They look good don't they? I recently purchased these Mammut Summit Low GTX Mens walking shoes after my previous shoes began to deteriorate, as you may already have read I was offered a pair of Solomon shoes to review at roughly the same time so this review has been delayed a little (I paid for these ones!).
Mammut Summit Low GTX Mens Walking Shoe - Review
Specifications of the Mammut Summit Low GTX Mens Walking Shoes:
- Synthetic: Yes
- Upper Material: Waxed Velours Leather and Soft Shell
- Wicking:Yes
- Waterproof Technology:GORE-TEX®
- Weight Per Pair (g): 692, 908
- Height: Low Cut
- Midsole:EVA
- Sole Type: gripex™ Gecko
- Breathable: Yes
- Stiffness: Soft, for low level walks on defined trials, Mid-stiffness for backpacking and trekking
- Fastening: Standard Lace Up
- Footwear Features: Waterproof, GORE-TEX®
- Gender: Men
- Material: Leather
- Recommended Use: Approach, Backpacking, Casual, Commuting, Travel, Trekking, Walking, Weekend
- Waterproof: Yes
First Impressions
Clearly I liked these shoes when I first bought them, it's one of the reasons I purchased them, they look good, feel sturdy, are solid leather and look hard wearing. Basically they tick all the boxes I look for in walking shoes.
Practical Use
In practice, so far, I have found these shoes quite stiff, they require some solid breaking in, failing to do so could well cause real issues. I am also considering replacing the insoles, my latest boots (from hi-tec) as well as my Salomon shoes have arch supports that really cup the feet, and I think they would certainly help to make the shoe more comfortable.
I've had a number of walks in these shoes so far, and I am getting used to the stiffness, or rather they are starting to soften up, and they are comfortable. They are certainly waterproof, the leather is a great repellent (I do prefer leather over fabric usually for this reason). They are solid on your feet, adding great protection to your feet, and the soles grip the floor well, I feel confident wearing them that I won't slip about much.
Price
These aren't the cheapest shoe on the market, coming in at £90 (as of 17-09-2017), available at Go Outdoors, but then again, they are not the most expensive either. One thing I have discovered over the years, though, is that low cost walking shoes are often a false economy, wearing quickly in the sole (both outer and inner), this doesn't seem to be an issue with these shoes (at least so far, although I do rotate my walking shoes now between these and the Salomon X Ultra 2 GTX hiking shoes and my latest walking boot).
Downsides
As mentioned the sheer ruggedness of the shoe meas that they require real breaking in, the leather is not soft and supple, so WILL need short walks and decent oil to soften over time, but then this is why they are likely to last. They are also quite low shoes (you will gt no ankle protection) which does mean that water is very likely to get over the top.
My overall impression is that these are very sturdy, good shoes, that take work to get right, but when you do you will have comfortable, hardy shoes for walking hills or flats alike.
I'm Walking 2500 miles in 2017 to raise money for Birding For All - Read about it here - Please consider donating through My Donate
If you enjoyed this post, or found it useful, then please do share it with your friends using the links below
Please feel free to leave me a comment, I really appreciate the interaction and will reply as soon as I can. I apologize for any issues with posting comments, but sometimes Google's blogger platform plays up. ALL comments are moderated for SPAM, so please don't bother if the comment is unrelated to the post it will likely be deleted.
