Over the last few weeks I’ve been wearing these Salomon Womens XR Mission Shoes to see what they’re like. They are my first pair of Salomons, a brand I’ve always wanted to wear on my feet (LincsGeek has a pair of Salomon walking boots and I’ve always been a tad jealous of those) – I see Salomon as doing the outdoors very well, and that is where I love to be. I was sent these trainers by Fitness Footwear to see what I thought.
These are an all terrain short to middle distance training shoe designed specifically for women, so they should be good for general fitness activities and walking as well as a comfortable leisure shoe. On the Salomon website it describes them as being “for everybody” – they are a trainer that will go from road to trail, from gym to pitch.
Bright aren’t they? This is the Very Purple Black Light Onyx colour, there are lots of other (equally bright) colours to choose from. I own a pair of bright blue Nike trainers that I use indoors, but even those don’t come close to the brightness of these. After the initial shock when I opened the box I have grown to love the colour – they look great with my boring black exercise gear as well as poking out from under my comfy jeans. Those bright yellow and reflective silver bits are perfect for when you’re out and about at this time of year too – makes you just that little bit more visible.
Design wise I like them. They are light and my feet stay cool in them thanks to the mesh. The styling is very Salomon – you see the lines and details in lots of Salomon shoes and boots, they are recognisable in their styling. Fit wise these offer a comfortable insole with nice low lines at the side of the ankles, along with a nice wide toe area, which also features a harder protective covering that my clumsy feet are very thankful for. The out sole gives good grip, although I haven’t taken these on a full on mud run myself they seem pretty good on more normal terrain.
Below you can see the lacing system. They are termed “Quicklace” because you can fasten and unfasten them with one quick movement of one hand. Clever. They don’t budge, so even after several hours of wearing (and getting soaked through) they are just as you set when you first put them on. I like that – no bending down to re-tie wet horrible laces that you’ve nearly fallen over because they came undone. There’s a little lace pocket in the tongue of the trainers so you can neatly tidy away the ends – that is a smart idea, it makes the trainers neat when worn as casual shoes, and stops any chance of you tripping on the laces.
I’m liking my first experience of Salomon footwear, and enjoy wearing these trainers. They have a great look and seem to be very good quality with an attention to detail that I appreciate. As a do everything trainer they also offer reasonable value. I’ve got my eyes on another pair from Salomon now I know they feel great. Oops.
You can get the Salomon Womens XR Mission Shoes from Fitness Footwear, currently priced at £76.46.