Salomon XA Comp vs. Salomon XA Pro 3D

The XA Pro is a bit more supportive and has a slightly stiffer base. This also makes the XA Pro a little heavier (but still not a bad weight). The Comps are too narrow for me, the Pros are the only Salomon trail runners that also come in a wide version.
Both are great shoes.

I'm not picky, but I am cheap. I bought the XA Pro 3Ds as my first pair of trail runners in 2007. They were $100. I went to replace them last year and now they call them the XA Pro 3D *Ultra*. They also jacked the price up a few times. Now I think they are $120 or so. I bought the Comp 3 for $80, which I now think are about $100 or so.

I couldn't tell the difference. Oh, and they killed the nice color and now pretty much all you can get is black. And the speedlaces broke after 200 miles. My old pair lasted twice that before breaking.

I know… seems all you can get is black or gray… I can get the XA Comp 3's for about 80 bucks delivered… and about 90 bucks for the XA Pro 3D. My speed laces have never broken. I do have a new pair of the Comp 3 GTX, but those are a lil' too much for warm weather trekking. I guess I can't go wrong with either shoe. Thanks again for the input!

.

After messing around for ages trying to fit a replacement pair of Speed Laces I simply replaced the laces on my Salomon XA Comps with spare pair of Inov8 laces. It was only slightly more fiddly than replacing laces on any shoe.

My laces broke with less than 100 miles on the tread.

I was less than thrilled, but REI took care of me. FWIW, my local REI stocks the difficult to replace laces now, yours may also.

Even less thrilling than the performance of the laces, was the experience of trying to reach a Salomon representative. Salomon appears to go out of their way to make sure you can not reach a company representative to tell them about one's experience with their products.

Yikes guys! Well, to be honest I would hate to experience any of the above. What brand and model are most UL Backpackers having success with in the trail running shoe platform? I have always used Salomons as a hiking shoe… but have never used them on multi-day outings. I have no stock in the company, so I am open to suggestions… but I am sure I will need to try on to get a feel…

let er' rip ;)

Not to hammer the shoes, but I wore a hole in the shoes and the gore tex lining in the Pro 3D GTXs in 2008 after 180 trail miles. Holes appeared on each side of the ball of my foot where the shoe bent during my step. I didn't expect such a failure.

Anywho, I found out that the shoes do not work for my flat feet. So I now hike in my running shoes.

Sounds like you did hammer them ;)

How do those Innov8 shoes fare?

I don't have any experience with the Comps but I do have a pair of XA Pro 3D's that I just retired with 800 miles on them. The tread was in decent shape, but the midsole and upper were beginning to fall apart. I never had a lace failure, but I did have one that was beginning to fray near the end of my time using them. I have a fairly narrow foot with a moderately high arch and these shoes seemed to fit my feet fine.

I would have replaced them with another pair, but instead decided to try a pair of Inov8's, the Rocklite 295's. In comparison, the Salomons had a lot more cushioning and support, but were of course heavier. I don't miss the lack of support, but I do miss the cushioning as I could go 22-23 miles before my feet started to get sore in the XA Pro 3D's but can only go 18-20 miles in the Inov8's before I starting realizing my feet are sore. I also miss the rubber toe cap that the Salomons that protected my feet from rocks and roots, and have the black toe to prove it. I don't think the Inov8's will last as long, but I do think the outsole has better grip especially on wet surfaces. When these Inov8's wear out, I will probably go back to Salomon, but may end up in the same predicament looking at the Comps vs. the XA Pro 3Ds.

I really like the Asics Gel Trabuco 12's that I backpack with now.

I'm using the Brooks Cascadia trail runners. Really, really love these shoes. Very deep tread that won't wear out easily. Very breathable and light, and they fit my relatively high arches well. Brand matters little … get what fits. Go to a running store and get fitted and look within your most comfortable brand for trail runners.

I have both the XA Comps and the XA Pro 3D. I was surprised to find that I needed a half size larger in the XA Pro shoe, after buying my usual size 11 and jamming my toes on several longer hikes.

The XA Pro shoes have proven very durable. The XA Comps tend to get holes in them. Earlier versions got holes in the side of the upper; my most recent pair got a huge hole in the little lace "garage" which is a pain.

Still, I prefer the XA Comp for hiking. They are softer, and feel better on my feet after a long day. Of all the many trail runners I have tried, these are my favorites.

I've had a couple of trips now in my terroc 330s, and now I've got the lacing sorted out I like them a lot, but I have the same problem you do, although I feel it after 15-18km, I need to take the shoes off and massage my feet like in the good old heavy boot days. I'm going to try a sorbothane 'dual strike' insole.

I love the weight and the grip of the sole, how it holds my feet – the toe box is well protected, but the soles of my feet hurt!

I'm on my 5th pair in 8 or nine years. I wear 'em a year or so and get a new pair. Save the older ones for street walks ( gotta get that exercise one way or the other! ). Lots of miles in the southwest, Chaco, Comb Ridge, Needles ( boy I love the Needles! ) and twice through the Black Hole ( not bad for an old guy and a pretty good test for a sneaker) also many miles in the smokies, great balsams, linville gorge area, etc in the east and here in the sandy trails of the OBX maritime forest.

Never broken a lace or had any kind of failure.

I've had 2-3 pairs of comps and maybe 5 of XA pros. The comps don't have as much room in the toes, and their tread isn't as grippy if you have a fairly steep downhill. As others have said, the comps are a little lighter, but lack the toecap and don't have as stiff a sole. As a result the pros hold up a bit better, and you get less foot fatigue with them on rocky ground.

BTW, REI-outlet had the old gray version of the XA Pros on sale last week for under $50. I think that was either the 2007 or 2008 model. You might check to see if they have any in your size.