Salewa Men's Ms Mountain Trainer Gore-tex Trekking

 

Brilliant walking shoes, size 13UK fits well and very comfortable.

 

Had these shoes for a month now, walking several miles a day across fields and roads. They are very robust, well made shoes. The first thing I’d say is, like so many other reviews, they come up smaller than you would expect. I am a size 11 all day long so ordered 11.5 and 12. My toes were pushed against the front of the 11.5, the 12 fits great. I think this comes down to the padding, they are very well padded shoes with very comfortable ankle cushioning. The sole is firm and feels heavy duty giving great grip along muddy field tracks. That sole might not have much ‘give’ in smaller sizes. Note also, the robust construction and padding add to the weight – my 12s weigh 750g per shoe. There’s been no hint of any moisture coming through on rainy days in wet fields although I haven’t needed to take them through deep water. Beware, the Night Black Kamille that I bought are actually navy blue. I was expecting black, maybe it’s just the colour control on my PC; I went back online to check and suppose I can detect a bit of blue in the picture. Fortunately I like the blue anyway. A very well made shoe, just make sure to go for the bigger size.

 

These have a heavy mountain sole. If that is what you want they are brilliant.

 

I love these shoes, the most comfy I have ever worn.

The sole is stiff but still manages reasonable comfort on roads. But they come into thier own in mountains

Best approach shoes I have ever had. Super comfortable straight out of box.

I needed a full size bigger than I normally order.

 

Good value did not take to much time to break them i

 

Excellent comfortable shoe that required no breaking in at all. Sold soles, with great grip in icy weather. Excellent quality too.

 

It’s a stiff, full vibram sole but great for hill walking. I changed from trekking & hill walking in full boots to these mountain trainers after reviews in the hiking life. That guy goes for lighter weight running shoes but I prefer the security & stiffnes of these salewa shoes. For cold wet conditions (Scotland) I team them up with gaiters (inov-8 ankle & full mountain gaiters) and instep crampons. I also now use them as my “normal” trainers; they are slightly heavier but very comfortable once you’ve worn them in for a few days. So I ditch my normal trainers and heavy mountain boots for Inov-8 running shoes and these mountain trainers; what’s not to like.

 

Have had for a few weeks now.
Not by any means to give a review on the durability, water repellency etc.
The fit is as close to normal shoe size, very comfortable and have no break in blister.
So far so good

 

For an Italian made shoe, it’s a surprisingly good fit, for me. A solid shoe with great support but is probably slightly heavier than I intended to buy. For the type of walking I do these days the lighter weight shoe of the same brand would have suited me better. Definitely something worth considering.

 

Just wicked. I’ve tried pretty much every make and model of walking shoe and I’d say this is one of the very best. It’s certainly the best considering the price. Fab quality which I would guess is going to last a very long time even given a very tough life!

 

I have wide feet and bought these (the first shoes I’ve ever bought online and without trying on first) based on previous reviews praising the wide fit.
It’s true, these shoes are incredibly comfy and do have a nice wide fit (unusual for Italian shoes) without looking silly. Unfortunately for me, they did rub a bit on my small toe on one side as my small toe sits right where the top cap material joins the body; the natural bend zone on this shoe. The rubbing was initially very painful even when using Zinc tape and thick socks but did stop after a few weeks and they now fit very well.

For me there are 3 big selling points for these shoes.
1) The rubber protection band that extends all around the toes and body of the shoe.
Normally the rubber ‘stub protector’ just covers the front toes and not the rest of the foot. On these, the protection extends all around, perfect for scrambling on rocks or just for clumsy people like me, with wide feet. I don’t know if this design has an inherent weakness at the bendy bit of the shoe as it may become unglued or misshapen in this area. Time will tell. So far, it is still in perfect condition. (see UPDATE: yes, the new design did break here after a lot of wear)
2) They look really good (I think). More like understated trainers then the usual geeky walking shoes or brightly coloured Fell running shoes. The quality of the materials is good and the general construction is great too. Definitely suitable for different occasions.
3) The sole. It is nice and firm, much more like a walking boot than a trainer. However, the best bit is that it has so much grip. You can safely jump around (dry) rocks without feeling like you are going to slip and slide.

Not sure how long the sole will last if used on tarmac. From previous experience, nobbly off-road soles wear away very quickly if used for walking around urban areas. (UPDATE: It did wear down and also become very slippery. The new style design is a big improvement here)
I have not felt them be too warm although I have noticed they can be a bit smelly, possibly from the Goretex making them a bit sweatier/less breathable.

Overall, these are the best pair of shoes I have owned. They are no substitute for the comfort and protection of full walking boots, but for holiday wear or extended travelling where you need a multipurpose shoe, this is it. I was impressed that they came with two removable insoles; a ‘wide’ and a ‘normal’ fit version. (UPDATE: the new style no longer includes this, unfortunately). I will consider upgrading the insoles at a later date. Nice to have the option to do so.

I ordered my normal UK size and they fitted fine, although had I been in a shop, I would have tried a half-size larger to see if it rubbed less on my toe.

It’s a shame they don’t sell these more widely in the UK

Update: Jan 2023
5 Years in, and I’m about to buy my THIRD pair. I thought I would provide an update.
My first pair were as described above, and are the ‘Mountain Trainer’ (called GTX when I originally purchased) that have fabric eyelets running parrallel. My second pair were the newer design ‘Mountain Trainer’ and feature a wire support on the heel, innovative plastic lace eyelets and an improved sole. Salewa still advertise both Styles, just not on Amazon.
As a comparison between the two, my second pair definitely had improved lace system and a better sole. They look a bit more plasticy and they have not lasted as long. Specifically the rubber around the toe has split where it bends, compromising the waterproofing. The heel has also become damaged after accidentally standing on it, and one of the new eyelets has snapped off. The shoes did not ship with different insoles whereas my first pair had different insoles to suit different pronations. As someone with wide feet, I really liked this feature so disappointed to see it removed.
I think I preferred the comfort of my original pair. The ‘all around rubber toe protector’ seemed more durable and generally worked better whereas the new style felt thinner and didn’t protect as much (although this is still superior to other shoe brands).
The two major drawbacks from the original design are the lace eyelets, and the sole.
Firstly, the lace system causes too much stress on the laces so they tended to fray after a year or so. It was also more difficult to pull tight. Having said that, none of the eyelets broke or have shown much sign of wear.
Secondly, the sole must be softer as it has noticeably worn away. I had an issue with the sole being slippery when wet anyway, even before it wore down.