rabbit Dream Chaser Review
By David Salas
rabbit Dream ChaserPrice: $160 at rabbit
Weight: 8.5-9 oz, g (men's size 9), 7.5-8 oz, g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 37mm heel / 32 mm forefoot
Drop: 5mm
Shoe Purpose: Daily Running Shoe
Pros: Promising foam, decent durability on outsole
Cons: Upper runs warm and can squeeze lateral foot
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The rabbit Dream Chaser is a neutral daily running shoe for those wanting a softer experience on the roads. The Dream Chaser is the debut shoe for rabbit and uses a ETPU midsole and insole. There are small pieces of carbon fiber shanks medially and laterally through the midfoot to give some gentle guidance that they brand as Carbon Trax. The Dream Chaser is a softer daily trainer for the roads.
SIMILAR SHOES: Karhu Mestari Run
PAST MODEL: New model
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
David: The rabbit Dream Chaser fits true to size in my Men's 9.5, though runs a tad long. The length did not seem to be an issue with heel slippage or overall fit though. The width dimensions in the heel is normal to slightly narrow, midfoot snug, and the forefoot slightly wide. The forefoot does taper a decent amount into the toe box. The upper material itself is a stretchy knit material that is decently comfortable statically. Dynamically the upper does warm up quite a bit and can be a little cumbersome. There were not specific hot spots that I got, but my foot was definitely sweating and warmer in this shoe than others. In turns there is a little bit of stretch to it. There is a thin tongue that still seems to do a good job of preventing biting from the laces. The gusset helps keep you on the platform, but does encroach on the midfoot with a squeezing sensation. There is a semi flexible heel counter that I had no irritation with. The sock liner is made via Blumaka. The sock liner has good cushioning, but does have some texture through the forefoot that heats up the foot a little more than I would like it to. I did not blister, but my medial forefoot and great toe were not too far from it. The fit of the Dream Chaser can certainly be better for running purposes. The warm and stretchy material can be nice for light activity, but can be a bit difficult for those doing larger amounts of volume or need a little bit of reinforcement from the upper. If you are not running cambered roads, many turns, or occasional dirt sections, it should still be able to serve your needs via bike path and roads. Because of how warm the shoe can get though I would challenge rabbit to play with some different mesh or knit materials.
David's Typical Size: Men's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit David well: Nike Vomero 17, Saucony Ride 16, Puma Velocity Nitro 3
Shoes that have fit snug: HOKA Arahi 7
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon Aero Glide
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Yes
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: In the distal forefoot/toes
How Flexible is the Shoe: Distally yes
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Needs work
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Recommended for Sockless: Potentially
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
David: The rabbit Dream Chaser is a daily training shoe for those with neutral mechanics. The shoe performs best on roads and areas with well groomed footing. The ETPU midsole that rabbit uses does come off quite soft and is one of the softer daily training foams on the market right now. It definitely feels best at easy and rhythmic paces. There is a slight bounce to it, though I am not sure I would reach for the shoe on any workout days. There is a gentle rocker on the shoe that works decently well. There is a decent amount of stiffness through the heel and midfoot, with a forefoot that has some flexibility distally. At first I could feel some extension through my toes that was a little uncomfortable, but that broke in better as I got more miles. The upper holds the foot with average security, but does have stretch to it when it is loaded. In sharper turns, faster paces, or uneven footing I do feel the shoe could improve the security and confidence in those situations.
The midsole also uses two carbon fiber shanks along the medial and lateral aspect of the midfoot. This is covered up with some rubber to keep a consistent transition on the platform. The Carbon Trax give you a little bit of guidance, but to be completely honest I am not sure if they are needed for this model. I think I would enjoy the shoe equally, or maybe more without them. The midfoot has a bit of a weird feeling to it due to the squeezing feeling from the upper and gusset. The firmer nature of the Carbon Trax underneath don't really add any comfort there. The overall transitions are not too bad, but I think reworking the midfoot would make for a more enjoyable experience. The Dream Chaser is not too bad of a crack at a brand new shoe, but there is plenty of room for improvement.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
David: The rabbit Dream Chaser is definitely a neutral shoe. The ETPU platform is on the softer end and maintains a good amount of compliance. The knit upper has stretch to when loaded and can come off a bit unstable. The outsole traction is not too bad and does a good enough job for most things. The gusset of the tongue and wrap in the midfoot squeezes the foot a little too much, but saves some of the instability. The Carbon Trax probably do help stabilize the midfoot a little, but do not provide the most comfort. You can expect very average stability from this model.
Thoughts as a DPT: Breathability
By David Salas, PT, DPT, CSCS
When making a running shoe there are a lot of considerations. In today's market there is a lot of attention that is brought towards the midsole, geometry, and stiffening agents. There are many new generation midsoles that utilize plates, shanks, and rods to give a responsive and lively ride on foot. The one thing that does not seem to get as much attention is uppers.
The upper is important for many reasons. The most important reason is that it keeps your foot on the platform that you are running on. If you have good foot security you can trust each of your steps and move with more natural mechanics. Though security could be a little bit better on the Dream Chaser, I want to focus on something else. That would be breathability. Breathability is the shoes ability to move air in and out of the textile material that holds you onto the platform. If the shoe does not have good breathability there can be a build up of warmth and moisture that can result in many things. The most common would be a low grade maceration of the skin that ends up becoming a blister from the friction of repetitive movements. In these environments bacteria can also have an easier time working itself into crevices within those body regions. Comparing casual shoes, running shoes, and perforated shoes, Miao, et al. (2021) did find that there was a positive correlation in shoe temperature and absolute humidity, as well as a negative correlation with ventilation rate on bacterial growth and microclimate. Now in most situations with daily activities you won't take your feet to these lengths, but in long distance running the possibility is certainly there. For daily walking use, the rabbit Dream Chaser should function just fine, but when running the upper holds a lot of warmth. For long runs and multiple hour efforts this could give people a hard time. I would like to see them work on something that has a little bit more breathability to it.
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: The main recommendation I would have for rabbit in the Dream Chaser is to play with upper materials and clean up the midfoot. I had the most issues with the upper though. It is very warm and very stretchy. I did find that I really only trusted this shoe on road and bike path at controlled paces. Because of my foot heating up every run I did not really want to take it beyond 10 miles, though the shoe has plenty of capacity to. I think the midfoot can be cleaned up as well. This would be in both the upper and midsole. I am not opposed to having the Carbon Trax, but I do think integrating them into the shoe a little better for smoother transitions would work better. To be fair, the squeezing sensation through the midfoot from the upper was not setting it up for success there, so maybe an upper revision could fix that sensation as well.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
David: The rabbit Dream Chaser is a daily running shoe for someone that wants a softer ride on the roads and does not mind a little bit of instability. The upper runs very warm and does have a good amount of stretch to it. The shoe is aesthetically pleasing and is definitely a shoe you can do some light road running and then walking/wearing out as well. In its current state I find it difficult for the shoe to be a workhorse with the warmth of the upper and other qualities, but the potential is there. This is best at easy and rhythmic paces.
GRADES
David
Fit: C+ (Definitely needs some reworking. Very warm with some stretch to it. Midfoot gives squeezing feeling.)
Performance: B (The platform itself does not perform to bad. Decently smooth transitions at easy paces with some pressure in the midfoot medially and laterally.)
Stability: C (Very very neutral shoe. ETPU is softer and more compliant. Upper has decent stretch to it and does not feel the most stable under load. Outsole, platform width help.)
Value: B- (For those that it will work for I think it will bring decent durability and lifestyle crossover. At the price point though it will be difficult to line up with competition.)
Personal: C+/B- (The midfoot squeezing and really warm upper are deal breakers for me when it comes to running use. Lifestyle-wise the shoe actually looks pretty good. I don't mind it for standing and so you will see me walking in it around.)
Overall Design: C+
SHOP | SUPPORT DORRabbit Dream ChaserPrice: $160 at Running Warehouse
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