SALOMON X Ultra 4 GTX
RRP £140 Target price £120
The newest edition of a shoe that’s been around for years, the X Ultra 4s build on a winning formula. Drawing on the best traits of trail running shoes, they’re sleek, flexy where they need to be and marvellously lightweight (the lightest of the men’s shoes on test). But unlike stripped-down shoes for speed freaks, they’re much beefier if places, with robust toe bumpers. Runners often forgo a waterproof Gore-Tex lining too. The ADV-C chassis is new on the X Ultra 4s, which Salomon claim improves ankle stability without impeding an agile stride. There’s also the ‘active support’ wing which integrates with the laces to hold your feet securely as you step out. It’s all incredibly technical, so I’m taking their word for it. They certainly felt jolly comfortable over the ups, downs and rocky stuff of Devon. I should also mention the truly all-terrain Contragrip outsoles, the supportive, moulded Ortholite insoles and the nifty gusseted tongue (a simple solution to path debris ingress). As with the Quechuas, not everyone will warm to the drawcord laces, but there’s so much else to love about these go-anywhere shoes. PT
INFO: Sizes: 6½ -13½ (incl. half sizes) Weight per shoe: 370g (9) Membrane: Gore-Tex Contact: 0203 510 0639, salomon.com
Lightweight, comfy, oozing innovation
A tad too low at the heel COMFORT: ★★★★
SUPPORT: ★★★★★
VERSATILITY: ★★★★★
VALUE FOR MONEY: ★★★★ ★
BEST FOR: Rugged hill and coastal paths that don’t call for full boots.