SALOMON Women's X Ultra 3 Gore-tex Shoes

A few years ago I was looking at ratings for hiking boots/shoes after wasting my money on a brand that wasn’t waterproof as advertised. I came across this brand and style as highly-rated and reasonably priced. I love these hiking shoes so much. I also own two pair of the Ultra3 GTX hiking boots, one for home and one for work. The shoes are just as wonderful as the boots: comfortable, waterproof, great for rough terrain, as well as look great to wear as an everyday shoe. I wear a 9-1/2 dress shoe, but usually need a 10-1/2 for walking shoes. These are 9-1/2 and fit wonderfully, lots of room in the toe box, yet no slippage at my narrow heel. These shoes and hiking boots have never needed breaking in. They’ve never given me blisters, even after all-day hikes. I’ve raved about them so much, my husband got a pair of the boots as well.

Let's face it, it's hard--no, impossible--to find the perfect trail shoe, but this one comes close for me. My last ones were Chacos, which I dearly love for the support and quality. But Chacos are made for the average foot, neither narrow nor wide, and like most brands, do not come in widths. I found my foot would roll inside the shoe when stepping on rocks despite lacing as tightly as possible/comfortable across the instep. That doesn't happen with these Salomons. They're still a bit wide--and a bit long--and I do not have super narrow feet. Not by a long shot. But they are as comfy and cushiony with as nice heel cup as my beloved Chacos and a better fit. I guess I'm between a 9 and a 9.5 (don't you wish sizes were consistent?!!!), so after reading reviews, I bought the 9.5. Without trying on a 9 I can't be sure, but based on the amount of room in the 9.5 I might have been better off with a 9. Rather than send them back or order the 9 to find out, I'll just plan on wearing a thicker sock for serious hikes. That said, I recommend going down a half size if you're willing to deal with returns.

I have been hiking in these for a year now all over Western NY and the Adirondack Mountains. I have used them with snowshoes and micro spikes this past winter. In addition, I just hiked four national parks in Utah. They are legit! The grip was amazing while traversing all of the "slick rock" portions of the trails. They are comfortable and supportive and my feet NEVER got sore or tired all.day.long! I ordered the size 9 and it was perfect. My everyday shoes and sandals are 8.5, however, any athletic shoe/hikers/runners I have ever bought are always a 9. They also show no signs of excessive wear or tear...just signs that they have been well loved :).

While I returned these it was only because they were a bit too large for my skinny heels and when compared to the non waterproof version, not as good a fit. ( I kept the latter.) Finally I may have figured out what all the cushioning is for on so many of the hiking shoes and boots. It must have to do with making it waterproof. As the only difference, other than color, was whether the shoe was water proof or not. This one was way more cushioned and accordingly made my size 11 narrow feet look enormous. (If not for that purpose, someone should change the practice of being pillows all over the sides and tops!)The bright colors which frequently clash, seem to be the style particularly for hiking shoes. Again maybe cute for a size 7, but on an 11 they are clown shoecs. These are thank heavens not so bright and the colors blend together fabulously. While still dark enough to hide trail dust and dirt, they still look like a shoe for a women, not for my brother!,I found all of the Solomon styles to be the most comfortable. Thank goodness Amazon has the try before you buy program because I have a hard foot to fit and in my size there is a lack of product locally. I tried the Merrels which also ran narrow in one style, but ran a bit short. I know leather stretches but wasn't sure if this type of fabrication would pack down with wear, particularly in terms of length.The first photo shows the extra space even when laced tightly. Whereas in the non water proof version, I can only get 1 finger in when laced tightly. The second picture shows the non water proof on my left and this one on the right. You can see how much more padding is is this one on the sides and top. The bottoms, lacing and overall style are otherwise identical.Being a skier I am very familiar with this brand and the quality of product produced. I would defiinitely recommend this shoe to others.

I love these hiking shoes. I have collapsed arches, and usually hiking shoes don't have enough arch support. I use additional orthotics as well, but need shoes with basic arch support. I've taken these out on many trails, and have hiked around 40 miles so far in them. The laces are really convenient to tighten and I love that feature. I didn't like how the end flopped around when hiking and at first I used to tuck the end under some laces. But recently I glued a little piece of velcro to the tighening part and another piece to the end piece, and now I just stick them together and it is way better. I feel like the company should have made something like that, but it was an easy enough fix.I haven't tested the waterproofing on these shoes yet. They are nice and sturdy hiking shoes and will work for serious trips (15+ mile days).