Salomon Synapse Mid and Synapse Mid CS WP

[photohiker]

Happened across these a few months ago. They were publicised a bit when Jennifer Pharr Davis beat the outright speed record on the Appalachian Trail (go Jennifer!) using the 'beta' version of these shoes. She had input into the final design based on her experiences on the trail. They were also the Backpacker mag Editors' choice 2012. They sounded like my kind of hiking shoe and I decided to give them a try.

First issue, was getting some - couldn't find anyone in Australia who even admitted they existed. Anyway, with the help of one of our US members (thanks mate!), I managed to get a pair in my size and on my feet in early July.

Construction is a meld between Salomon's hiking boots and their running shoes. Materials are non waterproof, the upper mesh panels are quite fine and there is a sort of exoskeleton attached to the outside of the shoe to maintain the shape.



The sole is shock absorbent but has good stability. There is an insert in the sole designed to add 'spring' for increased 'exit energy' The sole is an improvement on my other Salomon boots, (Fastpacker GTX) as the lugs are a lot deeper with a combination of wide cleats on the perimeter and finer cleats in the mid area. The only time I've felt them slip was on wet clay and anything would slip on that.



The lacing employs Salomon's 'quicklace' which is a fine Kevlar lace with a fancy cordlock and stow panel. The eyelets are aluminium. I was skeptical of these for trail use, but in retrospect I find them quick to 'tie' and have had nil problems with them loosening and there is no apparent lace wear as yet. They are a bit tight for me when putting them on as I have quite an unusually wide entry size (top of foot to back of heel) and this can cause problems even with normal lace boots with gusseted tounges.



Weight. 390g each, 780g the pair. The Fastpackers are 490g each, my Scarpas (ZG65) are 760g each.

Comfort. Very comfortable. Hard to describe, but the closest I can think of is that these feel like a nice pair of uggboots on your foot. The foot is held snugly and firmly but softly. They have a good balance between comfort and feel - I can just feel larger stones and rocks through the sole, but not pebbles. I have not experienced the forefoot twist when walking across a slope or rocky terrain in these that I have in runners or shoes with less torsional stiffness in their soles. There is no waterproofing whatsoever in this shoe, so when it rains or you walk through wet grass, you will get wet feet. On the upside, they dry out quickly and the materials used in the inside of the shoe tend not to hold water so a complete dry out is possible in a short space of time.

Wear. No sign to date. I estimate these have done about 450km on the local trails so far. Sorry for the included dirt in the photos

Salomon has released a new version in Europe and the US in time for the northern winter, called the Synapse CS WP. These employ their 'Climashield' fabric. Not sure how absolutely waterproof they will be, but might be worth a try. If I find some for a good price I will have a shot at them as well.

There are also standard shoe height versions of the Synapse which I haven't investigated as yet.

Last edited by photohiker on Fri 16 Nov, 2012 4:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[wayno]

awesome, i'd seen these online and wondered how well they would wear, the tread didnt look that deep. i've had problems with the exit tread wearing out fast. are you walking mainly on soil or stony/rocky ground?

[photohiker]

It's a mix. I'd say about half and half. There are parts that are all rocks at various angles and other parts where its a smooth pad with everything in between. No smooth riverstones about here, it's decaying sandstone/mudstone. I'll take a photo if I remember.

Edit: Oh, yea. Wear depends on terrain and weight. With my daypack, I'd come in about 75kg.

[wayno]

still they are looking pretty damned good after 450 k's i was surprised at how far you'd alraedy gone in them....

[photohiker]

5+ clicks a day adds up

It would be at least 400km I think, but in any case they're definitely not new any more. My Inov8's were showing wear within 100km.

[wayno]

yeah inova8s grip well but they use soft rubber, use them on any hard surface and the tread vanishes before your eyes.....

[Strider]

yeah inova8s grip well but they use soft rubber, use them on any hard surface and the tread vanishes before your eyes.....

Even with the "Endurance" compound as used on the 309s and 315s? I have been considering these but this is my main concern.

[wayno]

my understanding from feedback from people who've used various inov8's is in general inov8 opt for softer rubber.

[photohiker]

Even with the "Endurance" compound as used on the 309s and 315s? I have been considering these but this is my main concern.

What compound have the 330's got?

In any case, for me, the problem with Innov8's is not the soles, it's the uppers. Even if the soles wear fast, the uppers die before them. Wear points like the heel are covered in cheap fabric that wears away to reveal foam rubber - once this is exposed, blisters! See my report here. I have had issues with Salomon reliability in the past, but nothing like that, and they seem to be getting better. [crosses fingers]

The Synapse shoes have higher quality materials than the 330's IMO.

[wayno]

well at least some inov8 shoes seem to have some harder rubber in them...
http://www.inov-8.co.nz/inov-8-trailroc-sneak-peek.html

reading teh descriptions looks like you can choose for sume models whether you want harder or softer rubber

http://www.inov-8.co.nz/traction.html

http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Soles.html?L=26

[Strider]

Even with the "Endurance" compound as used on the 309s and 315s? I have been considering these but this is my main concern.

What compound have the 330's got?

Endurance

http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Produc ... .html?L=26

[Nuts]

Michael, these are THE Answer well...whoknows, the sole 'looks' grippy. I couldn't see from the VID what was innovative but i guess its in the explaination. I agree innov-8 uppers are garbage.

[photohiker]

Michael, these are THE Answer

No, Nuts.

These are the current answer until the next one comes along.

My guess is that there is the old way and the new way. The old way is to walk around in the tank version of boots (Scarpas). The new way is to follow the evolution of outdoor footwear and go with the best that suits your needs on the day (if you can find them hidden among the also rans and pretenders).

[north-north-west]

Are they a wide, narrow or fairly average shoe? I really like the look of them, but the size and fit are always an issue for me with footwear.

[photohiker]

I think they are pretty average but I have heard people complaining that they are narrow. All I can say is that if your feet fit a Salomon last, these will fit the same.

I've had three different style Salomon shoes now, all in the same size, and all fit equally and very well.

[north-north-west]

If anyone thinks they're narrow, they won't be wide enough for me. Pity, they look like a good shoe.

[photohiker]

Salomon has released a new version in Europe and the US in time for the northern winter, called the Synapse CS WP. These employ their 'Climashield' fabric. Not sure how absolutely waterproof they will be, but might be worth a try. If I find some for a good price I will have a shot at them as well.

Update. I happened on a pair of the waterproof version of this shoe in my size at Amazon shortly after writing the review. Usually, but not always, Amazon blocks Salomon for delivery to Australia, and in this case I was able to order these and have them delivered when I couldn't do the same for the original version. Go figure.

They arrived in time for a quick break-in before a trip to the WoJ in early November.



Almost identical. The soles appear identical apart from the colour variation. The fabric is different, the exoskeleton is of a thicker and stiffer material, and the rand is more sturdy and looks sealed.



The tongue is gusseted where the original version is not, just the mesh fabric in the lower tongue area (visible in the first photo) to help repel debris. Internally the lining extends through the whole interior including the sole area under the insole and is neatly sewn. The original has no lining under the insole.

These changes add about 50g to each shoe, 427g each.

I wore the shoes inside for a day and subjected them to my daily walks for 3 days. Initially, they felt stiffer than the original pair, I think because of the more substantial exoskeleton. As a result, I felt some pressure on my little toes due the the forefoot creasing, but this disappeared after the second day as the wear-in progressed.

The shoes proved themselves on the trip to the WoJ. Especially on the third day where we spent the day walking offtrack from Long tarns to Dixons Kingdom in rain, sleet and even some snow:



Not sure whose aerial image that is, but they have Mt Jerusalem in the wrong spot!

I wore some Quagmire gaiters that day and my feet remained dry until inescapably I managed to insert my feet into water deeper than the footwear. Even then, the shoes remained comfortable and warm and had largely dried out once the weather cleared up later in the day and sloshing through water was no longer necessary. At one navigation discussion stop one of my companions asked 'are they really that waterproof?' and I looked down to see that I was standing in a fast flowing stream up to my ankles. The whole of my forefeet were under water. And yes, at that point my feet were still dry.

Overall, very happy with both of these versions. Lightweight and comfortable, good grip. And so far, they appear to be very durable.

[wayno]

http://www.gearbuyer.com/products/salom ... -mens.html

i like the look of these, similar design maybe slightly sturdier? still lightweight

[wayno]

how many miles have you done in them? i've loooked at the synapses. my biggest reservation with them is the toughness of the fabric. seems to be more like a softshell fabric and i wonder just how long it will last. esp being scraped against rocks...

[photohiker]

how many miles have you done in them? i've loooked at the synapses. my biggest reservation with them is the toughness of the fabric. seems to be more like a softshell fabric and i wonder just how long it will last. esp being scraped against rocks...

I haven't done any miles in them, I only walk in kilometers

They have only done 100km or so, the original non-WP pair must be about 500km by now. Haven't seen any fabric issues yet. The exoskeleton seems to take most of the scrapes but time will tell.

Maybe those X-Ultra-Mid boots are replacements for the Fastpackers? Soles look like an improvement on the Fastpacker. Agree the weight is also good if a little heavier than these.

[wayno]

i see they are doing the xa pro's as a mid height now, i have the low ones, great shoe, good support in the sole, similar to the fastpackers
they still seem to be selling the fastpackers oversees....

http://www.gearbuyer.com/products/salom ... _mens.html

[wayno]

my boots are the salomon cosmics,, nice boots, sort of a beefed up version of of salomons lighter boots, 1400gm for the pair alas....

[wayno]

i had the salomon exit mids not bad boots for what they were, comfortable. light, lasted for quite a few trips, but not much depth to the tred on the soles wore thin on hard ground so in the end they were reserved for dry weather trips , then the uppers came away from the mid sole. got them re glued but the synthetic material just delaminated from the glue.... bit expensive for such light boots. i'm looking more at columbia for light footwear. much cheaper and still seem to be reasonable design... less of a financial gamble....

[nq111]

i like this direction in boots - non-goretex/waterproof, all synthetic, light. Hopefully more manufacturers go down this path.

I think I would like a higher ankle personally though (backwards me!).

[findbuddha]

Photohiker, are you still happy with the Synapses? How do they go with a bit of scrambling / mild climbing?

Cheers

[wayno]

light synthetic with high ankle is something like the wings sky but that is gore tex as a lot of the high ankle boots are...

http://www.gearbuyer.com/site/search.ht ... +wings+sky

columbia so some lightweights with high ankle minus gore tex, can't recall exact model names

[photohiker]

Photohiker, are you still happy with the Synapses? How do they go with a bit of scrambling / mild climbing?

Cheers

Yep. Still happy. They are not a climbing shoe, more a backpacking shoe, but like I said before they have enough torsional stiffness to work well on a slope, which is where some other lightwieght shoes I've had don't measure up. <yes, I'm looking at you, Teva Riva>

The WP version generates and holds foot odour more than the non-WP version.

The insoles in both are pretty weak. Doesn't effect comfort or performance though. They are just open cell foam that gets wetted out easily. I'm wondering about putting something else in there like superfeet.

Last edited by photohiker on Thu 13 Dec, 2012 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[wayno]

the soles are cleverly designed, the midsole recesses allowing depth of tread without using a thick layer of heavy carbon rubber to achieve this, so you get a good tread depth without the normal weight penalty...

[photohiker]

Just an update.

Still happy with these, but I have scratched the WP from my gear list for the TGO Challenge. 2 reasons:

1. The lace system uses a very fine lace, and I will need to wear gaiters for at least part of the trip - heather bashing etc. I'm concerned that they will wear, and if they break they are not replaceable by standard laces. That's a deal breaker for the Challenge.

2. The moisture management on the WP's does not use a membrane, and whatever they are using makes my feet stink something awful. After a couple of days in wet conditions, I had to tie my socks down as they were starting to walk off on their own.

Still using and happy with the non waterproof version.

I went back to my bushwalk shoe bin, and I don't have another usable boot suitable for the Challenge. Salomon Fastpackers would do it, by my current pair are too far gone and one has sprung a leak anyway. I do have some Scarpas, but they nearly killed me last time - not going there again. Ordered a new pair of Salomons, the Comet. Similar to the full height Cosmic, but a bit shorter and lighter. About 150g heavier than the WP each. Much better lugged sole than the Fastpackers.

I just may be Salomon's best boot customer in these parts Will post review when they turn up.

[wayno]

re the smell
when polypropylene came out, they advertised it as being free from bacteria growth... the material that is....
we all know how much polypro can smell...
possibly because theres less moisture around the fabric than on other fabrics the bacteria has better contact with the air to let is aroma waft on the air.. if so, this might be the case with the salomon waterproof boots since they dont use a membrane, it must be a coating that reduces water buildup...