Salomon Exit 2 Aero Shoes

[photohiker]

For the last couple of summers I've been using Inov8 Terroc 330 shoes, but this summer I've decided to kick the habit for a couple of reasons, the biggest of which is that I've become annoyed by the wear and failures on the upper. I think I've posted about it before, but basically the upper wears in the heel area and fails, resulting in blisters. This has become a problem for me because the last place I want to be is 10km or more from home on one of my walks with a broken shoe and blisters. So out with the Inov8's. NEXT!

I've found that my feet fit the Salomon last really well, and my go-to shoe for winter walks is their Fastpacker GTX. It's a great boot, I have had some niggles regarding durability previously reported, but these are not catastrophic like the Inov8 issue and are to do with the design and choice of material above the forefoot around the lace area. Hunting on the net for something suitable, I came across their Exit 2 Aero. Plenty of good reviews for this shoe in Europe and also on Amazon.

Its basically a contagrip sole with a leather and mesh upper. Also incorporates a decent toe rand:

Salomon Exit 2 Aero Shoe

ExitPeakMesh.jpg (50.65 KiB) Viewed 2442 times

Weight is 457g in my size (10.5US) compared to the 330's at 385g (this is per shoe) - hopefully the extra 70g has gone into more robust materials in the lining, certainly I've had none of those sort of issues with the Fastpackers. Price from Amazon was AU$89.79 including shipping. This is in the ballpark of the 330's when imported from UK, maybe a little cheaper. I didn't try too hard to beat Amazon's price

I will update this post with any thoughts or issues as I run up the kms on these.

[rsser]

Got a pair of Salomon trail shoes; cost $160 here on sale. Can't recall the model name but they have a high rubber rand around the forefoot.

Well before long a seam split and needed restitching and then the sole started to delaminate. Pretty poor.

[photohiker]

Ern, did you take them back?

Quote from the warranty:

If you notice any product defects which you feel are unsatisfactory Salomon is pleased to honor the following warranty policy. All Salomon footwear products are guaranteed against any defects of materials or workmanship for the lifetime of the productas defined below: Lifetime of the product: 2 Years: Mountain and Trekking Products 1 year ...

I wouldn't excuse Salomon for selling a substandard product, but to be fair, they also stand behind their product in my experience. I had a brand new pair of Fastpackers given to me in replacement for a pair I had done some walking in that were starting to show signs of fabric breakdown just on a year into their life. These were ~$300 shoes locally although I'd probably buy replacements overseas when it comes time as they are under $150 on Amazon...

That linked thread above also details the Inov8 failures I've had.

[wayno]

watch some of salomons products i had some exits, but i think they've improved the materials, they had a very thin layer of rubber over the toe with synthetic meterial underneath that seperated from the sole i couldnt get commercial repairers to get it to stick again... the layer of rubber started flaking off the toe as well

[rsser]

My pair were out of warranty Michael; young in mileage though and had had no rough off track use.

Taking them back to the shop was going to cost me half a day; ditto for pickup. So a cobbler redid the seam and I've been using contact adhesive to repair the sole.

[photohiker]

Fair enough.

Seams look very good on these, sole adhesive remains to be seen I guess. Not expecting bulletproof Scarpa's out of a pair of cheap lightweight trail shoes though, if they last past warranty and better than the Inov8s and remain comfy, I'll be happy.

Will update with results and any issues.

[photohiker]

Just an update.

I've used them quite a lot. Initially for local hikes 3-5km on the local trails, but then my Rockport shoes died and these became my default casual shoe. Had them nearly a year now and they have stood up well. There is a bit of scuffing on the leather, no seams have let go. Sole wear is pretty even and light.

Would buy again.