I don’t know which I like more: The fact that my Salewa Mountain Trainer Mid Gore-Tex hiking boots received a random compliment from a stranger in Golden, British Columbia, or that Golden is a place where people pay compliments for hiking footwear, rather than something more overtly fashionable.
In any case, I had to agree with the stranger. The Mountain Trainer Mid Gore-tex hiking boots do look great. Fortunately, they are also good performers. Let me explain why.
Features of Salewa Mountain Trainer Gore-Tex hiking boots
- Uppers: Fabric and 1.6mm suede leather
- Gore-Tex membrane
- 3F System with steel cables for “flexibility, support and a blister-free fit”
- 360° full rubber rand
- Midsole with dual-density Bilight TPU Technology
- Heel drop: 13mm (Heel stack height 31mm / toe stack height 18mm)
- Flex Collar
- Ortholite Footbed
- Vibram® WTC sole
- Climbing lacing
- Per shoe: 570g
- Price: £200
- See Salewa for women’s boots and men’s boots. There is a selection of Salewa footwear on Amazon, too.
My thoughts: Salewa Mountain Trainer Gore-Tex hiking boots
The boots are a meant for summer alpine trekking, which means I will use them year-round in Scotland. In my opinion, the boots are suitable as three-season boots for rugged terrain and when conditions are wet or cold in the UK.
They also offer good protection in the winter in the UK and would suit C1 crampons. However, if you are venturing to areas where there will be a lot of snow and ice and you plan to wear C2 or C3 crampons, these boots are not rigid enough.
The Salewa Mountain Trainer Gore-Tex hiking boots are not as lightweight as, for example, inov-8 Roclite Pro G 400 Gore-Tex hiking boots, but for a boot that I can wear almost year round in Scotland, they are certainly not heavy weight.
The fit is similar to a trail shoe or running footwear. The boots make my feet feel well supported but not overly so and they were comfortable from the moment I put them on.
Although quite a durable design of upper, with fabric overlaid by durable suede, there is still plenty of flex so that the material doesn’t dig into the foot. A criticism from me of previous Salewa test boots has been that the upper digs into my toes when I bend my feet. I had always thought this was because the lacing system finishes (or starts) quite low down the forefoot, but for some reason these boots feel very comfortable and there are no upper or lacing issues.
The lacing system is excellent. I can tighten the boots to fit perfectly. There is support in all the right places, while my feet stay locked into the boot, but not in an uncomfortable way. Basically, my feet stay comfortably position in the boots so that there is zero heel lift, not toe banging and no upper or footbed rubs.
The Salewa boots have what is called a “3F System” to provide “flexibility, support and a blister-free fit from day one”. I agree with this. The boots have quite. high ankle and this is brilliantly supportive, yet they also feel flexible. Salewa have designed a “Flex Collar” at the ankle so this might explain the excellent combination of support and flex.
Inside the boots, there is under-foot cushioning from an OrthoLite footbed. The footbed is meant to keep feet cool in warm weather but I have not tested the boots outside of winter yet. Actually, I was grateful that the boots offered good warmth, even in snow and ice. I haven’t been bothered by sweaty feet at all, but, again, it’s not been very warm this winter.
The sole is a great balance of supportive and fairly rigid, yet also flexible. This might sound a bit of a mix of offerings but I think it best describes the sole! To explain, there is enough rigidity for steep or slippery terrain, yet also enough flexibility so the boots do not feel too stiff when hiking uphill.
The Vibram® WTC sole is grippy enough for most terrains that I have hiked. The boots even coped quite well on wet rocks and in snow. The lug depth is decent. I find the lug design collects mud and small stones in places so this might cause issues with regards to less grip but so far the boots have proved nicely stable and grippy on a range of terrain.
The boots have a Gore-Tex membrane and, combined with the robust upper, this proved to be very waterproof. The membrane will wear out with wear but I have confidence that the uppers will still be good at repelling the wet.
I also like the look of the boots. They resemble climbing shoes thanks to the 360-degree rubber rand, toe-cap and brightly coloured laces.
A few negatives include the fit, which is on the narrow width side of things. I like a narrower fit but other women might not. Also, the laces loosen and become untied if you don’t securely double knot them. It would be good to see more grippy laces.
The boots quickly look worn-in. I like this look but others might not.
On balance, the price seems fair enough when compared to other boots. The Salewa Mountain Trainer Gore-Tex hiking boots appear to be good quality and I think I will choose to wear them a great deal all year round.