In its various iterations over the years, the Salomon Quest has arguably been one of the most popular hiking boots of all time – if not the most popular.
Bringing the kinds of durability, protection and reliability that you’d want when taking on mountain terrain but without the weight penalty that you often get from boots made for the rough stuff, it’s easy to see why the Quest has been so popular.
If you’ve already owned a pair of Quests or are just familiar with them, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this new version, the Quest 4 GTX, looks relatively unchanged. It’s true that apart from being a touch smarter, there isn’t that much of an overhaul to its appearance. But there’s a definite upgrade in performance and that’s all thanks to some impressive tweaks made down in the boot’s underbelly.
The Sole Unit
Salomon have updated the chassis of the Quest in an effort to provide greater support for your foot and ankle, particularly around the heel. This new ADV-C Chassis targets articulations on the outer foot to optimise stability without limiting your mobility, ultimately reducing the risk of exterior ankle sprains. The added benefit of this is that it provides a kind of boosted roll-off for your stride – a small energy saver that will actually make a big impact on those days when big mileage is accrued.
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The outsole features the kind of lugs you’d want to have on a boot for tough terrain, particularly the muddy stuff we get in the UK, and there’s also a decent heel brake for that extra reliability on the downhill. Salomon have used their classic Contragrip here, a rubber compound that’s well regarded for its traction across a range of surfaces.
If you like the ability to swap your insoles when you’ve put a good few months into them, the good news for you is that the Ortholite ones here are removable.
