I tested many hiking shoes and picked the Salomon X Ultra 4 as the best of the year. Did this shoe hypnotize me and force me to pick it as the best shoe?
Hi there and thanks for the honest video that you made! I would like to share my own experience with Salomon Ultra 4. I have exactly the same shoe (even the colour is same) and i used to wear it as my main hiking shoe in 2023 season. I have to agree with almost everything what you said. Starting with the pros: The durability and stability of this shoes are awesome. No sprain damage, no slipping...the performance was just simply good. GTX version that i have works well also. But here comes the cons and that is the COMFORT. Oh my gosh, they are just horrible when you have to wear them for long hikes with steep elevation. Both my thumbs are badly hurt after the last season and my nails turned black - have to regenerate months and month. The shoe is very narrow and it hurt your thumb and also the little finger from other side as well. After 1 hour walking, your whole feet starts to feel very tight, like locked up in some very small prison or somenthing :D. I tried the wider model as well, but it was even WORSE. The wider doesn´t mean that the fingers area is gona be wide enough. Those type of shoes are more like for people that got thicker foot, not wider. That is a huge difference. I returned the wider version to shop after just 4 days and i decide to stick with the "normal" version. I tried ofcourse bigger size, but it was not the case. As you mention in this video, the brand recognition and huge marketing of this hiking shoes takes place for me as well and i just succumb and bought them because of those advertises. In upcomming season 2024 i will use them in only short walks with my dog, everything under 1 hour walk. I regret the money i spent for this hiking shoes.
So cool and honest review, thank you) I just started to dive into sneakers world and this shoes one of my first choice for winter. And your channel help me in it)
I think not everyone can fixed and wear comfortable on each shoes, because not everyone have the same feet to feed into one shoes. But the brand is really recognition in the world wide.
I found the wide version thru Zappos in the GTX and Mid GTX. Much roomier in the toe box for those of us with wider feet. I'm going to keep the Mids since they work better in keeping out small stones. Zappos has a one year return policy, so I'm not worried about the durability.
I have the Salomon Ultra also. The sole wears very quickly. After very little use the heal lugs are nearly gone. I feel every rock on the trail. My feet ache. However my favorite shoe is a Salomon. I bought them 20 years ago. I have hiked/backpacked 100’s of miles maybe 1000’s. Tread is worn a lot but some is still there. Extremely comfortable. So what happened to Salomon? Quality is gone. Good thing I bought an extra pair back in the day! Hope they haven’t dried out too much being stored so long.
When looking to purchase my X4s I read online that the X3s were far superior, especially on the Salomon store. I even tried to see if I could buy a pair of old new stock X3s. In the end I'm very happy with my purchase, as I wear these shoes as my daily shoe
I went to a local outdoor store to try these X Ultra 4s. I'm usually a women's 7.5, but I tried them on and walked around the store, only to have my heel slip continuously. They were too big. They didn't have a 7 in the Ultra 4s. So, I tried on the Salomon x Ultra Pioneers in both a 7 and 7.5. The heel slipped in 7.5 again, so I purchased the 7. I was wearing proper hiking socks. After a very short hike, I had hot spots, it made my ankles all red, and my toe kept hitting the front. It was like 7 was too small but 7.5 was too big. I'm in college and work pt at a Merrell outlet store. I used to wear Merrells as a teenager but the quality of them, in my opinion, has gone down tremendously in the past few years. I still want to try the x Ultra 4s in a size 7, but now I am hesitant after what happened with the Pioneers.
I tried the Pioneers in a round of testing and they did not fit me well. The X Ultra 4 do fit me very well, but they are very precise. Had my foot been slightly different in anyway then I would probably have had issues. I think there is a balance between getting your feet ready to walk big miles in a pair of shoes, and on the otherhand finding a pair of shoes that don't cause your feet problems. So many have written about declining quality in both Merrell and Salomon in my comments. I suppose the list price is relatively fixed and so to increase revenue these companies have to save on manufacturing and materials.
@@Dusty_Hikers I ended up watching your video on the Pioneers as well, and I can definitely see what you meant by it being a seemingly good shoe, but the fit being strange. This happens to me with different Merrell styles as well. I'm assuming these brands are trying to make one for different foot shapes to appeal to more people, but what they're actually doing is not really allowing people to be repeat customers if we want a new style and the previous one fit us, but the next one, in the same size, does not fit.
Saloman seem to be suffering with a lot of durability issues in the last year, i love the look of their new "Elixer" shoe but reading the reviews on their own website they seem to be falling to bits within months :( the reviews for the Ultra 04 are a little better but still a lot of issues!
I have this model - wide 9.5. My feet are not exceptionally wide yet the toebox is too narrow for me to wear these for long hikes. Look slightly cheap in typical Solomon fashion. Overall feels like a toy compared to my Merrill Moab 3 wide shoes.
Almost all of Salomon's lineup is fantastic with a giant asterisk. If you happen to fit Salomon's typical shoe last, and generally understand their sizing and philosophy, they're excellent. Salomon proved to me that my feet are narrower than I thought, I need harder padding than I thought, and thanks to Nike I had no idea how to size my shoes. Very important to me: NOBODY locks your foot down laterally like Salomon. Nobody is close.
Fascinating look behind the curtain. As for the Salomon, two concerns: fit and durability. If it fits your foot, great! But make sure. Secondly, there are way too many reports of the Salomon having poor durability lately. For the price, they need to last longer. I bought a pair but prefer the Adidas Terrex personally for my use case (which involves lots of pavement walking). Love your channel
I agree. The X Ultra 4 are very precise and fortunately fit my foot perfectly. Recently I discovered the Brooks Cascadia 16. I think they will fit many more feet than the X Ultra 4. They are more generous in accomodating different foot types.
Thank you for this video. It's a good shoe, but with low durability. I already complained once ( unsticking on the toe in the weld after 60 km in light terrain ) and the new ones I received, exactly the same shoe and the same size, suddenly press on the instep. I definitely DO NOT recommend buying this shoe, it's a risk. I think other brands have quality shoes as well. Don't succumb to the power of marketing.
Salomon Hurt my feet don t last long ,in my walks with my dog 4 to 7 km per Day i rather take my merrel 3 ...I only use my salomons this days when it rains...
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Hi there and thanks for the honest video that you made! I would like to share my own experience with Salomon Ultra 4. I have exactly the same shoe (even the colour is same) and i used to wear it as my main hiking shoe in 2023 season. I have to agree with almost everything what you said. Starting with the pros: The durability and stability of this shoes are awesome. No sprain damage, no slipping...the performance was just simply good. GTX version that i have works well also. But here comes the cons and that is the COMFORT. Oh my gosh, they are just horrible when you have to wear them for long hikes with steep elevation. Both my thumbs are badly hurt after the last season and my nails turned black - have to regenerate months and month. The shoe is very narrow and it hurt your thumb and also the little finger from other side as well. After 1 hour walking, your whole feet starts to feel very tight, like locked up in some very small prison or somenthing :D. I tried the wider model as well, but it was even WORSE. The wider doesn´t mean that the fingers area is gona be wide enough. Those type of shoes are more like for people that got thicker foot, not wider. That is a huge difference. I returned the wider version to shop after just 4 days and i decide to stick with the "normal" version. I tried ofcourse bigger size, but it was not the case. As you mention in this video, the brand recognition and huge marketing of this hiking shoes takes place for me as well and i just succumb and bought them because of those advertises. In upcomming season 2024 i will use them in only short walks with my dog, everything under 1 hour walk. I regret the money i spent for this hiking shoes.
So cool and honest review, thank you)
I just started to dive into sneakers world and this shoes one of my first choice for winter. And your channel help me in it)
For winter I would get the GTX (waterproof) version.
I think not everyone can fixed and wear comfortable on each shoes, because not everyone have the same feet to feed into one shoes. But the brand is really recognition in the world wide.
I found the wide version thru Zappos in the GTX and Mid GTX. Much roomier in the toe box for those of us with wider feet. I'm going to keep the Mids since they work better in keeping out small stones. Zappos has a one year return policy, so I'm not worried about the durability.
One year return policy! That is amazing.
I have the Salomon Ultra also. The sole wears very quickly. After very little use the heal lugs are nearly gone. I feel every rock on the trail. My feet ache. However my favorite shoe is a Salomon. I bought them 20 years ago. I have hiked/backpacked 100’s of miles maybe 1000’s. Tread is worn a lot but some is still there. Extremely comfortable. So what happened to Salomon? Quality is gone. Good thing I bought an extra pair back in the day! Hope they haven’t dried out too much being stored so long.
can you make a video about the adidas free hiker 2 gore tex?
When looking to purchase my X4s I read online that the X3s were far superior, especially on the Salomon store. I even tried to see if I could buy a pair of old new stock X3s.
In the end I'm very happy with my purchase, as I wear these shoes as my daily shoe
Thanks for sharing. I saw that online too, that the X3s were better.
I went to a local outdoor store to try these X Ultra 4s. I'm usually a women's 7.5, but I tried them on and walked around the store, only to have my heel slip continuously. They were too big. They didn't have a 7 in the Ultra 4s. So, I tried on the Salomon x Ultra Pioneers in both a 7 and 7.5. The heel slipped in 7.5 again, so I purchased the 7. I was wearing proper hiking socks. After a very short hike, I had hot spots, it made my ankles all red, and my toe kept hitting the front. It was like 7 was too small but 7.5 was too big. I'm in college and work pt at a Merrell outlet store. I used to wear Merrells as a teenager but the quality of them, in my opinion, has gone down tremendously in the past few years. I still want to try the x Ultra 4s in a size 7, but now I am hesitant after what happened with the Pioneers.
I tried the Pioneers in a round of testing and they did not fit me well. The X Ultra 4 do fit me very well, but they are very precise. Had my foot been slightly different in anyway then I would probably have had issues. I think there is a balance between getting your feet ready to walk big miles in a pair of shoes, and on the otherhand finding a pair of shoes that don't cause your feet problems. So many have written about declining quality in both Merrell and Salomon in my comments. I suppose the list price is relatively fixed and so to increase revenue these companies have to save on manufacturing and materials.
@@Dusty_Hikers I ended up watching your video on the Pioneers as well, and I can definitely see what you meant by it being a seemingly good shoe, but the fit being strange. This happens to me with different Merrell styles as well. I'm assuming these brands are trying to make one for different foot shapes to appeal to more people, but what they're actually doing is not really allowing people to be repeat customers if we want a new style and the previous one fit us, but the next one, in the same size, does not fit.
Another great video! What do you think about the Salewa Pedroc Air? Are they great for city walks and occasional trails?
I have not tried those shoes. I did try the Salewa Mountain Trainer Lite and I really liked them.
Salewa is a great choice! I just bought similar model, Wildfire Edge and they are awesome.
Any thoughts on salomon x ultra 360 sir?
Saloman seem to be suffering with a lot of durability issues in the last year, i love the look of their new "Elixer" shoe but reading the reviews on their own website they seem to be falling to bits within months :( the reviews for the Ultra 04 are a little better but still a lot of issues!
I have this model - wide 9.5. My feet are not exceptionally wide yet the toebox is too narrow for me to wear these for long hikes. Look slightly cheap in typical Solomon fashion. Overall feels like a toy compared to my Merrill Moab 3 wide shoes.
Almost all of Salomon's lineup is fantastic with a giant asterisk.
If you happen to fit Salomon's typical shoe last, and generally understand their sizing and philosophy, they're excellent.
Salomon proved to me that my feet are narrower than I thought, I need harder padding than I thought, and thanks to Nike I had no idea how to size my shoes.
Very important to me: NOBODY locks your foot down laterally like Salomon. Nobody is close.
Thanks for the feedback. I really like the lock down in my X Ultra 4 which I am wearing right now.
Fascinating look behind the curtain. As for the Salomon, two concerns: fit and durability. If it fits your foot, great! But make sure. Secondly, there are way too many reports of the Salomon having poor durability lately. For the price, they need to last longer.
I bought a pair but prefer the Adidas Terrex personally for my use case (which involves lots of pavement walking).
Love your channel
I agree. The X Ultra 4 are very precise and fortunately fit my foot perfectly. Recently I discovered the Brooks Cascadia 16. I think they will fit many more feet than the X Ultra 4. They are more generous in accomodating different foot types.
Thank you for this video. It's a good shoe, but with low durability. I already complained once ( unsticking on the toe in the weld after 60 km in light terrain ) and the new ones I received, exactly the same shoe and the same size, suddenly press on the instep. I definitely DO NOT recommend buying this shoe, it's a risk. I think other brands have quality shoes as well. Don't succumb to the power of marketing.
Salomon Hurt my feet don t last long ,in my walks with my dog 4 to 7 km per Day i rather take my merrel 3 ...I only use my salomons this days when it rains...