Salewa Mountain Trainer GTX Mid Boot - Men's - 2011 BCS

I'm a 12.5 foot but I usually to jump up to a 13 as very few companies make 12.5's. I have the regular Mountain Trainer in a size 13 but ended up going down to a size 12 in the Mid version because the Multi-fit footbed allows for an adjustable volume in the boot. I may still end up bumping up to the 13 but between the lacing and the footbed it's cool to see just how customizable they are.

I love both versions of the boot but the Mid feels like it's got a little bit more rocker to the sole and took a second to get used to coming from the low. It also has the PU shock absorber which gives a little extra cushion on your heel and makes longer hikes more comfortable.

The lacing to the toe lets you adjust the fit in the toebox to accommodate swelling feet or clamp it down when you need some extra performance, the tread and sticky rubber inspire confidence and the full rubber rand make sure that they'll last.

All around, this is an awesome boot.

i'm very happy with these boots. i'm usually at 10.5 with a wide foot, i got an 11 and it worked out well. they are very grippy when the sole is dry, when wet lookout because you're used to trusting them when dry. super comfortable and light weight. took them for a 7 day hike without breaking them in and didn't get a blister.

I have been wearing a pair of Lowa Tibit for the last 5 years when I am not wearing my whites. I work in the forest and beat the heck out of everything I own. I finally wore out the Lowa's, which were a great boot, but weren't waterproof. I have been wearing these Salewa's for the last month or so. Had them in the woods in the mud, rain, and everything else, so far so good. They seem waterproof so far. They have held up to the first month in the forest. I am probably going to replace the insoles as the felt on the ball of my heel keeps getting a hot spot from there not being as much padding. But other than that, they are working well.

I ordered three pair of shoes and boots (All Salewa) from BC. These are AWESOME, I ended up keeping Mtn. Trainer instead of the Alp Trainer boots. I'm also keeping the Alp trainer shoes. I decided I would use the shoes more for light day hikes and I liked the Mtn. Trainers because they offer a little more ankle support and have a slightly stiffer sole which I thought would be better for carrying something heavy on my back. I would HIGHLY recommend looking at the Mtn. Trainer as a close alternative to the Alp Trainer. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice.

I ordered both the alp and mtn trainer. i wear a size eleven running shoe but ordered in a 10.5 and 11. i kept the 11 and so far couldn't be happier. the alp trainer seemed a bit narrow. i could easily roll my ankle, like another reviewer stated, the mtn trainer has more ankle support and seemed less likely to "roll" resulting in a tweaked ankle. i've taken them on 5 hikes ranging from 4-8 miles, two of which had an elevation gain of 1000ft in the first mile. No BLISTERS! Had to tighten em' up on the way down but they were great. These boots seem to improve with each subsequent hike. i'll be taking them up Mt. Baldy this weekend. im expecting the same result. if not, i'll update the review. i've had quite a few boots, asolo, vasque, lowes and kayland. these for my needs have been the best.

side note:

i purchased my wife a pair as well, albeit the womens version and she didn't like them. they felt narrow in the toebox.i then tried a mens size for her and they were "sloppy". so i guess they aren't for everyone. but best boot i've used so far.

Four stars due to the fact that I haven't been able to try them out on the mountain. However, have run in them and the vibram soles help out with that quite a bit. Very comfortable and adjustable with the latches, and adding in a custom orthotic was no problem at all.

So far after four hikes and three 14ers I am loving these boots. I have not experienced a blister yet and hope to never. The boots seem to have very good stability and traction. I have been able to descend very quickly without a lot of fatigue. I would recommend them to others. My wife has a pair and she has suffered from some serious blistering but she is prone to blisters. Be careful if you have wide feet, these may not be the right boot for you.

I just completed a one week trek through the the mountains of Norway where I put some considerable mileage on these shoes.
The one major problem was that it was a very wet trip where the rain never seemed to stop. But hey, I enjoy the rain and it was a great opportunity to really test these boots. After all, these are mountain boots and should fit right in on my trip.

First, I need to take the blame for not really testing them out before my trip. But because of time constraint and sizing issues, I did not get them until a few days before I left. So the first time I really took them outside the house was on the way to the airport.

After going through security and putting my shoes on, I noticed that the left shoe, at the bottom of the tongue, towards the tip of the shoe, the stitching had not been completed and I could see the Gore-Tex material underneath. Uh oh, I am starting the trip with a hole in the shell of the material and I know I am about to get rained on several times during the trip. The shoes lost one star for quality control from the factory.

Once I get to Norway, my first day of hiking was sunny but I had to traverse a few snow covered spots. A great chance to see how my left shoe would resist water. To my shcok, it was the right shoe that got a little moist in the toe area. No problem, I figured that it was just my sweaty feet that caused it.

The next day of hiking, the rain really started to come down and it did not stop for 24 hours. I had to cross three litte creeks but I made sure to step on the laid out stones so that the water would not go any higher than the soles of the boots. At the end of the day, both my boots were completely and utterly soaked. I mean, they were so wet on the inside that when I turned them upside down, the water ran out of them. To make sure that the expectaions were not too high, I asked the rest of the group with other brands and their feet were dry, in some cases that was the only thing that was dry. So minus one star for water resistance.

So the next day, with wet shoes (found out later that it takes about two days of drying on a heated floor) we set out on out longest day of hike crossing a mountain pass where we would be walking on bare mountain and stones. This is where I figured the Vibram soles would come in handy like a mountain goat. But this is where things became dangerous. Every time I stepped on a rock or sloped exposed mountain I felt like I was walking on ice. They really had no grip at all once the rocks became a little wet. I kept sliding and on one occasion fell right when I was close to a ledge. Minus two stars for being dangerous in the mountains.

At the end of my hike I noticed that the reinforced rubber that is surrounding the toe tip and the sides of the boots were starting to show considerable wear and the glue was starting to separate from the shoes. Minus one star for durability.

So the positive. The boots did not cause a single blister even when my feet were wet and walking for hours in them. So plus one star for blister prevention. However, I am not sure what is worse. A blister or long miserable hours with wet feet sliding around like you are dancing on ice.

I will say I really liked these boots and wanted them to work for me. Everything felt great except the toebox was a little narrow for my foot. Not overly narrow, just enough I could feel a rub on the little toe when going downhill.My feet aren't wide usually wear a D but were just a bit to wide for this boot. I would still recommend trying.

They felt wonderful right out of the box. I have a more thorough review of the Alp trainer, but these i feel in the long run, i may like better. Only time will tell. Lovin them so far. More to follow