HikeArizona.COM

Initial impressions after Day 1.

Am starting the break in process.

I bought the same size that I've bought for my last two pair in the Salomon's X Ultra series and the fit seems fine. (That is, unchanged, same as previous.)

Went on a quick (for me) one hour hike this morning. 1.7 miles in North Mtn Park, mostly level (except for rocks), no hill climbs until after break in. 32 lbs on my back.

Rock plate is still stiff. I plan to report later if it creases easier after break in. (I don't recall what my previous pairs were like when new.)

I like the Quicklace system, but I read one report by a guy saying that he has to replace his laces every 5 hikes. (Whereas the Quicklaces on my 2019 pair lasted until 2024, when one started to fray.) Will report if failures.

The uppers are distinctively different on the 5's than previous. Salomon says that they’re more durable.

The uppers on both my 3's and the Aero's are somewhat breathable open weave. The uppers on the 5's have a Gore-Tex look to them (that is, tight weave) and some report that the shoes run hot in the summer. But since today was 45F when I was out, no sweat.

(Not apples to oranges, but there's a website where a guy cuts shoes in half for reviewing. He has a video when he blows smoke through shoes and nothing comes out of the X Ultra 5 GTX. But that's Gore-Tex. Not mine.)

I just now put a Larry 2 work light in the shoe. Light shows past the internal structure. So some breathability. But more structure than previous. So maybe not as breathable.

The uppers are a little tight around the widest part of my foot at this time. I'm hoping that the uppers will stretch out a little. Some say they don't with this new material and cause blisters. We'll see.

Toe guard is more robust than previous. But I never had an issue with the way that they were before.

While the color of the shoes on web photos looks obnoxious, quite tamein real life. More of a gray/beige than the green shown on the computer.

Yeah, but do they do dishes and take out the garbage?

Day 3:

My gluteus minimus muscles ached while hiking both days when I wore my new shoes. In fact I had a massive leg cramp an hour after I returned from my first hike with the new shoes. (I read that overuse of the minimus can cause leg cramps.)

I don't know if it's because the new tread at the back outer end of the heels, not yet worn in, is still very high and sharp. (Am hitting the ground differently on the back of my heel.) Or if it's because the tread pattern is different from my previous Salomons. (The old Salomons had horizontal ridges at the heel, as opposed to large lugs at the heel of the X Ultra 5.)



Or it could be because I started doing posture stretches a few days before receiving the new shoes. (To combat "computer head.")

So, to see if the problem followed the shoes, today I hiked with my old pair.

No pain in my minimi.

But that could be because last night I did exercises for the gluteus minimus.

So back to the new shoes tomorrow to see what happens.

Day 4:

Wore my new X Ultra 5's today on same trail as yesterday at Mountain View Park. Gluteus minimus pain started lightly at first and then went away. I felt good enough to go up "Sneaky Hill" like yesterday. (It was nice today having the extra traction from new lugs.)

So it appears that my pain is following the new shoes, but is going away during the break in process.

If correct, then - and this might already be Best Practice - if I were going to thru-hike the AZT and send new shoes to myself at the halfway point, and if I knew what shoes I liked, I would buy a second pair before starting the hike and break them in for a week or two before sending them to myself at the half way point.

Other observations: The Quicklaces are holding up so far. (But I don’t overtighten them.) I read that the uppers are made with a Kevlar-like material that has some Kevlar in it. So I don’t expect it to stretch much, although the fibers are oriented heel to toe so that they can realign sideways a bit.

The price on Zappos went back up to $150. Price on Backcountry is still below $100. Holding at $112.50 direct from Salomon.

I wonder if I should buy a second pair on sale for use in a year and a half? (Assuming I'm still backpacking then.) Do shoes have an "Expiration Date" where the rubber compounds, fabrics, etc. age and harden?

Shoes do break down over time if not used; it's a funny thing in the sneakerhead world where they'll be flabbergasted by a 15 year old sneaker's foam just kind of... falls apart when they suddenly use it or want to sell it. It takes a while, though, not a year or two. When I find a shoe or version I like, I'll usually pick up 4-5 pairs and then rotate them when I wear them vs waiting for one pair to wear down and replacing. Popular in the running world vs wearing the same pair every single day (even if it's the same model)

@xsproutx
Good to know.

I like the idea of rotating a pair. I remember a report from about 50 years ago that said rotating two pairs of shoes lasted more than twice as long as using one pair.

IIRC, one pair can dry out more during the day that the other one is in use. So apparently moisture has a large influence on break down.

This is interesting. I have two pairs of Altra Timps high tops and one pair of Altra Lone peaks high tops. One pair of the Timps is new. Maybe I'll start wearing them.