Salomon  X Ultra 5 GORE-TEX Low Hiking Shoes - Men's

This is a 1st impression just "out of the box" review; not a long term review. Upgrade from the disastrous X Ultra 4, still falls short of the iconic X Ultra 3. A little background, I started wearing Salomons with the X Ultra 2 about 10 years ago. Wore out 2 pairs of the 2's, 3 pairs of the 3's (my all time favorite and the benchmark by which most judge this line from Salomon) and tried 2 different pairs of the 4's which I had to return both as they were terrible in multiple ways (online reviews throughout the web from experienced hikers and wearers of Salomon will confirm the same). I had to venture outside of the Salomon brand for the first time in a decade when the 4's came out and the release of the 5's was delayed in the US. I wear a true hiking shoe, not "Trail Runners" as they just don't hold up or provide the protection I need during 30+ mile hikes over rugged terrain. I went to my local REI when these were released in early April of '25 to try them on. I wear a normal width size 13. First thing I noticed is they didn't correct the narrowness of the 4's, the toe box was way to tight and crammed my toes together so I ordered the "Wide" version knowing I could return them without issue to REI should they not workout. When I received the "Wide" version, they had slightly more width, but definitely not a "Wide" shoe. If you have wide feet, I'd use caution with these. I got curious and pulled a pair of replacement insoles that Salomon sent me years ago for the 2's before I ended up just replacing those shoes so they never got used. See attached photos. One thing you'll notice is the insoles are the EXACT same size and width (new insole is the solid black one). My old "2" insoles fit inside the shoe the EXACT same as the new insoles, albeit the old insoles are actually thicker and provide more padding than the new ones. This also confirms that the "Wide" version is the same width as the older standard width Ultra 2's. The construction of the shoe seems sturdy, but time will tell. I will provide a long term review after wearing these for a bit. Still miss my Ultra 3's...ugh.

Bottom line - an improvement over the disastrous X Ultra 4s. The tongue stays in place, the upper feels more stable, and the stitching appears to be better. Salomons continue to run small. And, as others have noted, it runs very narrow and the toe box is small. I’ve never worn a wide in my life and bought the wide on the recommendations of the reviews. It’s still feels a bit narrow, but I can live with that. If you have wide (truly wide, not Salomon wide) feet, don’t buy these. I’m going to give them a shot, but this may be the end of the road for Salomon and me if they don’t last the usual 400 miles I get out of hiking shoes. And finally, Salomon, if you’re listening, the X Ultra 3s were the perfect shoe. Eat your pride, dust off the design blueprints, and just make them again. Trust me, lots of us would even pay the ridiculous $180 that shoes now cost for those. They were that good.

…the lace system broke after only three wears. Otherwise, the shoes are extremely comfortable but not yet tested in rain, remarkable for the UK. I’m still enjoying the shoes but will probably have to look into getting some proper laces in order for the shoes to fit and work properly.

I had a pair of x ultra 3s that I was able to wear forever and they took a good beating. These 5s look great BUT I can’t get get a pair that is comfortable. The size 11 was too big and my foot makes a flop sound every step as my toes bend. I went down to 10.5 and my toes just hurt due to the narrow toe box. I have a pair of Salomon x ultra pioneer and I don’t care for them either. Bring back the x ultra 3 please!!!! I will most likely search other brands until until the return of the 3s.

I wanted a waterproof hiking shoe with a stable, stiff sole for active vacations - something sturdy enough for rocky trails but good looking enough for dinner in town. These pretty much check those boxes. I find them comfortable, but be forewarned that these run very narrow. The wide version of these Salomons fit me like the standard width version of other brands. People who truly have wide feet should look elsewhere. They also have high arch support, which works great for me, but maybe not for everyone.

Salomon shoes are legitimately the BEST quality out there. They are mega comfortable, and they extremely durable and can take a huge beating over years and last forever. Also - I have bad foot pain, and I have had to use special expensive insoles on literally EVER pair of shoes I have used for the last decade, BUT, with Salomon shoes, it turns out that their insoles and overall foot-support technology in their shoes are such high quality that I can comfortably wear their shoes, with the insoles that they come with already, all day long and during hard exercise, without feeling any foot pain. Thank you Salomon!

Toe box too narrow for extended downhill walking/hiking/trekking. On a recent trip to Nepal 6 out of 6 of us using broken-in Ultra 5s ended up with excruciatingly sore feet. Switched to Topos that I had for “camp shoes” and realized the beauty of a wide toe box. I won’t be buying any more Salomons and I would not recommend these.

I really liked the look so I thought I would give them a try. So far I like the way they feel. Just a little loose on the heel but not much. From reading the other reviews, I did go up a half size and that was the correct choice. They do feel just a little more cushioned than my other pairs I have.

I had some low cut Solomon X ultra 3 similar to these that I used and loved until I basically wore out the lugs on the sole. For some dumb reason, I was persuaded to purchase some Vasque boots that looked nice, but were unwearable due to discomfort. I got smart and went back to the newest X Ultra 5 and was so happy I did. I took them out of the box on Saturday and happily wore them on a 10 mile hike Sunday. They felt fantastic. I’m curious if I would enjoy the mid version, but know that I love the low cut shoe. I’ve never had ankle issues requiring any special support, and just love the comfort of these and compare them to a more robust trail-runner. I normally wear a 10, and upsized to 10.5. They fit great, and the extra .5 paid dividends for my toe comfort descending down Mount Washington yesterday. I love that fact I can run some sections of my hike with these and they feel made for that. The Gor-Tex works great and my feet were not hot even with my Darn Tuff socks and Injini liners. 10/10 for these boots, and hoping they hold up like my last pair.