Salomon XA Raid 3D Shoe - Men's - 2005 BCS

I’m using this shoe for general trail and field running. For light scrambling and stream crossing, the inner upper protection is great. There aren't many mid- or higher-cut trail shoes available right now. Liked them so much, I bought another!

The XA Raid 3D's are marvelously engineered shoes. They are lightweight with a firm but supportive foot bed. However I struggled to find the right fit, my heel just never fully locked into the shoe. The lacing system is a step forward for trail runners but is not quite refined enough in these shoes. The material along the sides of the shoe is not stiff enough to fully unlock the potential of this unique lacing system. With further design, these shoes have the potential of being favorites for hardcore trail runners and fast-packers alike.

I had a pair of XA Pro shoes that I have worn out. They were fantastically light and these new shoes are just as great. Light, airy, and a great fit.

I’ve destroyed multiple Raid Race and XA Series Shoes over the years of training and racing (6'-4" and 210). The new XAR3D seem to be a middle-of-the-road between the fast-and-light XA Series and the durable, stable Raid Race. Aside from the bright color, I am a huge fan. These have held up well and have good traction on slick rocks and roots. The lacing system allows my narrow feet to be snug in the shoe without pressure points. Also, no blisters in the first 50 miles and they have enough ventilation to be comfortable during august in the mid-Atlantic.

I received my Solomons about a month ago; they arrived in the correct size, were a matched pair, and they were shipped to me in a very timely manner. (If you are picking up on a pattern here, it is because these things have not always been the case with internet-orders I have placed with other companies).
Anyhow, the shoes fit great, despite the fact that they seem to run about 1/2 size larger than I am used to. I am using some ankle-socks that are well padded, which further increases the comfort level, and there have been no issues with hot spots or blisters. I have been meaning to get bigger running shoes for some time, and by coincidence the slight size differential worked out perfectly as the lacing system allows for a wide variance of width adjustment. The shoes have an inner ankle pad to protect the medial malleoli of the ankle (the protrusion on the inner side of the ankle, also called the "ankle bone") and to prevent injury from accidental foot strikes, however the outer portion is cut like a traditional running shoe. The shoe is VERY comfortable, and the soles are well-cushioned. I have put about 20 miles on them, and they are about molded to my feet at this time. I would love to see them in a more subdued color, but otherwise I would gladly purchase another pair in the future.

The original raid race was better. These are too ventilated allowing lots of dust to enter the shoe. The lacing system allows your feet to travel too far forward when going down hill resulting in my toes hitting the toe box. This has resulted in toenail loss.

I am a service member deployed in support of OEF and was in need of an off-trail shoe. Most of the running over here is off trail and in the rocks and dirt. The Raid has held up awesome so far and I look forward to many miles down the road. I additionally wear the shoes on short 'raid' style missions where solid footing and traction are a must. I am usually carrying about 45lb and thus far they have performed great. If the shoe was stiffer, I would have given it a 5.

Not only does Salomon combine great design with function, these shoes look even better in person. I had the Raid Proof shoes for 5 years before I wore through the souls. They are so durable. My favorite feature is the kevlar lacing because it is so supportive and durable. I will never wear another brand of athletic shoes.

This shoe was chosen because of the tight mesh. Generally a Gore-Tex shoe will keep out the sand and dirt but is too hot. A mesh shoe is nice and cool but fills up with sand and dirt. This shoe is a perfect happy medium. I couldn’t tell a difference from an 8 or an 8.5 so you might want to round up a half size. The toe box was an excellent fit for my average width foot but I suspect that the fit would not work well for a wide foot.