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Review: Salomon Cosmic 4D GTX
I have been looking forward to getting a pair of
the latest
Salomon Hiking Boots for ages; they seem like
the real deal and herald a return to form of Salomon, an old favourite of mine. Back in
the late 90's and early 2000's, Salomon boots were the ones to have and I have had a
few pairs over the years, the last being the X-adventure 7's. They were
fantastic boots, really comfortable and very durable and a little bit out of the
ordinary compared to the other boots
around at the time, so I have high expectations of the
Salomon Cosmic 4D GTX boots...
The old and the new - left, Salomon X-Adventure
7's complete with mud and age - right, the Salomon Cosmic 4D GTX
I'm not sure why I have kept these old boots, I
use them for occasional local dog walks but there have been a good few pairs of boots
between these two pairs of Salomon's that have been consigned to the dustbin.
Initial impressions
I liked these boots straight out of the box. When
I first saw them advertised I admit I was put off by the launch colour - the
bright red ones seen in lots of photos. I was thankful then that there was an
alternative colour and ended up getting a pair of Autobahn Black and Quick
boots, which is
black and grey with red bits to you and me. Visually they are very
appealing and look like a pair of boots at the cutting edge of modern design
should. They are also extremely lightweight (my non-scientific weigh in showed a
single boot to weigh 630g compared to the X7's whopping 940g) which fits in
perfectly with my current
ethos of shedding unnecessary weight from my walking gear.
Boot line up: New Salomon Cosmic's , Raichle Mt
Trail GTX (my current, if rather sorry looking boots) and Scarpa Manta's (my
winter boots).
Features
The Cosmic's felt comfortable straight out of the
box. The heel is held in firmly by the 4D advanced chassis, which borrows from
their trail shoe 3D technology (4D stands for 4 layers of underfoot protection,
namely the outer sole, cushioning, midsole support plate and foam insole). The
main body is made of tough ballistic nylon complete with protective rubber toe
and heel caps. The lacing system allows for perfect fit and comfort using
'Sensifit' which envelopes the foot (the black zigzag webbing in the lace area)
and the lace lock system, something I have missed on other makes of boot and
thought other manufacturers should adopt. It lets you have two different
tensions on the upper and lower part of the boot and stops the laces loosening
off during a walk. Waterproofing is taken care of by Gore Tex lining (of which I
am a fan) and by the use of welded seams with hardly any stitching. One slight
disappointment for me was that the contragrip sole was not as aggressive as the
old X design, but then I guess that is all part of the lightweight technology. I
expect these boots to be a great performer over the coming spring and summer
months and hopefully the should keep out the worst of the weather.
These boots are like gold dust since they
appeared on - and won - the walking boot category on TV's 'The Gadget Show' and
many gear shops either have none in stock or only very limited sizes.
I will update this review once I have thoroughly fell-tested
them but after the first couple of outings (Brock Barrow and School Knott) I can
report what I thought of them in one sentence - absolutely out of this world,
astounding in fact and it was like walking in trainers but with great ankle
support and the rigidity you would expect from boots.
Sean McMahon
March 2010
UPDATE 23rd April
As promised, this update is to give a further
review of the Cosmic's now that I have had a chance to wear them on varying
terrain. Firstly though, it was interesting to see the 3 season boot test
results in Trail magazine May 2010 issue. I was astounded to see the Mammut
(formerly Raichle) Mt Trail GTX to be best in test (see pic of mine above!). I
am sure their test must be on a single wear as I have had nothing but problems
with them and their longevity is certainly questionable. In my experience they
fall to bits pretty quickly even though they are comfortable and I have had 3
pairs (I only paid for one, the others were replacements but I have given up
with them now after repeated problems).
I give boots plenty of hammer as you can see from
the photo of the Raichle's so obviously I can't say how long the Salomon's will
last in the long term, but shorter term and up to now they have been brilliant!
Positives:
Extremely light and comfortable straight from the box. The foot is cradled
perfectly at the ankle and coupled with the lacing system, a perfect fit can be
achieved and they are comfortable every time. The foot is well cushioned and the
sole stiffness is near perfect.
Negatives:
The crease across your toes will be a potential wear point, I'm not sure how
robust the material will be over time and with wear.
The sole is not aggressive enough for me so leading to a tendency to be slippery
over wet ground and it could do with being a little thicker for rocky terrain.
This is the pay off for getting lightweight footwear I feel, but a price worth
paying.
If they last 12 months, my usual benchmark, then
they will be well worth the money.
UPDATE - final
Unfortunately these boots did not live up to the
billing and ended up being a bit of a disappointment. They first started letting
in water in September 2010 only 6 months after I got them. I persevered but they
only ended up being completely useless by the end of the year and as predicted,
the crease across the toes has worn through already.
Great boots in theory but long term it's a thumbs
down and now I'm back on the hunt for a decent pair!
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