Salomon Quest 4D GTX

Summary

Great pair of boots, very comfortable.

I have owned these boots for two years. They have been worn on numerous weekends, training hikes, and a week long backpacking trip. These boots are lightweight and comfortable. Had very little break in time prior to my first weekend trip and not a single hot spot. The boots have plenty support for up to 45 lb pack load, which I was a little concerned about when I purchased the boots, due to their light weight.

The only thing that I could knock are the soles. Traction is good, but they seem to be wearing fairly quick. Would love to see them with Vibram soles.

Summary

Good fit, comfortable right out of the box.

I bought a pair of these last year and did a few local hikes with them. I replaced the insoles with my custom orthotics, but other than that used my regular setup of double layered socks with a sock liner.

Perfect right out of the box. Very light, and quite comfortable.I figured I'd found the Holy Grail — a perfect hiking boot!

At the beginning of June I wore them on an overnight camping trip. It was drizzling when I left,  but it was supposed to clear up. Sat around in the rain until dusk, then it began to snow! My feet were warm, so I went for a short walk, them went to bed. I noticed at the time that my feet were a bit damp, but I didn't worry about it.

I woke up the next morning to an inch or two of snow. I put on dry socks but checked the inside of the boots and discovered they were damp! Did a nice hike anyway after breaking camp, and by the end my feet were soggy again!

I headed straight back to Mountain Equipment Co-op. Like REI it has a 100% guarantee, and I complained the my cool new boots weren't actually waterproof! Their return policy is TOO liberal — they took them back without question and refunded my money.

I figured out later that when the fabric on the outside of the boot gets wet, it forms an airtight barrier that doesn't let the Gore-tex breathe. The moisture was sweat, not leakage. I guess I didn't really give the boots a fair chance.

I went and bought another pair of boots (leather Salomons) but also bought a second pair of Quest 4D in the trunk of my car while breaking them in, just in case the new ones didn't work out. When they turned out to be okay, I returned the Quest 4Ds to the store. However, if I have to grab a new pair, I will be looking at them again.

Comment: I have yet to meet someone who was unhappy with their Quest 4D boots. Women especially like them because of the light weight.

Summary

Great all round boot, used almost daily.

Bought these boots about 18 months ago, and while I am by no means a serious hiker, I do Snowdon several times a year and camp often.

I use my boots for almost all tasks, literally — I sometimes ride mototrcycles in them (in all weathers due to the wonderful climate we have in the UK), at work on a building site (no one has yet questioned wheather they are steel toe caps or not) and while running around a boggy site they keep my fet dry, camped in all weathers, and used them for casual wear in the evening with a pair of jeams and a shirt to go out in. I wear walking boots a lot due to their comfort, waterproofness, and 'smarter than trainers' look.

I will happily buy another pair of these boots. Having gone through most of the popular brands in walking boots, this is one brand I now look for when perusing the shelves. These boots have kept me dry, warm and comfortable in all temperatures and wetness and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

Summary

Great right out of the box.

Let's start out by saying I have hiked in Salomon boots for 10 years plus because they are one of the few companies that have a wide toe box. They are comfortable boots and have been extremely consistent in design over the years.

This year was the first time I have noticed a major design change in the boots and was very concerned I would have to go on a search for a new boot. This boot still incorporates many of the solid proven design features that have made these boots a great hiking boot with as hard as I found it to believe improve on a great boot for hiking.

This model is extremely comfortable right out of the box, little break-in time, and has been great on short 5 to 6 mile hikes without any issues at all. Have used in training sessions for search and rescue in some less then favorable conditions for people to be walking in. The real test will be on a the new section of the IAT in Newfoundland where some of the trail is still just on the map not yet finished.

Some of the things that make this boot real nice is the lace lock which adds to the comfortable fit. The toe guard is already paying off as in the past I have had to retire boots because the toe has been destroyed. These little things make the investment a little better and make this a good all round hiker.

Update on this boot: So after a week in the back country of Newfoundland the boot far exceeded my expectations for comfort, support and durability. The claim of being waterproof held up as some of the terrain was wet and marshy, kept my feet dry. The breathabilty of the boot kept my feet comfortable, the ankle support was great! This is an overall great boot well worth the money spent.

Summary

recently returned from hiking to phantom ranch in the grand canyon. purchased boots 1/2 size larger as suggested due to the downward slope of the canyon .very comfortable and supportive and zero hot spots. i also purchased superfeet for insoles as well.

I bought these boots for a trip to Kilimanjaro. So I needed a very sturdy boot with good ankle support and water resistance. I have fairly wide feet, and prefer a roomy toe box. 

I did some warm up hikes in Colorado the summer before, and summited Kilimanjaro on the 7 day Machame trek in January. I experienced very rugged and sometimes very wet conditions. These boots did a very nice job, and are still in battered but serviceable condition. 

The boots kept the water out and kept my feet safe from any injury during my travels. The boots felt good right out of the box, and I never had any problems with blisters or any other problems. 

The footbeds were not that great (normal) so I replaced them with a new set of green Superfeet. As a single criticism, the tread could be a bit 'grippier,' which caused a problem from time to time.  However I am still very satisfied with my boots. 

After the trek was over, one of the guides actually asked for my boots. And he was very persistent!  So they still look good, even after all of the rain and abuse.

Great boots so far. One season in, 10 days in the Winds, 10 days in the Sawtooths, and every weekend in Montana and they are spotless. Solid boots. Broke in really fast. 

This is my second pair of Salomon's and I've loved them both. Really, after owning other brands, if I get one good year out of 200 dollar boots I'm content. I can see getting at least another solid season out of these. Good boots are one of the few things in life that actually seem worth the money, even to a broke dude such as myself.  

I have high arches and wide feet and none of the euro brands were worth a shit. I tried quite a few other brands before finding these (Scarpa, Kayland, Zamberlan, Asolo, New Balance, Vasque) and these were hands down the best fit for my weird feet.  

Oh yeah, I wear Montrail moldable insoles in these dogs. With other boots, I found that the insole lifted my heel too high and created hot spots. Not so with these. Buy them from REI and if you think they suck you can return them. Sweeeeeeeeet!

Just hiked the 41 km grueling Fundy Footpath in New Brunswick with these on my feet for the first time. The fit like a glove, are very light, provide good ankle support and kept the water out. 

After three straight days of hills and gorges,  I never had one blister and had no hot spots. I could not imagine a better hiking boot.

Let me start by saying that my foot is a bit wider than normal in the front, and tapers to a narrow heel. I don't have any arch issues. This shoe in a EU42 fit me very well. I would recommend people, if they have to order, to go off their European sizes, as it seems much more consistent.

I bought these boots for an upcoming trip to Tibet, and have worn them a few times to break them in. So this is an early review. A full review will be in order if I decide to come back from Tibet.

These boots were very comfortable right out of the box. I am very lean, at 130 pounds, and found these shoes to be very supportive and comfortable. The traction of the shoes are great. Uneven surfaces are not a problem thanks to the traction, and the solid ankle support this boot offers.

I have two minor issues with the boots however. Breathability from the Gore-Tex liner isn't as good as the Helly Tech XP liner. And if you are walking over a hard surface and there's a film of water between the boots and the hard surface, get ready to slip. I have noticed that this is a common issue with a lot of Salomon's footwear. And again, my Helly Hansen shoes and boots seem to do a better job of not sliding out on me when crossing a stream bed of smooth stones.

Oh, and I guess the useless carbon fiber just above the midsoles are kinda annoying. But I guess they need something as a feature to sell to Dentists who wear them around the city on the weekends.

A good solid day hiker usable for short multi-day trips. Completely waterproof due to gore-tex lining, relatively breathable and cool despite this. Deep lugs on Salomon's proprietary outsole material provide good traction on most surfaces, slippery on wet wood but all outsoles are. Cut is a bit high, but dips in the back to accommodate the achilles heel. Good ankle support.

Overall volume is low to medium, those with a high instep and high volume foot will not enjoy this. A deep medium to narrow heel-cup grips your foot well, and a wider toe-box accommodates toes well. Poor arch support - an aftermarket arch support insole is necessary for those with arch problems. In the end I should have gone up half a size, after a summer of heavy use they seem a little tighter than at first, especially when adding a thicker superfeet orange insole.

EVA midsole support is a little weak, Salmon should have used a polyurethane midsole instead for longevity and better support, especially under the forefoot which is thin. Especially at this price range - I consider this a significant flaw on an otherwise good piece of footwear.

Strongly recommend you spend at least 4-5 hours walking in these boots before taking them on a hike - some break-in is important, but these boots require very little break-in overall.

Extremely happy with boot. Broke in just couple hours walking around the hood. Hiked Swiss Alps this summer and Half Dome last week.

Great over the ankle support. Kept cool in the heat and dry in the rain. After 16 mile round trip up from Yosemite Valley, no complaints.

After searching for a new waterproof boot for about 6months I finally settled on the Quest which I've been using for 2 months now. The boot has all of the features which I find important: a decent toe protector, mid-sole support, waterproof, relatively low weight, excellent sole with hard wearing rubber compound and good ankle support.

The last around which the boot is manufactured suits a narrow/medium width low volume foot which suits me perfectly. I've found that the boot requires virtually no break in period. I literally took them out of the box at the trail head and did a shortish but steep 5mile hike with a 33pound pack..not a single hotspot, no chafing anywhere. Subsequently I've done a number of short 2day backpacking trips of varying lengths from very steep, muddy, slippery routes off trail to regular trail hiking with no problems.

This is the best boot I've owned thus far and rate it highly. Check the fit of the boot as this is the most important aspect of any trekking shoe.