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Reddit Reviews
Had some 2 month old Alphacross 5 GTX do same thing after 30 mins walk in rain
Goretex shoes! Keeps me dry in snow, rain and slush. I use the salomon alphacross 5 gore-tex ones and love them
I have the Speedcross 5's and I swear they're the best shoes I've ever worn. I also have Oboz boots, which I do like, but those feel heavy to me now. I don't see myself buying another brand for some time. I'd estimate I have 500+ miles on the Speedcross 5's. Before these I had the Alphacross and another cheaper model they no longer make. Both were real decent, but the Speedcross are higher quality, and more durable. I bought the 6's for my GF and her feet are in pretty bad shape physically, but she agrees with me and also loves them.
Salomon Speedcross 5 or 6. Haven't even tried another shoe in years. Had alphacross before that. So for about the last 5 years, only salomon.
Both Asics gortex and Salomon gortex Ive found to be the best I've used. I get probably 2-3000km out of them? Say 8km a day of sandstone gravel fire trails and rocky escarpments for a year. I would get 12-18 months out of them. Sometimes I just wear out heel rubber and foam is still good so I build it back up using Sikaflex or something to go another 6 month lol
I used to rock a pair of GTX trail runners from Solomon during walnut harvest... They stopped making them (boo), and I couldn't find any existing pairs that weren't stupid-overpriced. I went on a deep dive and tried every GTX model from Solomon, hoping for a replacement. They all fit differently. It was infuriating. So, a warning to all: Try all models of a given brand, because you can't rely on equivalent fit. I currently rock a pair of Altra lone peaks in blue for travel shoes, and they're the only shoes I've bought where I did not have to replace the insoles with my Soles. I was blown away.
In the winter, I play in Salomon Trail Running shoes with goretex. They were great. But they’re expensive, and they only last about one year before the traction runs down on my plant foot. Does anybody have a recommended waterproof shoe under $125? Or some thing that is more durable than the Salomons?
I have a pair of 4 year old Goretex Salomons that are still waterproof despite the age and lack of care (never really cleaned aside from spraying off dirt), so might be a technical defect if the puddle never got past the tongue of the shoe to let water in (if it has no gusseted tongue). Though that is quite coincidental and unlucky you went through 2 brands/shoes like this. I'm also not familiar with La Sportiva since I mostly buy Salomon, but that material looks like mesh to me. I've never seen a pair of Goretex shoes with that kind of material.
However, I wear these, and they fell apart within the first month. Weak lace loops ripped and the waterproof fabric is tearing. Keens are still the only shoes that last longest, stay waterproof and don't wear on the outside over time compared to any other shoe I've tried
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Deep mud and soft ground

Top pick
Salomon - Speedcross Series
Best for Quick draining and drying for wet trails

Top pick
Altra - Lone Peak Series
Best for Road-to-trail transitions

Top pick
Nike - Pegasus Trail Series
Best for Steep technical descents

Top pick
Altra - Lone Peak Series
Best for Technical rocky terrain

Top pick
La Sportiva - Prodigio Series
Best for Ultra-marathon racing

Top pick
La Sportiva - Prodigio Series





