I just got a pair of these from rei...

they feel great!

anyone have any experience backpacking with these?

http://www.rei.com/product/757243

Jesse (or anyone familiar with these shoes):

Is the upper made of mesh as with many of the Salomon trail runners, or some sort of ripstop material? In other words, is it at all porous on the macro level, or of a fabric that would be unlikely to admit fine dust, weed seeds, and the like? The product display seems to be at odds with the description on this one.

Whatever the construction, how's breathability in warm to hot weather (as compared to, say, the Salomon XA series)?

Actual weight per pair in your size?

Any other comparisons to the more familiar XA Comp and Pro (cushioning? durability?) would be most welcome.

Edited by blister-free on 06/29/2009 23:16:03 MDT.

Update: According to Salomon CS, weight is a very respectable 290 grams ea. in M9 (also per their website). This despite the new "debris resistant mesh" upper, which I'm told was specifically designed to defeat stuff like weed seeds in desert/grassland environments. Same midsole / lasting / sizing as the familiar XA series. Seems quite promising, and early reviews are fairly glowing.

sorry, i didnt see your reply to my post... just weighed my size 8's... 283 grams each... the upper is a meshy material, it has cross hatching that look like ripstop to me... they breath great, and no dirt and stuff doesent get in ive hiked through dusty dry dirt, and my socks where clean, even though they're all mesh, they have some water resistance, but dry out very fast, the sole is very very grippy, even on wet rocks! although on pavement they feel a bit weird, i was worried about the lace system, but after reading a bunch of reviews with no breaks, and learning they're kevlar laces i feel pretty confident, and since putting about 60 miles on them, i prefer the quick release system, and have not had any slippage of the lace locking device... I LOVE THESE SHOES! FINALLY NO BLISTERS!

I used to wear merrell gtx moab ventilators w/ SOLE footbeds and injini socks... and would still get blisters!, I now wear the speedcross 2's and smartwool phd's, and havent had a blister yet!

How do the aggressive lugs feel on hardpacked dirt surfaces, like forest service roads and the like?

FWIW, I wouldn't put too much stock in the marketing claims for the laces. They are notorious for fraying and breaking in the presence of moisture and grit, or through chafing such as by a gaiter hook. This problem has dogged the Salomon speed lacing system since its inception, but Salomon seems content to mail off replacement lace kits (difficult to install and don't work as well as the originals) rather than head back to the R&D lab on this one.

A positive review of the lacing system simply means it hasn't failed for the reviewer... yet.

Lace FYI I have been using these shoes since about 2000 and have yet to have a single issue with the lace systme. Snow shoe hook has never been a problem. Just my 2cents. Ali

The Salomon XA series and its ilk fit me to a 't', which I why I've been willing to tolerate / manage the recurring issues over several thousand miles of use:

+ frayed laces (occasionally starting at <100 mi)
+ holes developing in the mesh upper at the L and R corners of the toebox (100-300 miles, typically)
+ so-so cushioning and rapid deterioration thereof esp on roads
+ steady uptick in weight and price with each new model year

The XT Wings is particularly spendy at MSRP, without much new or genuinely improved to show for it.

bret,
now you've got me worried, lol, i suppose one could put regular laces through the eyelets... but a better question: with all the issue with salomon, why keep buying them? I hope i dont experience the issues you have in the past with these... im sooo happy coming home from a weekend of backpacking, when im at work on my feet with no blisters, i guess like you for the fit, i would tolerate the flipside...

Edited by tacedeous on 07/02/2009 19:44:55 MDT.

"but a better question: with all the issue with salomon, why keep buying them?"

One answer: FIT...They are very comfortable shoes.

Best shoe for my feet. I've been experimenting with Inov-8 ( 295 and terroc 330) for the last couple months, but recently bought another pair of XA-Comp 3's on sale at REI because I missed my last pair which I had worn out. For what it's worth I had no trouble with lacing system failing or durability of the mesh uppers. I usually wear out shoe inners.

I suppose I'm one of those recalcitrant long-distance hiker types who'd rather put up with "known knowns" than face the prospect of "unknown unknowns," especially with footwear. Blisters, thankfully no, but I do have picky feet in other respects and not much luck with many of the trail runners commonly discussed in these quarters. Poor fitting footwear can be a deal killer on a long hike; in the case of Salomon, my issues are more of the manageable inconvenience variety. E.g., duct tape around the laces where a gaiter hook attaches solves the fraying laces problem there; a small amount of seam sealant or super glue daubed onto the laces can minimize deterioration at the eyelets (lots of friction there).

So I do tend to get life out of these shoes, if not miraculously long life. The cost per mile is higher than other options, no question in my mind.

Edited by blister-free on 07/02/2009 20:14:26 MDT.

Just bought a pair today to replace well worn XA Pro 3D Ultra's. The feel awesome out of the box. First test this weekend.

UPDATE:
just got back from yosemite, 48 mi, three days, pretty rough, yosemite creek loop... down the falls, to the valley, up two other waterfalls, to half dome, back to yosemite creek trail head... anyways...

I GOT BLISTERS! LOL ... so did everyone,including my buddy that brags about no-blister feet...

shoes fault? I don't think so... just pushing too hard, i got two pressure blisters from running down switchbacks away from venomous mosquito's... :)

The grip on these is insane! walk through a creek, and there pretty much dry in 10-15 minutes, up sandy granite, all good, ETC...

p.s. I hiked in smartwool phd's.. next trial will be with my old injinji's, i just want 18+ mi per day, with no blisters, maybe im asking too much.. ;)

The Inov-8 Roclite 285's are a very similiar shoe to the Salomon Speedcross for anyone who doesn't like the Salomon's. I tried on a pair of Speedcrossfor a few days before deciding I wasn't ready for that type of shoe yet last fall, and now I have a pair of the 285's that I like a lot. They seem to do a decent job of balancing breathability with not letting too much grit through.

The x-talon 212's are even lighter.

Both are reviewed favorably here on BPL.

I do like Salomon as a brand, I have a pair of their snow boots as well as a pair of the XA Pro 3D gtx trail shoes, but I like Inov-8 better.

Ordered a pair of Speedcross 2's on sale at Backcountry.com. First impressions echo the positive sentiments on display here and elsewhere, with one major caveat: the lateral profile of the outsole is very skinny, much moreso than the XA series for instance. The upshot is that it's very easy to turn an ankle in these shoes. An XA Pro on one foot and a Speedcross on the other demonstrates a considerable difference in heel stability between the two shoes, the XA Pro requiring considerable effort to turn an ankle, the Speedcross tipping aggressively outward with fairly little provocation. Granted, my ankles seldom give me any trouble, but the one time I did sprain an ankle in the backcountry I was wearing running shoes with a similar habit as the Speedcross 2.

The good news is that this revelation came to me in the basement, and not on the trail. So, back in the box to Backcountry they go... with regrets, for they do seem to have much potential, and are incredibly light for a trail runner, perhaps due in part to the narrow profile and spartan outsole construction.