The Salomon Speedcross 5 is all around trail shoe that is priced at $130. The updates have made this shoe more durable and comfortable for the trail runner who prefers the dirt vs road.

The outersole was updated with Chevron lugs that are multi-directional and a deeper cut to allow these shoes to gain traction on loose dirt, soft trail, and even mud.

The comfort begins with the molded OrthoLite® that delivers top-notch cushioning, breathability and durability.

The anti-debris mesh on the upper of the shoe keeps debris from being caught between the foot and footbed. The SensiFit™ provides a snug fit along with the Quicklace™ one pull lacing system.

The mid-sole is made of EnergyCell™ + which is a high-rebound giving the shoe long last cushioning and durability.

The Speedcross 5 needed no introduction to my feet. I laced them up and hit the trail. We had non-stop rain for days so I was a little hesitant to take in some trail miles with a new pair of shoes.

These shoes did not fail me once. The trail I decided to tackle is technical for South Texas, it has some climbing, stair stepping, dirt, rocky, roots, and soft trail areas.

I crossed through the bottom of the trail in ankle deep water and beds of mud coming up and out of the that part of the trail unscathed.

The shoes are not waterproof but debris did not get in nor did I develop any blisters. I loved how the mud didn’t stick to the bottom of the shoe, as I kept running the mud would just sling off.

The lugs provided perfect traction and grip going up the slick rock with moss running down the trail.
It did feel a little awkward at first to run in such a steep heel to toe drop.

Most of my trail shoes are 4mm drop vs 10mm drop shoes so there was an initial difference in feel which quickly faded as I hit my first climb.

You don’t miss the rockplate in the midsole because the deep multi-directional lugs and hard exterior Contragrip rubber protect the feet for those jagged little rocks along the technical terrain.

It also provides protection around toe with a welded overlay bumper.

This shoe will withstand technical, rocky, rooted, dry, wet, or muddy terrain. One thing to note is that this shoe is for sand, dirt, grassy, and rugged trail and not necessarily for road or concrete.

The lugs do not do well while running on road or trail.

I was impressed by the ease of keeping pace whether going up or downhill. As I stated earlier, the trails were wet and muddy yet I was able to hit the prescribed paces for each of the runs.

I felt light and confident throughout my run.

I really liked how the shoe fit from the heel to toe. The molded Ortholite® fit like a glove around my foot. It kept the sand and rock out of the shoe protecting my feet.

I also didn’t experience sliding of my feet when I went through water and mud, my feet stayed put.

I think I can see myself using these shoes for my next training phase. I truly enjoyed every aspect of the shoe and where I can run with these shoes.

They are very functional as long as there is no pavement. I know that I can wear this one shoe whether going to run on the sandy dirt trail or steep switchback trails wet or dry.