Backpacking Boots
Salewa Alp Flow Mid GTX
$239, 2 lbs. 9 oz. (US men’s 9)
Sizes: US men’s 7-13, women’s 5-11
backcountry.com
In a continuing quest to find boots that handle any kind of terrain and conditions without baking my feet, I took the Alp Flow Mid GTX—which sport Gore’s newest, most-breathable technology, Surround—on a pair of hikes that push footwear to extremes: a mostly off-trail, two-day backpacking trip in early October in Idaho’s White Cloud Mountains, and a late-May dayhike up Garnet Canyon in Grand Teton National Park, slogging through a lot of soft, wet snow.
The Alp Flow Mid proved excellent for my trip in the White Clouds, carrying up to about 35 pounds hiking over wet, shifting talus, loose scree, through mud and puddles, and bushwhacking. The boots could handle 40 pounds or more comfortably, thanks to an EVA midsole with a partial, plastic shank that delivers a nice balance of cushion, underfoot protection, and torsional rigidity. Plus, walking in them feels almost like walking in lighter shoes because of the substantial, natural flex the boot has below the ball of the foot. The medium-volume fit cradled my heel and held my midfoot in place, preventing my feet from sliding (and causing blisters). To-the-toes lacing and a locking lace hook at mid-foot—the latter allows you to adjust the tightness of the forefoot separately from the ankle—help dial in what feels like a customized fit. The roomy toe box keeps toes cooler and prevents them from banging against the front of the boot.
Even though the uppers were visibly wet in the White Clouds and Tetons, my socks stayed dry—which was particularly impressive when I was kicking steps for a few hours through soft, wet snow and occasionally postholing to my knees in Garnet Canyon. (I wore gaiters.) The Gore-Tex Surround not only keeps moisture out, it features 360° of breathability—as you walk, air gets pumped through the perforated inserts and midsole and the mesh sides of the uppers. My feet did get a bit hot by the end of that Tetons hike, when the temp rose to around 70° F (at lower elevation). My verdict: They’re more breathable than many midweight, mid-cut boots; but any boot in that category, especially one with leather uppers, will be warmer than any low-cut or lighter, mid-cut footwear.
The uppers made of nubuck leather and ballistic mesh, reinforced with rubber in the toe bumper and exoskeleton along the sides, make the Alp Flow Mid almost bulletproof; the weak link in durability looks like the soft EVA foam around the heel, which will suffer the abuse of rocks least well. Still, that’s not a part of a boot that tends to get banged up much. I expect these boots will last for several hundred miles, and you’ll eventually replace them because of normal wear on the outsole or the EVA midsole has gotten compacted and lost its cushion. Lastly, the Vibram Hike Approach outsole’s aggressive tread, with deep, widely spaced lugs, gave me good traction in snow and all kinds of off-trail ground, but isn’t made for smearing on steep slabs.
All in all, Salewa’s Alp Flow Mid GTX is a sturdy and comfortable all-around boot for backpacking or rugged, wet dayhiking.
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—Michael Lanza
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Michael showed himself to be a prophet regarding these boots. My EVA midsole under the ball of my foot has simply disappeared in places! (But where did it go?). I now have a small rectangle of uncollapsed midsole sticking up into the ball of my foot, and the rest of the midsole has dropped away, creating a very uneven and uncomfortable bedding for my foot! In addition to that, the tactical mesh on the sides has torn in about ten places, and the rubber exoskeleton protecting the mesh has broken in numerous places. Who wants a pair of hiking boots that only last a couple hundred miles? These boots guaranteed to not give you blisters gave me blisters on the first day i wore them! These are the worst boots I have ever worn. Stay away!
Hi Tad,
Thanks for sharing those details. I’m sorry you had such a bad experience. I would urge you to contact Salewa’s warranty department about that.
Michael
4.5
I couldn’t figure out a good temperature gage for these boots. For instance with a pair of wool socks on, would you think they would keep your feet warm up to 20?, 0?, -20? degrees Fahrenheit
Hi Joe, I look at them the way I would most mid-cut boots with a waterproof-breathable membrane, leather uppers, and no insulation: They’re made for three-season trips, and they can keep your feet dry when hiking through snow lingering in the mountains in summer, and would be warm enough in temperatures below freezing (20s Fahrenheit). But given the lack of insulation (which is generally not used in any three-season boots), many hikers wearing typical, midweight hiking socks would probably start feeling cold toes–or even very cold feet–when the temps drop into the low 20s.