I have been a fan of Salewa footwear for a few years and was excited to test this boot and all its guarantees. The question is, would it hold up to the challenges? Is the MTN Trainer Mid GTX really blister free?! Does it’s waterproofing hold up? Does this Salewa boot really not need to be broken-in straight out of the box? Let’s find out!
Just under 3,000-feet*
10% Average*
30% Max Grade*
A backpack with water, food, and random gear added for extra weight. It was approximately 20-pounds.
The Salewa Mountain Trainer Mid GTX hiking and backpacking boot held up to its guarantees! I stood in deep and icy water, high on the Gore-tex boot, for about 2-minutes with my feet staying dry and comfortable. The aggressive tread and Vibram sole handled steep and uneven terrain, roots, rocks, and creek crossings very well. They were breathable and I never felt like I needed any insulation under these conditions. The area around my toes were free, making it easy to move and expand my toes, adjust to terrain, and not receive a blister.
These boots work great for backpacking, approach trails, and a general all around hiker in a variety of conditions. After the 11.5-mile hike, I was blister free and did not have even a slight indication of a blister. My feet were dry and not hurting! Due to the stiffness in the boot, I was ready to take the boots off and stretch my feet once I had completed the hike. But, not because of pain. I could have easily worn them longer.
Salewa MTN Trainer Mid GTX boots are true to size and a comfortable fit with room in the toes for scramble on rocks and debris.
• Comfortable and true to size.
• Room to move in the feet and easily expand your toes.
The aggressive tread climbed the 30% grade with rocks and debris with ease. A tremendous amount of ankle support made it very hard to turn an ankle and I felt secure stepping on uneven and unstable terrain. For downhill, the stiffness in the boot made the impact on knees a little more than I would like. But, that is a tradeoff of having extra support and ability to handle heavy loads.
The stiff boot, ankle support, and aggressive tread made carrying a load effortless. There was no give in the soles, or any area of the boot, when under a load.
• No break-in
• No blister guarantee
• True to fit
• Stiff soles makes carrying a load easy
• Stiff soles makes using crampons and Nano Spikes possible
• Despite the stiffness of the boot making it fantastic for carrying loads, the boot does not absorb impact as well as I would like it to. But, that is the trade off of having the support. At the end of a 3,000-foot elevation drop, the impact on my knees were more than I would have liked for it to have been.
• The lacing system is slightly awkward. The laces are stiff and would come untied and unhooked easily. I believe the laces will loosen with time and this will be a non-issue.
This boot is stiff enough to use Crampons and Nano Spikes. Crampons fit well during a quick test fitting and I used Nano Spikes on an icy area.
• Salewa’s Website: Link
• River Sports Outfitters: Link
• Amazon.com: Link
• Backcountry.com: Link
• REI.com: Link
Salewa is a family-owned company with exceptional products and a high standard for quality. The company, founded in 1935, has been popular in Europe and other areas for many decades. In the last few years, Salewa began introducing its footwear line in the United States. In 2017, it introduced its apparel to a select group of independent retail partners in the United States. You can visit their website at Salewa.com.
*Based on figures from Mountain Project
Comments / 6
December 10, 2017 at 4:30 pm
Never heard of Salewa before. Cool to see another option for outdoor lifestyle shoes!
December 10, 2017 at 4:49 pm
Brittany,
They have only been selling in the US for a few years now and have been slowly scaling their business mostly with popular independent retailers. They are huge in other countries! Here in Knoxville, they are very popular and sold at River Sports Outfitters, Uncle Lem’s Outfitters, and Little River Trading Company. And in Chattanooga at Rock Creek and other places. So they are a go-to brand for this area. As they expand to new markets, they become popular there too!
December 11, 2017 at 12:19 pm
Good review. Seem like a good boot. Never had any Salewa products before.
December 11, 2017 at 3:40 pm
Gareth,
They have many great boots! I’m surprised you have not heard of them. I know Salewa is sold at retail locations across the UK. I looked, but did not see, any retail locations in the Netherlands. That is surprising because they are so big around neighboring Germany!
December 13, 2017 at 4:43 pm
I’ll have to check these out. Did you test any side-hill hiking?
I’ve typically gone with a full leather boot for backpacking, but may have to give these a look.
December 14, 2017 at 1:57 pm
Lauren,
Yes, I tried every type of hiking with these! On the side of a hill, they worked great. The boot’s stiffness and ankle support helped make it very, very stable. I have some leather boots. But, I find they weigh a lot more being leather. You should try these out!