The shoes use the "rocker" design at the bottom, which makes it stiller than its predecessor, my beloved Trail 4. In winter conditions, the bottom seems to perform well, but I can't do a side by side comparison with my Trail 4, which I had left (forgotten) at a trail head hundreds of miles away. The Trail 5 is also not as deep, making it harder to wade through steams.
The good news: After the attempt to buy another pair of Trail 4 failed, the trail's management, a PA state forest, has found my shoes! But still, I ask Nike, please don't change a good thing for change's sake, at least don't change it dramatically.