Are these the best hiking shoes / boots for UK walking?
I purchased my first pair of Salomon Cross Hike Mid GTX boots over 12 months ago, and since then I have gone through two pairs of boots and one pair of Cross Hike Shoes – but are they any good?
What attracted me to this particular brand?
My first pair of shoes were purchased before I walked Hadrian’s Wall for the first time in 2020. I was attracted to the Salomon Cross Hike Mid GTX shoes for a few reasons:-
- They are the only “boot” that comes with the quick lace lock feature.
- They are super light at 396g (good for a boot)
- Gortex membrane (I knew Hadrian’s Wall would be wet!)
- The multi-directional lugs were superb
- I know it sounds girly, but the colours matched my company colours.
The sides came away – refund requested.
After only 100 miles on the boot, the side edges started peeling away and the boot started to leak. I was super disappointed as these were the most comfortable boot I had worn to date. I completed the online form to return the boots, which included images of the tread, and the damaged area (on both boots) and Salomon swiftly responded. They credited my account, told me to keep the boots and then I re-ordered a new pair (this time in black).
My second pair did the same!
After a few hundred miles on my 2nd pair of Salomon Cross Hike Boots (not shoes) the sides began to come away from the upper mesh. I continued to wear them through the winter. They didn’t leak (and it was a very wet winter!). A week before I was due to hike the West Highland Way in Scotland a tear appeared at the crease of the shoe near my big toe. In a rush, I accidentally ordered the Salomon Cross Hike Shoes (rather than boots), and they only had size 5.5 in stock. (My previous pairs were a size 5). I didn’t have time to send them back and get the boots, so I just went with the new shoes and they were brilliant!
Summary
The Salomon Cross Hike Boots, offer little ankle support. In fact, they are super floppy around the ankle and the only benefit from the boots is to help keep debris out of your shoe. I wear sock gaiters with my shoes/boots so I don’t suffer from stones getting into my shoes. The Salomon Cross Hike shoes and boots are quite narrow fitting, so if you have wide feet then these are not the shoes for you. If you are looking for a waterproof shoe, with excellent grip, lightweight and quick laces then I would 100% buy these again, but always size up and get the shoes, not the boots.