Salomon Tech Amhibian

[Ryan Jordan]

There are a lot of people who really like these shoes for hiking. I love them…for hanging out in a canoe…but if I’m doing any kind of meaningful mileages on the trail, forget it.

In concept, they are a great shoe. Excellent, sticky soles, well-draining mesh, great lacing system, and light. But there is a total lack of a heel cup in the shoe, and any attempt to get the heel to really lock in is nearly futile. For me, the heel cup is everything. “If that don’t work, the shoe don’t work”…at least for long distance hiking. The result of this glaring flaw: tired feet (from shifting around in the shoe, which in turn taxes the foot muscles to counter the movement).

Sure, give them a 5 as a water shoe, but you won’t find them in my trail closet.

Salomon makes far more appropriate models for serious trail hiking.

[Mark]

This shoe is almost brilliant. I love the mesh, and the thin tongue is very comfortable. The footbed is probably the most supportive and comfortable I’ve ever used–no sore spots or aches. My bones and muscles simply feel in great condition at the end of the day. The soles are nice and broad, with good edging.

I like these for a day or two, but like Ryan, wouldn’t like them for long-distance efforts.

Complaints? I don’t like the lacing, because you can’t fine-tune and target as well as traditional laces, and because the lacing doesn’t go high enough to be really effective. The deal-killer is the heel strap. When you lock it down, everything feels snug and tight and perfect… but it loosens very easily.

[Craig Shelley]

The lace broke the first time I used it. I have had some problems with the Salomon laces breaking long before the shoe wears out. My Salomon Tech Amphibians were the worst yet. I also own the Pro version. In my opinion, the Pro is much better than the standard version. It is worth the $10 difference. However, the Teva X-1 is a far superior water shoe and hiking shoe. The Timberland Delerion is also far superior, as a water shoe or hiking shoe. And finally, the Inov8 Flyroc dries out almost as well as the Tech Amphibians.

[Richard Ebenhoe]

I wore these shoes on the first three days of a seven day trip through the Gila Wilderness. We hiked up the West Fork of the Gila River crossing the river 73 times in 17 miles. They were great for that application

[Michael Church]

I just purchased a pair of these shoes for the purpose of hiking trails that follow rivers or streams. There are a lot of such trails where I live (Blue Ridge Geophyisical Provence, Southern Appalachians). These shoes combined with Seal Skinz socks (the kind that keep water out even if water goes over the top of the socks) are very effective for what I bought them for. Also, I find that after you have waded into the water, tugging on both the heel lock strap and the laces cause them to tighten down and they stay that way. This is probably the result of both the straps and the laces absorbing water and swelling. If Salomon would remove the heel strap from this shoe and provide a stiff heel cup, this shoe would be worth a five rating for the purpose of hiking trails that follow rivers, crossing and recrossing the rivers again and again, all day long.

[Gary Dunckel]

What the previous posts have neglected to mention is that the Amphib is perhaps the lightest (24 ounces/pair)”running shoe” that can be taken on a standard extended backpack trip (not fast packing) for use as a camp mocassin. It’s also pretty sweet for river crossings (with Seal Skinz), and it has a reasonably aggressive sole for climbing over deadfall while chasing firewood. The “sticky” sole and good drainage also make it a fine shoe for reef walking at low tide. Perhaps my comments aren’t appropriate for “backpacking light,” but I’ll never go without a pair in my closet for various other outdoor pursuits.

[Daniel Collins]

To bring this back from the dead – this review is for the original Tech Amphib pair that I picked up at REI in Seattle, 2010. I bought them with the intention of stream crossing and camp shoes. But I ended up using them for everything else. I have mowed the lawn wearing them at least 100 times, traveled to 6 south and central american countries and 6 Caribbean countries, through about 30 airports, and around the house, around town. They still look and feel new. I don't know how they would do on the trail but I think they would do fine with my foot shape. I understand this is apples to oranges ( trail vs towns)but I just had to point out the durability and comfort of these.

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