![]() For example, I prefer tight lacing from the ankle down to my toes, but a looser fit around the calf. That locking eyelet also lets you create different “zones of tightness” in the lacing. ![]() There’s also a locking eyelet between the forefoot and ankle eyelets that is useful if you suffer from ankle lift. The Quest 4D has a gusseted tongue to keep out trail debris and an asymmetric lacing system to match the curvature of your foot. Traction on wet rock is surprisingly good because the boots use a softer grade of rubber in their soles ![]() They have the same flared heel for stability, good forefoot rocker (curvature) to reduce effort, and a stiff shank for midfoot protection. These boots actually feel a lot like the Salomon XA Pro trail runners I’ve used in the past, which isn’t all that surprising really. The weight difference is barely noticeable, for me at least, possibly because I hike for 6 months of the year, all winter, in insulated, waterproof/breathable hiking boots. Weightwise, the Quest 4D (in a men’s size 10.5) comes in at 1 lb 8 oz per boot (3 lb/pair) which is about 50% heavier than the trail runners I prefer. While Salomon’s Quest 4D GTX is a burly hiking boot, it’s surprisingly lightweight and agile. While traction is good on wet rock and in mud, the extra wide-flared heel help prevent ankle rolls You can buy trail runners that don’t have a waterproof breathable liner but it’s very difficult to find real hiking boots and even mids without one. The biggest advantage of trail runners over boots has more to do with drainage when they get wet and drying speed since all shoes lined with a waterproof/breathable layer take longer to dry. These Quest’s anti-roll capability has probably saved my summer hiking season, I’m so impressed by them. That doesn’t mean that all hiking boots provide the same level of ankle-roll resistance, but these boots are off the charts in that regard. I can’t speak to the claim that you can carry heavier loads with hiking boots than trail runners, but the 8″ high ankles on these Quest 4D boots prevent lateral ankle rolls much better than the low hiking shoes or trail runners I have used. The Salomon Quest 4D GTX Boots have an 8” high ankle cuff for added support While I expect to switch back to trail runners in the future, they don’t provide enough lateral support for me to resume hiking and prevent a recurrence of the injury at the moment. I bought these boots because I wanted more ankle support after experiencing a serious ankle sprain while hiking in trail runners.
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