Salomon Mens XT Wings Trail Running Shoes - Outdoor Gear Review

Just like SUVs, trail running shoes are designed and built for rugged off-road use but typically end up as everyday street wear, making more trips to the mall than to the wilderness and often more about fashion than they are about function.

With that in mind, I put Salomon’s new XT Wings through their paces in both aspects of their expected use, wearing them first as casual wear and then taking them out running on a nearby mountain peak. Thankfully, the XT Wings performed admirably in both environments, meeting my aesthetic and my athletic demands with flying colors.

At work, at home, and around town, the XT Wings’ comfort and fit made them a great choice for everyday use, and their bold orange and black color scheme worked especially well during the fall season and drew frequent compliments.

Out on the trail, running in the XT Wings involves wearing a boatload of named and trademarked components, including asymmetrical Quicklace™ laces, Sensifit™ uppers, and an Ortholite® insole. Tying them all together is the Agile Chassis System (ACS), built around the Contagrip® tendon, muscle, and skeleton which together form the structural core of the shoe.

When it came time to log some hardcore miles, all of those terms and technology added up to a pretty sweet ride. The XT Wings are lightweight, exceptionally so given their top-notch cushioning and support. The shoe’s design helps shift forward momentum from the heel to the toe, a particularly valuable feature on hills or uneven surfaces where striking the ground with more than a small section of the foot is unlikely. The outsoles held firm on slippery rocks and logs, and the shoes never felt heavy or encumbering even when wet.

The only drawback I could find was with the lacing system, and mostly because I am a particularly demanding customer in that area. I wear hard orthotics which lift my heel about 1cm above the insole, sometimes causing looseness in the fit. To compensate, I can adjust traditional lacing systems around the top eyelets to tighten the rear part of the shoe. Salomon’s lacing system, while generally easy to tighten and loosen, doesn’t offer the same flexibility. And although the laces seem tough and strong, one has to wonder how easy they would be to replace should they actually break.

Nonetheless, this minor quibble does little to take away my appreciation for this fine pair of performance trail runners from Salomon.