Salomon hiking shoes/boots

[Backcountryfit]

I've had my Quest 4D 2 GTX for about 18 months. I use them year around for backpacking to hunting in the Heat to the Snowy winter season. They have held up well despite being melted while I was trying to dry them out while hunting last fall. Great boot, I plan on buying another pair since I melted my first. I would recommend them.

Rob

 

[idcuda]

Normal pricing on the salomon 4d is $229. THE tibets can be had on shoebuy for less than $300.

You can get a size 11 quest 4d on amazon for $129 right now. If you pay more than $150 for those, you're paying too much. So, you're right, the tibets are twice the boot. Not busting your chops here, I just want folks to know how much they cost (they've been at that price for at least four months).

 

[Brian Fahs]

You can get a size 11 quest 4d on amazon for $129 right now. If you pay more than $150 for those, you're paying too much. So, you're right, the tibets are twice the boot. Not busting your chops here, I just want folks to know how much they cost (they've been at that price for at least four months).

No offense taken. I run both boots and as I said each has its purpose. From a price point the lowa will cost twice as much but I feel I will destroy at least 2 pair of 4D's in the time I will wear out one set of tibets with similar use. I have not found one thing the 4D's will do that the Tibets will not. VISA versa the tibet will handle much more extreme use than the 4D's will. Twice the life twice the uses. This is my point.

 

[Mister Shush]

I ran a couple pairs of Salomon 4D 2 GTX boots at work for little over a year. I'm a firearms instructor and spend a lot of time walking and running on gravel and I must say that gravel tore up the soles on them something fierce. I'm using the Lowa Ranger II GTX and a cheap pair of Hi-Tec combat boots right now and their soles are holding up better than the Salomons. While the Salomons are some of the most comfortable pieces of footwear I've ever owned, they feel to me like a high top trail running shoe more than a hiking boot

 

[idcuda]

they feel to me like a high top trail running shoe more than a hiking boot

That's a pretty fair assessment. I did run a few miles in mine in the snow , and they worked great for that. Like Brian said above, too, doesn't sound like the most rugged footwear. But, they sure are comfortable!

 

[geriggs]

Love mine, I have 3 pair about 2-3 years old. Normal wear but not bad. I love them but With a heavy load on rocky side hills I wish I was wearing my tibets....u just feel it a bit more underneath.

 

[bncrshr77]

I'm trying out the quest 4d's now... These are as much boot as I can stand to wear but they are getting more comfortable every day... I tried on the Lowa tibets, Zamberlan 960 gtx and several other pairs of burly hiking boots and to be honest they make my ankles feel like rolling... I run and train in zero drop shoes with almost no padding and that's what works for me. Something about the Salomons makes my ankles feel stable like my feet are low to the ground and I will deal with boots wearing out faster over a sprained ankle from walking in boots that jack me too far off the ground.

The whole idea of wearing the heavy boots for "ankle support" is beyond me... The closer my feet are to the ground is what gives me the ankle support I need... I do understand that if you don't train your feet to work like they are designed to then your feet will ache without all the modern day "support" you get from the stiff boots... I'm fairly sure we were designed to walk barefoot but the modern footwear industry doesn't want to hear it!

Bottom line is that everyone is different and what works for some won't work for others.

 

[Mister Shush]

The whole idea of wearing the heavy boots for "ankle support" is beyond me... The closer my feet are to the ground is what gives me the ankle support I need... I do understand that if you don't train your feet to work like they are designed to then your feet will ache without all the modern day "support" you get from the stiff boots... I'm fairly sure we were designed to walk barefoot but the modern footwear industry doesn't want to hear it!

Bottom line is that everyone is different and what works for some won't work for others.

It's beyond you because you equate walking, running and hiking with a pack as the same thing and they are not. My wife is an orthopedic surgeon and treats hundreds of people a year for foot and ankle issues. Any footwear of any kind inhibits ankle proprioception. Anything you place on the bottom of your foot does this to a degree. It means that your body cannot accurately sense the ankle's position in relation to the rest of the leg. Societal norms dictate that we wear shoes for public health reasons, so barefoot life is not possible. A minimalist shoe in daily life is fine if you work up to wearing it everyday and condition your body for it. Same for running. Wearing minimalist running shoes with increasing frequency will slowly allow your body to adapt to the change. Hauling weight of 50, 60, 80 pounds or more would require the same adaptation process. How many times a week can the average person with a job, two kids and soccer practice strap a heavy pack to his or her back and wear minimalist shoes, lightweight boots or otherwise engage in minimalist footwear technique? The answer is very little. Further, since hiking occurs on often uneven terrain, they would need to carry an increasingly heavy pack with minimalist footwear on uneven terrain and inclines/declines on a regular basis to adapt their feet to that footwear and those conditions. Otherwise, they neglect the conditioning of the smaller "feeder" tissues that support the larger ones and that can lead to significant soft tissue injury. This is why using strength conditioning machines that isolate individual muscle groups can lead to injuries in other muscle groups later. Putting on lightweight footwear and strapping a pack or a pack and a hundred pound moose quarter on your back requires increased protection for your feet because your feet are not conditioned to pack that load and pack it over rough terrain for significant distances. In doing so, you place tremendous stress on your feet and everything kinetically linked to them while causing bone marrow edema in your feet and lower legs. Appropriate footwear is different for everyone, but when it comes to hauling heavy weight, there are very few people who can do that safely with minimalist footwear. Most require substantial cushioning and ankle support.

Edit: autocorrect

 

[bncrshr77]

I think we somehow said mostly the same thing... If you train right with lighter boots then you don't need the heavy boots... You can wear the most cushioned, ankle supportive boots out there but you will still be trashing your knees, back and dang near everything else if you don't train with weight.

I understand that most people probably don't get to train enough and I mentioned that in my first post. When I first started wearing the minimal shoes my feet ached but now they hurt like heck if I wear too much of a boot.

I figure we could go round and round about this and I have no desire to argue it out... was just stating what works for me.

 

[damer]

I bought a pair of the Gtx mids I think. They are very comfortable but have not held up well at all. The stitching is coming apart and they leaked right away. I got them in August.

 

[Violent Hippie]

I have used the 4d's and they are a comfy boot right outta the box. Great company that honors durability issues . I had a pair replaced by Salomon after they leaked at around month 3 of use with no problem from Salomon .For me a MUCH stiffer soled boot is preferred for the mountains but the 4d is top notch for a boot that is a lightweight medium support and pretty flexible soled out of the box no break in option.

 

[boom]

i'm wearing the X-Ultra's right now as my daily shoe. i kinda HATE them. the laces suck. they appear to be too slick. any knot i try will eventually work loose and come undone.

are the "heavier" solomans the same way? i kinda like the Quest boot for my next pair,but it would be a bummer to swap the laces right out of the gate.

 

[fort fireman]

i'm wearing the X-Ultra's right now as my daily shoe. i kinda HATE them. the laces suck. they appear to be too slick. any knot i try will eventually work loose and come undone.

are the "heavier" solomans the same way? i kinda like the Quest boot for my next pair,but it would be a bummer to swap the laces right out of the gate.

The Quest I got have very stiff and slick laces. I have to double knot them or they come undone. That usually is enough though.

 

[NDGuy]

My experience with the Salomon Quest 4Ds was this. I took them back after one week simply because my feet absolutely ached after wearing them walking in the woods in ND. I wore them on a hillside surrounding a lake where I walk my dog and my arches hurt pretty bad after a few hundred yards, only the foot on the downside of the slope. I walked the other direction and the same thing with the other foot.

I think the biggest issue was the fact that they have such an aggressive sole in them if you have flat feet like me they will strain your foot muscles after extended use. I loved them outside of that but just not going to be a good fit. Maybe they have a break in period but I haven't had to do that with my other boots before so I took them back. If you have a good arch in your feet you should be good to go.