drop that is much more common in the industry.

However, if you’ve been messing around with Metcons and (classic) Nanos for a bit, either shoe’s heel will make you feel like you’re “walking on air” during your first few workouts.

Another similarity between the shoes that nevertheless separates them from other training shoes is their unique upper/outer material composition. The Ballistic Trainer Cordura material, to be honest, feels a little…different on first wear. It isn’t overly soft and can feel a little rough around the foot.

That being said, in comparison to, like, any other shoe material, the Cordura feels the most resilient. Aside from being slightly easier to stain (not scuff, mind you) and the fact that they attract prickles (as mentioned in the rucking portion), the outer materials are only a few steps below, like, adamantium.

At the time of this writing, my white, low-tops are going on Month 9. Yeah, they’re stained to hell due to a lot of time against the mats and wall (yeah, wall walks will do that) but the material itself feels very close to how it did during Month 1.

To avoid rehashing all of the same content from our main Ballistic Trainer review, let’s look at how the main (really, only) difference between the shoes affects each.

I would argue that CrossFit doesn’t usually require a ton of lateral stability. I mean, yeah; you (should!) move your feet laterally when you’re landing in the bottom of a clean or snatch. However, it’s not like your metcons involve 5 rounds of 3-on-3 basketball.

With that being said, both shoes excel pretty well in this area, but although the mid-tops do slightly better due to the fact that the ankle material is definitely a few steps more robust than what you’d find in something like a Chuck Taylor. It’s not going to prevent a dead-to-rights rolled ankle, but you have a better chance in these than you do in the classic Ballistic Trainers.

In a similar vein, the mid-top trainers also get a slight nod when performing two of the most common lifts performed in CrossFit metcons and training (deadlifts, squats). I’m probably never going to go out of my way to find, for the lack of a better term, “powerlifting shoes” with significant ankle-stabilizing material, but I can definitely notice a difference when performing these lifts in the mid-tops.

Winner: Mid-tops

General Training

As far as wearing Ballistic Trainers for your everyday circuit training routine, casual-to-semie-serious jogging/running, and other general training activities, you can certainly do worse. However, keep in mind that these types of less-intense activities aren’t exactly what either variation of these shoes were designed for.

GORUCK claims that the shoes are just as comfortable in intense training environments as they are “at the bar after a long day”. I don’t doubt this, nor do I think they are uncomfortable for less strenuous wear, but you can certainly find shoes that are more comfortable for these types of settings (the bar or “easier” workouts).

For exercises requiring greater overall stability, the Ballistic Trainers do the job although, as previously mentioned, exercises requiring additional ankle stability (ex. deadlifts, pistols) are going to be better facilitated by the mid-tops.

In contrast, while neither variety is…great for runs over ~400 meters, the mid-tops are the “clunkier” option. Now, this could be more a personal, mental thing since I always have a little bit more trouble running in higher-top shoes. However, even a quick scan of “running shoes” (ranging anywhere from sprinting to distance-running shoes) will show a dearth of high-top shoes.

At the end of the day, the Ballistic Trainer is a CrossFit/functional fitness shoe. It’s not really suitable for the rigors of different styles of rucking, isn’t great for distance running, and paying ~$140 is a bit of overkill for a shoe to do bicep curls and leg extensions in. It can serve your general training purposes, but these should only be a secondary concern.

Winner: Classic

Construction & Materials

As you can probably guess, these shoes have a lot in common in regards to their “respective” materials and general construction. They are exactly the same (besides the additional material the mid-tops boast) and, according to GORUCK, they actually weigh the same…

Ballistic Trainers Specs

My weight test implies something slightly different.

291 grams

374 grams

As mentioned in some of the other sections, the Ballistic Trainers are comprised of robust materials with the most interesting (and, arguably, the most appreciated feature) being the Cordura upper/outer materials.

Additionally, the Ballistic Trainers’ hard, “triple compound rubber” (which has the added benefit of scuffing and scarring less when clasping during dope climbs) provides a degree of stability that isn’t always apparent in CrossFit shoes.

Overall, there isn’t anything that differentiates these two from each other in this category. Literally, the same shoe (minus that slight weight difference).

Winner: Tie

Price

As simple as it sounds, defining the Ballistic Trainers price is actually somewhat difficult. The good news? The reason why defining price is difficult is because different color combinations are on sale, to varying degrees, pretty much all the time (ironically, at the time of this writing, there are currently no styles on sale!)

Notice how I specifically mention “color combinations”. This is deliberate because as many different low-top Ballistic Trainer variations I have seen on sale before, I have never seen the mid-tops (which apparently only come in black or white) on sale. Because of this, the classic variation is the winner here.

So how much can you expect to pay for these? The “normal” price for both variations is currently $140. It’s not uncommon to see them at the $119 price point and there is usually one “black sheep” color on sale for $99.

I’ve been lucky(?) enough to snag a pair of the Ronald McDonald/bowling shoe variation for under $70. Only problem is, I can only really wear these for at-home workouts!

…or maybe not…

Yeah…anyways, despite their matching prices, you’re much more likely to find the low-top Ballistic Trainers on sale than the mid-tops. As such, they get the point here.

Winner: Classic

Overall Winner

According to our metrics…we have a tie ball game!

…and to be honest, even in the areas where each shoe “won”, the advantages are so minor that you’d be more than happy with either option.

I would say that if getting a discount on your shoes is your biggest priority (and you almost always can with Ballistic Trainers), the classics are going to be your go-to.

However, personal preferences and priorities ultimately reign supreme; if you’re like me, and just prefer a low-top shoe, your natural instinct will dictate that you go with these.

Whichever shoe you ultimately pick, you’re not going to “lose” by any stretch of the imagination. Both are legit choices you can be confident in picking up.

Our Testing Process

As alluded to above, I’ve been training in my classic Ballistic Trainers for close to a year now (not to mention regularly working my second pair into training sessions). Additionally, I’ve worked my mid-tops into a diverse array of sessions (“classic CrossFit”, weightlifting-priority, running, rucking) over the past few months to get an idea of how they stack up.

It’s important that we utilize items we review in ways that other lifters and athletes are most likely to use them. As such, you can be confident that any ideas you have for your training shoes…well…we’ve probably had the same or similar ideas (and actually acted on them!)

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs between two of the “same” shoe? Yeah…we got the two most important questions right here:

Yeah...as of the time of this writing you have, like, 30-odd options (to include combinations and contrasts) for the classic Ballistic Trainers while the mid-top trainers have 1 (I think they had white ones before, but right now, just black). If black ain't your color...well...they're still great shoes!

Man...tough. I really like both options.

...I also really like low-top shoes...but...I've been liking my mid-tops just a bit more.

Two Great Variations…of the “Official Shoe of the CrossFit Games”…

To be honest, when we set out to compare these two variations of Ballistic Trainers, I didn’t really anticipate there being an actual competition. In reality, I was expecting it to be more of a “showcase” between two very similar pairs of training shoes.

It’s not often that things live up to the hype (at least not in my experience), but these really do live up to their designation as the “Official Shoe of the CrossFit Games” (amongst other titles…)

Mid-top or low-top/classic…you’re going to (and you should) choose based off of your own personal preferences. Unless you really think you’re getting a “rucking shoe” from your purchase, it’s going to be hard for you to go wrong with either of these.

As we finish up, we invite you again to check out GORUCK’s current “Deals”. Knowing what I know about these, there is a good chance that a number of the bags from this guide (among other goodies) are deeply discounted right now!

Also, if you’re interested in GORUCK shoes, you gotta be interested in other rucking gear and workouts, right? Check out our definitive guides on the best dynamic rucking workouts!

Rucking

75%

70%

CrossFit

95%

90%

General Training

80%

85%

Construction & Materials

85%

85%

Price

80%

85%

Photo of author

AUTHOR

Tom, CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, ISSA-CPT, PN1-NC, DPA, CAPM has been CrossFitting for over 10 years. He has participated in a number of team and individual CrossFit competitions across Europe and the United States. He was the 2012 Chick-fil-A Race Series champion (North Georgia Circuit) and has put together a few gnarly garage and basement gyms in his time!

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