Salewa mens Trekking & Hiking Boots

These are my fifth pair of Salewas. My last pair of Alp Trainer Mid Gore-tex boots lasted 2,500 miles. The outside was still in great shape along with the treads but my son convinced me to get new ones because the mid layer was probably compressed from the mileage. So, I went to OutdoorGearLab and a number of other sites and ordered six pairs of the highest rated boots including these new Salewas. My conclusion was that these Mountain Trainer Lite Mid GTX boots are the most comfortable, supportive, light and best performing hiking boots I've ever owned. I should have just gone back to Salewa the first time. Super comfortable at first and then they got even better. I live in Rangeley Maine so I've been taking these out to showshoe with my Vizsla puppy every day. After 90 - 120 minutes no moisture gets through the barrier and, surprisingly, my wool Darn Tough socks are drenched. Great breathability. And, while beauty is in the eye of the beholder I think these are way cool and have gotten a lot of comments from people about them. And they run very true to size. So, all in all, a fantastic hiking boot.

They fit great, they are waterproof, they have great grip in snow and mud, the insoles are neither too soft nor too hard. I bought them for winter in the Hudson valley; it's snowed over 5' so far, I believe, and I've been wearing them for almost 2 months straight. I had Keens before, and those were comfortable but not grippy. I think Keen has been bought between the time I bought my old pair and my most recent. I've also had Vasques and Merrils; what I was looking for was something similar to an old pair of LLBean combat style boots I had fifteen years ago--gore tex uppers. These are better than those. These are the best boots I've owned--leather, canvas, or composite--in 40 years. No leaks, plenty warm, breathable, allow movement when walking, easy to put on and take off. I hike local trails, shop, drive, do chores in the mud and snow around my house. They're great.

The negatives: The weight listed is per shoe....who does this? So the weight is twice as heavy as I was expecting. It is not as light as my 2017 OBOZ Traverse (which I wish they'd put back in production) but it is close. The cuff is too rigid but would likely break in with time. The boot has a slight forward "lean" (think ski boots) which I think would take some time to get used to. The boot rides higher on the ankle than other Mids which may be uncomfortable to some people. The positives The lacing is excellent, I mean, almost perfect except for the lack of a lock lace at the top. You get really good ankle support as a result of this and the high-mid size. The boot is very rigid so it gives excellent support. The soft feel of the boot makes it really comfortable around the toes. The same high collar that might make the boot uncomfortable for some also provides excellent support. You ankle and foot are really locked into this shoe and I'd feel really secure wearing it. The tread was super sticky - likely the best I've ever tested.

Boot fits great. Narrow for me, but ok. If wide size is available (can't remember), go for it. Have worn two days, all day, with no problems. Very comfortable, and I hope very durable. Time will tell. Being narrow for a medium size, there's a wider spread of the laces over the tongue. Seems to be a good sturdy light weight boot. I like this boot maker. This is my second boot model from this company.

This is the fifth pair of salewa boots I've owned (great durability in abusive conditions and competent). These are slightly stiffer than the Alp trainer mid which might tire your feet out on long, high angle heavy load climb/hikes, but are more competent in loose dirt and high angle (more than 45 deg incline). Highly stable on loose surfaces due to the tread pattern and lug geometry. They wear well and evenly and it appears Salewa pays attention to where the typical failure/wear points are and reinforces them. With ALL salewa boots there is almost no break in period and they're extremely comfortable, breathable, waterproof. These boots are my go to on all of my mountain training before, during and after mountaineering season.

I’m rough on boots in my line of work. I can usually get 6 to 8 months out of a pair of these types of hiking boots. These lasted one month. I bought them at the end November and retired them in the beginning of January. Because we had snow I was wearing my muck boots a lot durning that time. So they might not have lasted even a month. The price is to high for these boots. The stitching is weak in high stress spots on the boot. I can not recommend these boots. Unless they drop the price down to $50. That is all they are worth.

With all the hype over the fit and comfort of Selawa boots, maybe my expectations were too high. Within a week of getting these boot I have put about 10 miles on them, the longest hike was about 4-miles. there are no blisters, but they are snug in the toe area. I have loosened the laces, but they are a little snug. The mountain trainer lite have a stiffer sole than I expected, but they not clunky. I originally was focused on the mountain trainer mid, but decided to compromise and get the trainer lite instead because of availability and price. I think the mountain lite will fit my needs very well. The boot isn't tall, but provides good ankle support i wear a size 10 in every shoe i have bought as an adult, but these are a tad small as a 10. I think with some time they will conform to my foot. The UK seller had them to my Pennsylvania door faster than Amazon would have. Update 9-13-22; these are still snug in the toe area, if I could do it over again, I would probably order in a 44eu size instead of the US 10 which is a 43eu. after walking in the wet woods this past weekend, I am starting to wonder if they are waterproof. The discomfort is not horrible, but I have only worn them for partial days, if i was forced to wear all day for several days with many miles of daily hiking, I think my feet would be saying NO MORE.

These are the second set of boots I'm going into. I wore the first pair till there was almost nothing left. They're geat trail boots. The toe box is big enough to not jam up your toes. That's very important in a set of boots you plan to put hundreds if not more mile on. Like my first pair, they took one day and about maybe 5 miles to break in. Then they were ready to go on much longer hikes. These are great boots simply put, especially from spring to early fall.