Walking Boots

Salomon Evasion Mid GTX Boot | First Look

New mid-height Salomon hiking mids split the difference between shoes and full mids.

Salomon’s Evasion Mid GTX is new for autumn 2015 and part of the French brand’s ‘hiking’ line-up, which means it’s cut lower in the ankle than the brand’s ‘backpacking’ boots like the Cosmic, Quest and Comet, but at first take is still decently sturdy and supportive.

Basics

£120 / 940g (pair 43)
Split leather and Gore-Tex uppers
Ortholite insole
Salomon Contragrip outsole
EVA injected mindsole
Protective heel and toe caps

First Impressions

We’re big fans of Salomon’s running-derived lightweight boots like the Quest which do an uncanny job of mixing light weight with all-day comfort and underfoot support. Not the absolute lightest boots out there, but they hit a sort of smug-cat sweet spot between gramme-saving and comfort, which makes them an easy choice for all-round walking and means we generally have at least one pair on the go.

Lots of other UK walkers seem to agree too and the brand sells shed-loads of boots on this side of the channel as a result.

The Evasions are both instantly familiar and if you’re used to the higher ankle cut of, say, the Quest or Comet, a little different, closer to a sturdy shoe in feel, but with more ankle protection against scuffs and gravel. They’re comfortable from the off thanks to plenty of padding around the ankle cuff area in particular and there’s enough cush from the EVA midsole to make for happy feet on harder surfaces.

There looks to be plenty of tooth to the Contragrip outsole as well, which hasn’t always been the case with Salomon, so hopefully they’ll like softer stuff too. We’ll see.

Initial Verdict

Starting to feel like a familiar, comfortable, old mate even after just a few hours of use. Our main question is probably whether it’s worth choosing these over either a similar Salomon shoe or a higher-ankled boot. The main plus looks to be that added ankle scuff protection without the full-height cuff that some might find, erm, claustrophobic and a little restrictive.