New Salomons deflowered today

[George Matthews]

Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra Trailrunners

My first impression is: GREAT shoes!

Nice fit on my feet

Look durable

Excellent traction

[Greg Mihalik]

George,
Mine are about a year old and have seen some miles. I was disappointed that the seams in the toe area and the mesh at the flex points started to give out pretty early. The "lips" facing up collect grit that saws through the stitching. The "lip" facing down gets shredded as you step down through rocks.

So I carefully applied SeamGriped along the Red line above.

After one flex point gave out – the Blue area – it coated it and the other three.

And they are still going strong.

[BlackHatGuy]

I hope you were gentle….

[Gary Boyd]

I socked mine in the jaw and yelled pop goes the weasel.

[Ken Thompson]

No size 15. Won't be trying these either. Sigh. It does narrow the field quite a bit wearing clown shoes full time.

[Joe Clement]

>I socked mine in the jaw and yelled pop goes the weasel.

Wow, talk about obscure movie reference. But a good one.

[Philip Carr]

Wore mine for the first time out in the hills yesterday (out in the English Lake District). I have a pair of Quest 4Ds so the grip etc was the same. But the weight benefits were A1. Reallt light, no issues with a mix of bog, rock, mud, steep up/downward slopes etc. Will definitely use again.

Top of Loughrigg fell in the Lakes –

http://www.me.com/ro/philipcarr/Galleries/100023/P1000706/web.jpg?ver=12697731940001

[Gary Boyd]

Joe,

My hat is off to you sir, for recognizing that great line. One of my favorites from Samuel L Jackson.

[George Matthews]

LOL – excellent

[Matthew Reese]

I wore my new pair on a 6 mile break-in hike yesterday and was pleased, over-all. I have narrow heels and wide forefeet and have a heck of a time finding shoes that fit, and after wearing out my last pair of the old Hardrock wides have been searching for some light hikers. No rubs or blisters, fairly good bottom protection, very light and airy. I wore with a pair of Montbell stretch gaiters which seemed to be a good combination. Only complaint was not much lateral stiffness for steep sidehills, but that's kind of the price one pays. We'll see how they hold up, but so far I like 'em.

[Nick Gatel]

I've had mine for over a year. No issues with the construction at all. Also, these are the best fitting shoes I have ever bought.

[Jack H.]

I've worn through five or so pairs of these.

I like them, but they're no longer my shoe of choice. I prefer something with a little bit more stiffness, these are very much on the running shoe spectrum of trail runners.

Again, I like them, but:
– The tread wears pretty fast.
– In five pairs, I've had the laces break probably three times.
– Mesh has broken twice probably. In the same areas talked about above.

I really like how well they do hiking through creeks and how fast they dry.

[Art …]

I often read complaints on BPL about trail shoes that are wearing out faster than someone wanted.
Yes we want our gear to last as long as possible.
But don't we use trail runners for fit and performance "Over" longevity ?

Longevity is what those old 5 lb leather boots were all about.

+1 for Salomon XA PRO Ultra

p.s.
I still don't understand Salomon kevlar broken lace reports. Never broke one, never hardly even frayed one.

[Jack H.]

Art, you can see that I've worn five pairs. I don't think that I have unreasonable expectations when it comes to durability. The laces do break, that's why most good outfitters carry replacement laces for the solomons.

[Dean F.]

D@mn, Ken. Are you our resident sasquatch?

[Art …]

. . . . .

[John S.]

You don't have to go with offset lacing. Cut off the loop (or keep it if you find a way), relace from the top, and tie off skipping the lowest offset lace hole (can't think of proper term).

[John S.]

My Salomon XA PRO's from 2005 had no lace wear. My Salomon Tech Amphibians show wear in exactly the same spot on both shoes, inner number three lace hole (second from top). That area has most pull and the plastic thingy is probably a little too sharp in that area of wear.

[David Chenault]

Salomons have never fit me. Alas.

For me, aquasealing wear areas is standard practice on my shoes. Increases their life enormously.

[Ken Bennett]

I'm on my sixth or seventh pair of Salomons. I prefer the XA Comp, which is softer than the XA Pro. I have Goretex for winter and mesh for summer. The Goretex seem to last forever, while the mesh shoes start to come apart pretty quickly in the usual places. Never had any problems with the lacing system.

[Russell Swanson]

I've been wearing these exclusively (well, I've tried other shoes but keep coming back to the Salomon's) for some time now. I've owned 4 pairs. I get about 300-400 miles on a pair before I have to get a new pair due to two factors- the midsole padding becomes so compressed they feel 'flat' and the tread wears down to nothing in the forefoot. I can't say I've had the same durability issues others are reporting- no appreciable breakdown of the mesh or fraying of the laces. I still have the first pair I ever bought as my yard work shoes. The laces are starting to fray where they pass through the front eyelets but this was remedied by a little electrical tape. I suppose leukotape would work as well and hold better. If you're worried about the laces that should do.

I can't say enough about the breathability and quick-drying times of these shoes. They also feel comfortable after a long day. Those factors are probably most important to me as my feet are tough and I can deal with a little less support. They also seem to fit me very well, especially now that they're sold in a wide size. MY biggest grip is the soles. After I look at a pair of Inov8's or even my wife's Vasque trail runners I don't understand why Salomon doesn't beef up the lugs on these things. New in box they're only about 3/8" deep. After a few months on rocky trails they're searing smooth in a hurry.

[Andrew King]

Another user of XA Pro 3D Ultra's. Initially they took some getting used to, but now are my shoe of choice. I am on my 4th pair now. Great fit and feel, but for sure they wear out more quickly than just about any other shoe I've tried. But I like them now so much I keep coming back to them. The worst wear area for me is the mesh on the sides near my little toe. I have never had the kevlar lacing system fail on me, but have hiking friends who have experienced lacing failure. A little cheaper and longer lasting, and this shoe would be the holy grail for me.

[Russell Swanson]

Andrew,
They are expensive! Every year they release some new 'model' with some new 'feature' and they up the price another $5. I'm pretty sure my first pair cost about $90; now a new pair retails for $120!

Jack H,
If you're following this thread what did you switch to? How does the fit compare to the XA Pros'?

[Ken Thompson]

Yes :(

[Justin Tremlin]

Another good option from Salomon is the XT HK 2 (aka XT Hawk 2 or XT Trail 1). They have a wide toe box (like the XA Pro), no offset lacing (nice), and are lighter (315g Vs 390g a piece).

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