Source
r/Ultralight•
mapam

Please help me decide: La Sportiva TX4 or Salewa MTN Trainer for multiday hiking in summer?

Question

I went to some outdoor retailers in my area and out of the lowcut hiking shoes & approach shoes I've tried, these two fit very well and I can get both for a similar price. I might visit another store soon to look at other options, but for now the race is between the TX4 and the MTN Trainer!

The use case will primarily be in (hopefully) dry summer weather, which is why I'm going to get the non-GoreTex version. I'm living in Europe and want to do the 'Tour du Mont Blanc' this summer :) (any advice for this hike is welcome as well!)

Any experience doing multiday hikes in one of these shoes? What are your experiences with approach shoes in general? Or should I take another look at more traditional lowcut hiking shoes?

Posted Mar 13, 2018, 7:34 PM UTC

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laurkhttps://lighterpack.com/r/f6grv9•

its all about how the foot fits the shoe but if they are close enough I would always go La Sportiva. I have had running shoes, climbing shoes, & mountaineering boots by them and in every instance they are amazing shoes.

5
mapamOP•

Thanks for your reply! Looks like La Sportiva is winning the race, but the TX3 instead of 4 because of the difference in upper mesh material (synthetic vs leather). I'm looking forward to taking them to the test!

2
Zanzibar_Land•

I hike in the TX3's mesh. I love them. Sticky rubber for confidence on rocky terrain, high rands for protection, and the mesh is really breathable. I've been surprised by how durable it has been.

Only complaint is that the laces are too short on them. Just swap them with some longer ones

3
huffalump1•

Also consider the TX3, Ultra Raptor, Lycan, Bushido, Akyra, and other LS shoes.

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mapamOP•

I'm probably going to get the TX3 because of the synthetic upper mesh. I assume they have the same or at least a very similar fit to the TX4.

I didn't see any of the other Sportivas at the retailer unfortunately, so I have no way of trying them on.

1
avgenthusiast•

I can second the Akyra suggestion. Picked up a pair a few months back and they really changed my hike and perception of what a trail runner can do.

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l2ik0•

I have a pair of Salewa Wildfire Pro GTX shoes that I used for a couple years. They might be stiffer than the MTN Trainer as they were marketed as approach shoes rather than hiking shoes. They are great for what they're meant for and perform awesome on rocky trails. I also prefer the way Salewa does the tongue on the shoe compared to the traditional way. However, I did find that on backpacking trips when my feet would swell, that my feet would be killing me by the end of the day. The closer fit that is beneficial in an approach shoe wasn't so great for long days of backpacking IMO. This year I'm giving trail runners a go to see if it makes a difference and my Salewa's will be regulated to just approach duty.

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hikenrun•

Maybe its my running background but I have preferred hiking in trail running shoes lately as they are a lot lighter and can still handle rough terrain.

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tatarstas•

they are a lot lighter

They really are not a lot lighter unless you are going towards minimalist footwear. The popular Altra Lone Peak is 295g per shoe, while La Sportiva TX3 is 360g, and I measured my Arc'Teryx Acrux SL GTX at 336g. Ya, approach shoes are heavier ... but not by all that much. And, damn, they are a lot better at rocky terrain.

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hikenrun•

The Altra Lone Peak is on the upper end of trail shoes in weight and not very stable in my opinion if you have a heavier load but yeah a decent trail runner would only shave 30% or 180 grams. I also like having them as I can go for a run.

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tatarstas•

not very stable in my opinion if you have a heavier load

That's definitely fair, albeit this is r/ultralight. If we are really talking heavier loads, then approach shoes actually become desirable due to the stiffer soles - heavier loads is in fact their domain.

As far as I noticed so far, with exception of minimalist pairs, the lightest trail runners are fell running shoes. That comes at the cost of being kind of crap at all other terrain and questionable durability - you don't exactly encounter scree or talus fields in swamps of Scotland ... of course I am not an expert on this and could be wrong - fell runners may very well rock on mixed terrain, but I just kind of doubt.

1