When I was still in college, I had been a fan of the Salomon, a first-rate French outdoor sports brand which was born in 1947 in the heart of the French Alps. The brand specializes in the design and manufacture of top-of-the-line footwear, apparel, backpacks and ski equipment. And its designs are full of innovation and it is aiming at exploring the greatest potential of its products. Since 2005, Salomon has been part of Amer Sports, one of the world’s leading SPORTS equipment brand management groups and is now sold in more than 160 countries and regions around the world. So here I am going to share with you one of the brand’s product, the Salomon SPEEDCROSS 3, which is also one of my favorite.
The shoebox is printed with the image of the Alps which makes the box more elegant. And on the side of the box is the basic information of the shoes. But here I’d like to remind you that you’d better pick a bigger size if you are considering buying this Salomon SPEEDCROSS 3 for Salomon’s shoes are generally a little bit smaller than the sizes on the label.
Upon opening the box, I felt my eyes wide open for the colorway of the shoes are quite cool and breathtaking which makes me feel like bathing in the cold water in hot summer days. And the details designed of the shoes are also delicate and intriguing.
Talking about the vamp, I want to say that I am into this design which is waterproof and can therefore keep the inside of the shoes dry on rainy days. The vamp is mostly made of PU and imitation leather materials and only a little part of the vamp is made of mesh cloth.
Then as can be seen in the picture, the side vamp is also made of imitation leather, which not only serves as a decoration but also offers sufficient support.
For the shoelace system, it is the standard quicklace setup of Salomon which is rather convenient for tightening laces and won’t loosen easily in the process of running.
For a pair of off-road shoes to stand out, one of the basic conditions is to offer sufficient protection performance to its wearer for the grounds outdoors are generally complex. So when it comes to this Salomon SPEEDCROSS 3, I want to say that it belongs to the better-than-average group.
Firstly, it is beyond question that a shoe’s anti-slipping performance matters greatly. The Salomon SPEEDCROSS 3’s outsole is distinguishing: it is evenly distributed with a number of V-shaped bulges which on the one hand increases friction, and on the other hand offers a certain extent of cushioning. Therefore, the shoes can be reliable in this respect.
Then in the toe part, besides the bulges, there is also a relatively large area of outsole extension, the purpose of which is to prevent sharp objects from puncturing the toe and protect the wearer’s feet.
The nearly 5cm EVA at the heel of the shoe is to ensure the cushioning performance while the outsole that extends upward is to avoid puncturing and degumming.
There is also a small piece of reflective material which plays the role of protecting the wearer at night. But as it is so small a piece, I still have doubts about its function.
For the insole which is designed in a typical way, there are two layers with the upper one avoiding slipping and the lower one offering cushioning.
Overall:
After some tests, I’ve had a general idea about the shoes and I am into it as well. After all, it not only distinguishes itself by its appearance, but its excellency is also compelling for me. For such an excellent pair of shoes, I think it would be hard to say no to it.