Trail and Scramble Shoes

Salomon Vision Trail Shoe | Review

A new trail running shoe that’s been designed with circularity in mind – and which offers versatility on the performance front

It’s been estimated that as many as 200 million pairs of shoes and sneakers end up in landfill each year in the United States online and, what’s more, those shoes can take up to 40 years to decompose. It’s a problem, and one we all need to address.

Fortunately, some brands are seeking solutions, namely around circularity, and this shoe, the Salomon Vision, is a good example of this. It’s a trail running shoe that’s been designed so that it can be fully recycled at the end of its life.

Images from OM editor Will’s test trip in the fells. Photos: Dave Macfarlane

Say you’ve had the Vision for a good few months and you’ve covered many happy miles in them, but you’ve noticed the sole has lost its springiness and the upper is fraying. Your shoes, it’s sad to say, have reached the end of their life. What do you do? Well, each pair comes with a QR code printed on the tongue. Scan that and it takes you to a landing page where you’ll be presented with a pre-paid shipping label which you can use to send your shoes back to Salomon. Once they’ve been received at one of Salomon’s local partners, they’ll separate the upper and the sole and ensure that the materials get recycled into new raw materials that can be used in other products.

Most footwear over the last few years and decades has tended to rely on a number of materials such as cotton, polyester, EVA and rubber and using multiple materials requires glue and stitching to bind those materials together. That makes most footwear very difficult to fully recycle because the materials must be separated from each other and the glue somehow extracted.

Salomon have instead designed the Vision with a simpler construction, involving a Kevlar polyamide upper and a sole unit that has a TPU midsole and plate combined with a Contragrip rubber. The brand says that the outsole, midsole and sock liner can all be recycled together while the upper requires removal so that it can be recycled separately.

This step is one of many that Salomon are taking to meet their pledge to have 100% of their new products designed to one or several of the company’s circular economy principles by 2025.

Performance

I’ve been using the Salomon Vision on my local trails over the last month. Said trails are chalky and have ranged from being dry and dusty one day to sloppy and slippery the next.

I’ve found the Salomon Vision felt comfortable and ready to roll right out of the box. It’s quite similar in fit and feel to the Salomon Genesis, though maybe a touch less technical and a bit heavier.

Will testing the shoe on an ascent in the eastern fells.

I found that the Contragrip rubber gripped well on hard packed but at times slimy chalk trails and it was fine for road to trail transitions. I felt confident running on muddy surfaces though I did find myself taking a bit of care on steep slopes. The lugs are 4.5mm in depth, which makes the Vision quite versatile but there are definitely more aggressive shoes out there. The outsole has a large gap down the centre where the foam midsole is exposed and I do wonder whether Salomon could have added a few more lugs here to make the Vision just a touch grippier.

I’d say that the midsole has an average amount of cushioning. I think Salomon have kept things fairly middle of the road here in order to appeal to a broader range of runners. That applies to the weight of the shoe, the padding around the ankle and on the tongue, the drop and also the fit too.

The upper does seem to be durable and the Kevlar has held up well for me. The pair I have been testing has seen some fraying occur on the seams around the ankle cuff over the last four weeks – on both shoes. This also happened to me with the Salomon Genesis.

I’ve found the upper has good breathability – it feels a cool shoe to run in – and it also has very good drainage too.

I’m a UK size 10 and have a fairly average shaped foot – though it’s slightly narrow at the heel. I tried the Vision in a 10 and it fitted well. It’s a shoe I’ve found comfortable not only for running but for casual wear too. I like the fact that the tongue is linked the base of the shoe by a stretchy liner. This creates a sock-like fit while keeping debris away from your toes too.

Verdict

Comfortable and a reliable performer, this is a pretty versatile shoe that I’ve enjoyed running in. If you like a light and fast shoe or one with super aggressive grip, look elsewhere, but if you want a solid performer that you can sling on for all your training runs – or for casual wear – I think you’ll like this. I’ve found it’s also versatile enough to be used as a summer trail hiking shoe too.

The recyclability aspect really is commendable too. It’s a progressive step by Salomon that sets the tone for others – and I expect they’ll be looking to follow as quickly as they can.

Pros: Excellent sustainability credentials, versatile trail performance, durable upper
Cons: Might feel a touch heavy to some, not top of its class in any aspects (aside from sustainability).