With spring's great thaw well underway, Salomon is getting serious about hiking, and its latest boot drop is all about balancing technical capabilities with comfort on the trail.
The Salomon X Ultra 5 Mid GTX hiking boot has landed, with a few significant upgrades over its predecessor. The X Ultra line is all about blurring the line between a cushioned, agile trail running shoe and a more rugged hiking boot, and with the 5, the brand has focused on refining a few details that let the previous model down.
Most significantly, the upper is now engineered from bulletproof Matryx, which we've seen in shoes like the Merrell Long Sky 2. It's known to be ultra durable and should fix the issues some hikers were having with the upper in the previous model wearing out. Once again, that's combined with a Gore-Tex membrane to help keep water out for those flooded spring trails.
The outsole has also been reimagined to better cope with more technical terrain, sporting deeper (and more durable) angular lugs in the All-Terrain Contagrip rubber compound to better bite into snow, mud, you name it.
So it's certainly burlier, but how does it hold up in the comfort department?
A plusher tongue and collar are said to improve your long-distance walking experience for starters. While it's the same Chassis system as the previous model that consists of lateral inserts on each side of the shoe to cradle your foot and avoid ankle injuries, the brand says it's made changes to the overall design, including the lacing system, for a "virtually customized fit" that helps stabilize your foot without restricting its movement.
A molded, breathable OrthoLite sockliner adds extra comfort and it looks to be more flexible than the most rugged boots and cut down on foot fatigue over long distances.
The Salomon X Ultra 5 Mid GTX hiking boot is available in men's and women's sizing in multiple colorways for $185 / £165 from Salomon and REI.
