Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX

Hiking the 2,176 miles of the Appalachian Trail - footwear was obviously going to be one of my top concerns. I thru hiked the entire trail in Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX's (4 pairs) so I feel really good recommending them. I usually tried to change them out around 450 - 500 miles (but through Pennsylvania / "Rocksylvania" I ended up putting close to 800 miles on a pair! I was impressed at how well they held up through that brutal state with the amount of weight on them (150 lb hiker and 36 lb pack - fully loaded). Being Gortex lined - splashing through mud soaked trail was never an issue - and what little water got in over the tops of them - body heat dried out. They have a VERY soft sole - so you actually FEEL the trail - vs just bounding right through it (like the guys in heavy Vibram soled boots). There were times that I wished I had a stiffer sole, but through the rock scrambles and climbing steep granite faces, the shoe stuck to rock like no other - and I never worried about my feet sliding out from under me. The lace system rocks - and every hiker I met that had Salomon's loved it as well. Just one quick grab and you are off and ready to go. Pretty cool how the super thin lace evenly distributes the torque - never did I get a hot spot from the shoe being too tight in one area. Oh - and another feature about the laces - I dislocated my finger in Virginia - and was still able to one handed lace my shoes! Try that with normal laces. I teamed them up with Smartwool light weight Adrenaline hiker socks and stayed as happy with my feet as you can, over 2,000 miles.

Salomon Website.

For more questions, call 417-877-8855.