Rock Solid Boots!
These boots are awesome for hiking on technical terrain. They have great ankle support and the boot holds your foot in place with very little play, especially on the downhill. However, I did up-size 1/2 a size because i do a lot of technical hiking and it allows for a little more play between your toes and the toebox, but in my opinion they are true to size. Also, they are super waterproof! I tested them out above the laces and absolutely no water got in. The Vibram soles are grippy with deep lugs and in my experience do great on wet rocky terrain along with loose rock and dirt trails. The insole/footbed is firm so don't expect a lot of cush. I switched the insoles from the mid to the narrow and i actually found it to be more supportive and comfortable. So the verdict, I do a lot of technical hiking for work and play and I LOVE these boots. When i wear these out I am definitely getting the new model. Go for it!
✔ Verified Purchase
A good overall boot with some significant shortcomings
I bought these last year and wore them on a mix of backpacking trips, day hikes, and off-trail forestry work. They've seen probably 250 miles of use, and they just barely show it.Fit:Low to mid volume, medium heel, medium to wide forefoot and a somewhat rounder toe-box (compared to most). True-to-length and medium to narrowish overall. I have a low volume medium width foot with wide squared toes and bought a half-size up to accomodate my toes. If you have narrower feet I'd recommend ordering your measured size.The dual footbed is a bit gimmicky and provides little support. I subsituted for a much sturdier footbed with actual arch support and a deep heel cup.Upper:Composed of good quality and durable suede that stands up well to off-trail conditions. Stitching is doubled all around and very high-quality work. GTX works well and the boots are waterproof. The toe rand peels back a little over time but this happens with all boots that have this.Unfortunately, the lack of padding around the ankle leads to chaffing and blisters for me when the lacing is "locked down". Keeps my heel stable but the inflexibility of the sole and the lack of padding makes the hard heel counter put too much pressure on the back of my heel during hill accents. So much for a zero-blister guarantee - a silly idea for any manufacturer.Midsole:Thin but does a great job of absorbing impacts. The low to the ground feel relative to other boots is a welcome change and improves stability. The shank is quite stiff - it filters out sharp stones and edges very well, but almost too much. There's not enough toe flex in my opinion for backpacking and day hiking on uneven surfaces where flexibility helps improve stability. Overall stability on flat ground is good but lack of flexibility makes it a little unsteady off-trail. Yet it is not stiff enough for proper crampons and mountaineering use (where its brother, the Rapace, fill this role well). The Mtn Trainer tries too hard to bridge between hiking and mountaineering, but should just accept that it is a burlier hiking boot and allow better forefoot flex.Outsole:Tread is ok - great on loose materials and rock, slick on wet leaves and hard-packed snow. The tread is deep but the flat lugs make for poor traction on smooth wet or icy surfaces. The front is very flat and smooth and listed as the "climbing zone" - a strange decision IMO. These are not good climbing boots, and the lack of lugs in this area makes for poor grip on trails and toe-off - I've slipped a few times trying to grab surfaces with the tip of my foot. The attempt to fuse a climbing boot and a hiking boot is an interesting idea but the execution fails to impress. Good general tread for trails and ok for off-trail. Not recommended for wet freezing trails with lots of smooth rock.Overall:The boot is very lightweight, durable, and handsome. The fit accomodates a variety of foot shapes. The overly stiff shank and lack of padding around the back of the heel leads to hotspots and blisters on my feet - a bad combination. The lack of some inexpensive padding at the back of the heel is a perplexing oversight.The pre-occupation of Salewa to make the Mtn Trainer a hybrid do-everything model is an interesting concept but it compromises too much on the main elements for the intended use of the boot - hiking. As a result comfort, grip, and stability suffer a bit for it. With the Rapace model on the mountaineering side, and the Alp trainer on the lighter side, this model errs too close to the Rapace in function and would serve better if it were built as a beefed up Alp trainer instead of a softened up Rapace, though I am glad it is built on the wider Rapace last and not the narrower Alp Trainer.
✔ Verified Purchase
I
Idancer
December 02, 2014
Shoes are great!
Great shoes for hiking summer and fall.
✔ Verified Purchase
F
Frederick Kaiser
September 03, 2013
Good shoe but
I've had these for a while, still experimenting with insoles. They are a great, well built shoe, but have one problem that I have seen mentioned in multiple reviews. The heel pocket area is not really padded, and has a seam running directly down the back. Really becomes painful on long ascents and can definitely cause blisters. Might experiment with trying to put some molskin on the back of the heel cup to alleviate it.
✔ Verified Purchase
O
Olaf Johnson
December 25, 2012
The Sticky Icky On These Boots!
11/8/2014 EDIT:After two solid years with these boots I've returned with an update. These boots have served me well in ALL conditions and have worn-in perfectly.The biggest gripe I've been dealing with is on down hill descents. The heel and heel box does not cushion as well as other boots. There is absolutely no shock support when hiking down hill for long stretches. Without much success I've played around with various insole inserts over the years but I think the problem is the outer sole. It seems like the outer heel is stiff metal and not a springy rubber so I've usually ended my hikes with sore knees. I don't get blisters but I do feel sore in my knees after long hikes. Originally when I had this issue I assumed the boots needed a bit more break in time but after two years and hundreds of miles I had to take a star off from the original 5 star review for the lack of support and comfort.These are great boots for ascents where rock and talus scrambling require sticky/sturdy toe rands but for long distance hiking over hard ground I did not find them ideal.ORIGINAL REVIEW:After 30+ miles on the Appalachian Trail these are my favorite boots of all time. I was worried about the blister situation and packed extra insoles just in case and found that the supplied peel away split insole that these come with either made the boots fit snug or too loose. So in the end I just used my old stillflex insoles (from an old Dolomite boot) and had no issues with blisters. I also use liner socks and pre-applied my own homemade anti-blister balm just to be safe and had no issues with blisters. The break in time for these boots took just the morning on the first day.My favorite feature is that the rand and under-soles stick to everything. We were hiking late December and there were wet leaves, wet rocks and ice everywhere and I had no issues climbing over anything.My one gripe is these are not the most cushioned boots I ever worn and downhills you tend to feel it more especially on worn down trails. But this can easily be fixed by inserting beefier cushioned insoles.In closing I will sum up the awesomeness of these boots: In the last 10 years of hiking the first thing I always want to do when getting back to the car is throwing off my boots and getting into some dry cotton socks and sneakers or flip flops for the drive home. Last night was the first time in 10 years that I kept my boots on during the two plus hour drive back home. That is how comfortable these Salewa are!
✔ Verified Purchase
A
Amazon Customer
April 04, 2015
Five Stars
Perfect
✔ Verified Purchase
