Salomon Quest 4 GTX Women’s Hiking Boots – Review

Searching for a bit more ankle support on her trudging hikes in the wild, Amy sniffed out the Salmon Quest 4 GTX Women’s hiking boots. Here’s what she (and her feet) made of them.

Never have I ever owned a pair of high top hiking boots before, until my fourth ankle roll on a hike around Kings Canyon saw me limping along the last kilometre.

After years of low cut hiking shoes, and a bruised ego and foot, I decided I needed some serious ankle support if I was to ever trudge a trail again. 

So, naturally, I went from zero to 100 and wrangled myself a pair of Salomon Quest 4 GTX Women’s hiking boots. Here’s how they’ve held up in the probably-not-quite-appropriate climate of the Northern Territory. 

Water Resistance

Puddles and river crossings are nothing in these shoes, they are incredibly waterproof.

The Gore-Tex membrane keeps water well away from your feet and the high cut ankle makes sure any rogue splashes don’t find their way inside your shoe either. Water literally beads and rolls off the top of these shoes.

It was Top End dry season when I tested them out, so rain wasn’t an issue – instead I walked through stream crossings and washed the shoes under a small waterfall to test the waterproofness – my feet didn’t feel a thing.

I’ve had all leather-outer hiking shoes before, which have kept my feet dry through a few splashes and missteps, but nothing like this. I was honestly stunned and impressed at the watertight nature of the Gore-Tex (or should I say Awe-Tex?).

The possible downside to this is that the combination of the leather outer and Gore-Tex membrane means they’re not the most breathable shoes – which when you’re wearing them in cold, wet conditions ain’t a problem. However trekking around in 30ºC heat is probably not the most sensible use for them.

In saying this, even on an accidental 30km overnight hike along Nitmiluk Gorge, my feet were never hot enough to develop blisters or feel particularly overheated. I guess when your whole body is teetering on the edge of heat stroke, the temperature of your feet isn’t really front of mind.

Stability and Support

This is ultimately what I was looking for in these boots – support around my ankle and a stable grip for rocky terrain (of which the Territory has plenty!).

Compared to the previous low cut hiking shoes I’ve worn, the Salomon Quest 4 GTX Women’s hiking boots made me feel a little bit invincible.

Clambering up and over rocky outcrops with a 14kg hiking pack on and in the blistering sun, these boots made foot stability the least of my problems. Where I’d usually hesitate and take a moment to consider my foot placement, especially on a rocky descent, these boots gave me the confidence to power on through.

The Contragrip soles made me feel like a mountain goat, able to find a hold on any little rock. Especially when compared to the pair of hiking shoes I’d recently worn down to such an extent that I could feel sharp rocks poking through the soles to my feet. Whaddaya mean hiking shoes don’t last six years of battering?

Weight

Look, if you’re counting every gram, the Salomon Quest 4 GTX Women’s hiking boots are probably not for you. Donning these boots will add over a kilo of extra weight to your set up, with each individual shoe coming in at 535g.

The upshot of this however is that the sheer sturdiness and thickness of the boots made my feet feel much more safe from the possibility of a darting snake bite than my mate who was getting around in socks and Crocs (and when I pointed this out to him, he finally piped down about why Crocs are the best hiking shoes for hot climates).

Comfort

The jury is still out on the comfort of these boots, and only another long-distance hike will really cement the verdict, but here’s what I know so far.

Before I took the Salomon Quest 4 GTX Women’s hiking boots out for their first night in the wild, I attempted to wear them in around the house for a week – all was dandy.

That weekend, a bunch of mates and I shouldered our packs and headed off to Smitt Rock in Nitmiluk Gorge.

I packed my old hiking shoes just in case something went awry. The 12km hike into the campground turned into an 18km slog when we missed a turn and had to backtrack. Despite this, the boots stayed comfy all day long (though I didn’t hesitate to whip them off the second we got to camp).

Around 7km into the walk out the next day, a pain began to twinge my left Achilles and up my leg. I attempted to continue walking but it only made the pain worse.

I swapped the new boots for my well-worn and low cut hiking shoes. They allowed my heel and ankle a bit of room to flex and move more easily, unlike the restrained and rigid Salomon Quest 4 GTX Women’s hiking boots, which feature a new ADV-C 4D Chassis designed to provide extra support around the heel – possibly a little too much?

The pain eased for a short while before hitting again and staying put as I hobbled the last few kilometres to the car. The next week saw me hopping about the house and gingerly putting weight back onto my – no other word for it – cankle.

Suffice to say, I was pretty hesitant to lace up the boots again.

But a few months later, once my foot and memory had mostly healed, I strapped them back on for a short 6km day hike. As I wandered through the bush, chatting with my mates, my feet were the last thing on my mind. The pain I’d experienced previously didn’t return, not even a hint of it.

So, I haven’t written the boots off as ‘Good for someone, but not for me’ just yet. I think another long hike with a heavy pack will be the final judge.

In saying all this, the three eyelet lacing system allows you to customise the fit around the ankle, so it’s possible to give yourself a little more wiggle room.

Price

This may be a sticking point for some people, as the Salomon Quest 4 GTX Women’s hiking boots don’t come cheap – in fact at $450, they’re the most expensive shoes in Salomon’s women’s hiking/walking shoes range.

However, when I was deciding which boots to get, they ticked all of the boxes I was looking for – regular cushioning, high foot protection and support, for use on mixed and technical trails, and a standard shoe width – along with the aesthetic I was after too. Considering the number of years I wore my old $150 Kathmandu hiking shoes for, I’m hoping the length of use will justify the cost – check in with me in six years!

Final Thoughts

The fear of another ankle roll is what drew me to such a sturdy, heavy-duty hiking boot, and I certainly got what I was hoping for – stability, support, and confidence. What I didn’t anticipate was the potential rigidness and lack of flexibility that came with it – but that could just be me.

If you’re an avid trekker – particularly in a wet climate – who’s after a durable, strong, and secure hiking boot that’s tough enough to take on the most unstable terrain, the Salomon Quest 4 GTX Women’s hiking boots are more than worth considering. But best to come with the knowledge of how much flexibility your feet need before you commit.

Amy was given this product for testing and was allowed to keep it afterwards – she could say whatever the heck she wanted in the review.

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