Salomon Quest 4 GTX Mens - Olive Night/Peat/Safari US 10

Bought Fall 2021 and wore to break them in during fall and winter couple of times a month in preparation for the coming summer.Wore these boots for Summer 2022 as a beginner trekker.I have no complaints wearing them. They feel like good boots. Better than anything I've worn previously. Though these are my first expensive shoes.I did have to pick a pair that's considerably larger number than my foot size. Salomon's of my size were really small.Ordering online not recommended, try them out before buying.I am having issues with blisters though. I picked a size that leaves a thumb-size breathing room for the toes wearing a combinatio of liner- and merino wool socks.My toes were aching after a days hike regularily and I replaced the insoles with expensive ... MoreBought Fall 2021 and wore to break them in during fall and winter couple of times a month in preparation for the coming summer.Wore these boots for Summer 2022 as a beginner trekker.I have no complaints wearing them. They feel like good boots. Better than anything I've worn previously. Though these are my first expensive shoes.I did have to pick a pair that's considerably larger number than my foot size. Salomon's of my size were really small.Ordering online not recommended, try them out before buying.I am having issues with blisters though. I picked a size that leaves a thumb-size breathing room for the toes wearing a combinatio of liner- and merino wool socks.My toes were aching after a days hike regularily and I replaced the insoles with expensive arch-supporting ones after I had a toenail take extensive damage. (Resulted in it peeling off entirely). The new insoles removed the hurting toes-issue entirely.I also get blisters under my toes if wearing two socks, or while wearing no liner socks, I instead get blisters around the heels.I cycle socks every few hours or so on the trail. So dry socks aren't helping.Water has not come through the boots while walking on submerged duckboardsThe shoes dry out relatively quickly if given the chance, after a days hike or after a night of absorbing moisture from the surrounding climate.I walk with a backpack weighing 1/4 of my weight with the support of trekking poles.The high ankle support has high likely saved me from a few rough twists.Impacts with roots or the shoe lodging into rock/root crevices have protected my toes and feet from all potential direct pain and damage.About 200km/125miles behind me and I'm seeing first signs of the toe guard rubber peeling off on the sides of both shoes. Attempting to combat this with shoe-glue.I can not tell whether this is due to how I use the boots or whether it's an intentional or unintentional result of the boots shock absorption design.My main concern all in all is whether a better choice in boots would result in less blisters, or more boot durability. My knowledge in choosing right footwear isn't good enough to figure it out.But the Solomon Quest 4 GTX's have have been a loyal and reliable pair of boots keeping me on the trail rather than the hospital for average distances of 20km/12miles a day with a heavy backpack.

I've been a religious wearer of the Solomon Quest 4 GTX for the past 4 years since first discovering them. I've hiked hundreds of mountains in the Northeastern US, and usually go through a pair of these every 18 months or so. I'm on my 3rd pair in the past few years, and have had nothing but good things to say about them through the hundreds of mountains they've helped me climb. Something however changed with this most recent generation of boot. I purchased my most recent pair (newest gen) in the spring of 2022 from REI, and instantly noticed out on the trail that they were very prone to slipping. At first, I thought that maybe it was a break-in issue with the newly redesigned generation, so gave it some time. In the first half of the summer I spent most of my time ... MoreI've been a religious wearer of the Solomon Quest 4 GTX for the past 4 years since first discovering them. I've hiked hundreds of mountains in the Northeastern US, and usually go through a pair of these every 18 months or so. I'm on my 3rd pair in the past few years, and have had nothing but good things to say about them through the hundreds of mountains they've helped me climb. Something however changed with this most recent generation of boot. I purchased my most recent pair (newest gen) in the spring of 2022 from REI, and instantly noticed out on the trail that they were very prone to slipping. At first, I thought that maybe it was a break-in issue with the newly redesigned generation, so gave it some time. In the first half of the summer I spent most of my time hiking the VT Long Trail and so had a good mix of dirt & rock to hike on - so slipping wasn't as big of a concern. As I transitioned back to the White Mountains of NH with their much rockier terrain, my confidence in the boots decreased significantly. At that point, with over 150 miles on them, they were well broken in, yet I had frequent slips when crossing rocks (even when not wet). Again, having wore several prior generations of this model for well over 1,000 miles and a couple hundred mountains ascended, I never had slipping problems. This leads me to believe that there was some change in the Contragrip rubber and how its manufactured with the new model. The grip is nowhere near as good as it used to be, and is very slick. After multiple slips and falls, I finally returned my boots to REI due to safety concerns with their continued use. I really hope that Solomon pays attention to this feedback, as other wearers have also noted the poor grip with these soles on the latest model. I LOVE the comfort and support of this boot, so hope that with the next generation, Solomon will improve the grip performance of the soles or move to a different type of rubber. I don't want to have to switch to a different brand, but will if there is no other option.

Just a few weeks before I went on a himalaya trek in Nepal I bought a pair of Quest 4 GTX walking boots. The Q4's have good specs in terms of sturdiness, low weight and solid water resistance and they look the part too. Since I also needed that additional support around my ankles the Q4 was an easy choice.Initially it was a painful fit around my right ankle which is slightly more protruding than my left one. The stiffness of the material put too much pressure. Only after persevering and repeatedly flexing the material manually did the situation gradually improve. I'm happy to report they now fit perfectly and this was just a temporary startup problem.In the field I have to say I have been more than happy with the performance. The soles provide solid grip ... MoreJust a few weeks before I went on a himalaya trek in Nepal I bought a pair of Quest 4 GTX walking boots. The Q4's have good specs in terms of sturdiness, low weight and solid water resistance and they look the part too. Since I also needed that additional support around my ankles the Q4 was an easy choice.Initially it was a painful fit around my right ankle which is slightly more protruding than my left one. The stiffness of the material put too much pressure. Only after persevering and repeatedly flexing the material manually did the situation gradually improve. I'm happy to report they now fit perfectly and this was just a temporary startup problem.In the field I have to say I have been more than happy with the performance. The soles provide solid grip throughout, also on some quite tricky surfaces. The GTX breathes very nicely in what is moderate to cold temperatures (I have not tested them yet in hotter circumstances). They are really lightweight compared to traditional trekking shoes I used before, a major plus eapecially on long day walks going up. Mud goes off quickly. Wading through water is carefree, never once did I get wet socks.Overall I had a great trekking experience with these boots. The only thing I would recommend (but this goes generally for any shoe) is to replace the stock inlay soles with something slightly more advanced. Other than that the Q4GTX is clearly a great buy for these kinds of trekking applications, highly recommended.