Salomon Women's X-Ultra Shoe

Just recently purchased, 8/25, what is my 5th pair of these boots. The first pair I bought was way back in 2016, and I have never been disappointed. After many miles hiking over all types of terrain, hills, steep hilly spurs and draws, rocky areas, etc., just like anything else, these boots will wear out. However, starting with the first pair, regarding the toe box, after tightening the laces, cramped, and squeezed, the ball of my feet and my toes, and made walking/hiking a bit unconformable. So I modified the lacing pattern. I pulled the laces off and re-laced without running the laces through the first eyelets.This change gave all the space and freedom my feet/toes needed at the front of the boot, from the ball of my feet to the toes, without any pressure from being laced in that location. This makes the boot perfect and absolutely comfortable and very secure on one's feet. I use the added length of the laces, from not going through the first eyelets, and double wrap them around the ankle and tongue which gives added support and a much smaller tied knot so the lace doesn't flop around. For me, in my experience, there is no need to fully lace the boot up to the highest hook eyelets. Stopping at the first hook eyelet and double wrapping the lace around the ankle, cinching them nice and tight, gives very sufficient and secure support. In addition, not using the first eyelets greatly reduces the pressure from stressing the sides being pulled tight which might cause any delamination from the sole, which, from reading come of the comments, has happened to some users. I guess it depends on the width of the ball area ones foot.I average about 1200 to 1600 miles a year hiking wearing these boots while wearing a 60lb weight vest in addition to about a loaded 40lb backpack, on my 6'1" 195lb body. These boots hold up extremely well under all that weight. With excellent tread for uphill traction, as well as very good control downhill traction. The laces are similar to para-cord in strength and durability, (never ever had one break), and will hold tight keeping your feet securely ensconced.I wear full length athletic compression socks when hiking, which by their nature are thin. So my 11.5 sized boots are a perfect glove fit. If you are going to wear a thicker sock, your best bet is to order these boots by .5 larger to compensate for the added sock thickness.I've never had a boot failure, but as said, they, as everything else, will wear out with heavy use. I don't throw out the old boots. Instead I use them when doing things where their treatment, whether they get damaged or not, is not a concern.Pictures of old boot laced my way, and the newest boot laced my way. Notice the tied lace is just enough as to not flop around or to possibly get snagged by anything while hiking.Oh, and these boots are quality made in India.

I purchased these 5 months ago, and wanted to see how they broke in before a review.I use these for work. I live in the Appalachians, and work outside. I walk several miles a day, and wanted something light, durable, breathable, and waterproof. It is VERY hard to find anything that fits those 4 criteria. So here's what I've found about these shoes.For the first week, they were pretty tight, and had too much arch support. I've never had that problem before, and towards the end of the day, it was pretty painful. But both those issues went away within a week.They are very light, especially considering I've always had to use heavy work boots.I was certain these wouldn't be waterproof, considering it has a mesh top. I was wrong. I dont know how these stay dry. It is honestly the most impressive aspect of these shoes. Rain, mudpuddles, wet grass, nothing gets through. They have been thoroughly soaked. That being said, I haven't submerged the mesh part to see how long it could hold water out.Which brings us to breathability. The mesh, while holding out water, breathes very well. FINALLY a day at work without sweaty feet!I wasnt sure how they would hold up, but they are tough. 5 months of hard wear, and they still look new. I've never had shoes made in India, so I worried a bit about that. There was no reason for concern. So far nothing is coming apart.They get EXCELLENT traction on ANY surface I've been on. After buying over 6 pairs of high end work boots, I'm very pleased with the price and functionality. They are also very flexible compared to ANY work boot I've ever had. They also fit very well. I was concerned about not trying them on first, but the size was right on.I STRONGLY recommend these boots for either hiking or a mobile job. Unless these absolutely fall apart tomorrow, I will definitely buy again.

First let me say that I rarely do reviews, and when I do I only give a rating and a very short sentence about what is good or bad about a product in my opinion. With that said, I am very finicky when it comes to my shoes. I have long and narrow feet (usually size 12-13 and narrow width) and I can almost count on one hand the number of shoes that I have bought that I thought were comfortable right out of the box. Boots especially always seem to have a long break-in period before I consider them comfortable.I can usually tell right away if a pair is going to work for me or not, the question is just how long is it going to take before they feel good. I can honestly say that these are definitely the most comfortable boots right out of the box that I have ever bought. They are light, limber and actually feel good on my feet from the very first time I put them on. I have had them for several months now and can honestly say they have "broke in" and are even more comfortable. It hasn't gotten really cold again since I got them so I can't really comment on how warm they are, but I have pressure washed 2 big decks in them, and even though my pants were soaking wet from my knees down, my socks were completely dry both times.They fit great even on narrow feet. I would recommend getting 1 size bigger than usual if you plan to wear heavy or 2 pairs of socks and definitely order the wide option if your feet are even on the slightly wide size. I definitely recommend these and plan to buy this brand again.