A First Look At Salomon’s Slick New OUTpulse GTX Hike Shoes

We got a sneak peek at Salomon’s sharp new OUTpulse GTX Hiking Shoes before they hit the market and they’re sure to turn some heads on the trail.

One of our most popular gear pieces of late covered the great hiking debate between hiking boots or trail runners. Both camp(er)s have strong arguments for each footwear and we decided there wasn’t really a right or wrong choice — ‘Porque no los dos?’

Salomon had their finger on the pulse and we reckon they asked that infamous Spanish question when creating their latest range of hiking ‘footwear’—  the OUTpulse range. 

Before we bring you the in-depth, field-tested review on these, here are some things about the OUTpulse range that caught our eye and made our own pulse quicken!

The OUTpulse Offering

The Outpulse comes in two heights, the standard below the ankle shoe and the more hike oriented Mid.

You can also choose to be as stealth or as loud as you want, depending on whether you go with the black colourway or the men’s ‘Bleached Sand/Black/Poppy Red’ or women’s ‘Mood Indigo/Leek Green/Easter Egg’ — colours that belong on our list of hilarious gear colourways.

Energy Blade

It’s not just colours that Salomon have been sharpening up on in recent years, they’ve also now got something called the ‘Energy Blade’. 

Embedded in the midsole, Energy Blade is a lightweight TPU plate, that is said to work in cohesion with the softer more rubbery ‘Fuze Surge’ midsole to deliver a smooth ride from toe to heel with help from the reverse camber.

The Energy Blade is arguably Salomon’s more forgiving version of the carbon fibre plate that has been popping up in trail shoes like The North Face’s Vectiv’s in recent years and we can expect to see it showing up across their shoe range. 

‘We wanted to bring heightened responsiveness and a feeling of ‘pop’ into the run. With Energy Blade, the Salomon team has created our fastest running shoes ever,’ Said Mike Ambrose, Product Line Manager for Trail Running at Salomon.

‘Everyone from our designers to pro athletes have been so thrilled about it that we decided to add it to trail running and fast hiking shoes as well.’

Other Ingredients

As the GTX in the name suggests, these Salomon shoes come with a Gore-Tex membrane for extra protection from the elements. 

In addition to the Gore-Tex, the shoe’s upper is also made from 38% recycled materials including recycled PET bottles. 

The classic Salomon Contagrip® outsole will keep you firmly planted upright on the trail and a rubber toe cap will help protect your little piggies from roots and rocks. 

The entire package weighs in at just 350g with a 10mm drop, so they’ll be as nimble as trail shoes while offering some of the waterproofing and reliability you’d expect from more traditional hiking shoes.

Stay Tuned

We’re busy testing a pair of these ‘fun overachieving outdoor shoes’ as we speak (Salomon’s words), so stay tuned for the in-depth review once we log a few more k’s!