![]() ![]() While the HOKAs were more comfortable, the Salomon’s had better tread. The difference between the two brands was comfort and tread. They dry out quickly, and the tread sticks quite well in rocky or slick conditions. My Salomons are still my favorite shoes in wet conditions. This has always been a breeding ground for blisters on my feet. They also get hot in desert environments or any hot environment. ![]() Once waterproof shoes get wet, they stay wet, taking forever to dry. I attributed all of these things to my lack of blisters. The boots were well-ventilated, had plenty of room, and dried out quickly when they did get wet. I did not get one single blister on my toes. This was probably one of my favorite things about these shoes. Hell, I would have been thrilled with only five blisters! Large Toe Box I’m happy to say my feet were not sore, and I only had one blister, which was not a problem. I started the trial with a mild case of Plantar Fasciitis and thought this and the blisters would be issues. However, that was not the case on this hike. It has always taken my feet a couple of weeks to adjust to the pounding in past hikes. I expected foot fatigue and soreness around mile 15 but was thrilled not to experience it. I averaged around 18 – 20 miles a day on non-town days. Using a 10.5 size shoe and size ten insert worked out perfectly. I was a little nervous about too much movement in the shoe by varying the size of the inserts and shoe, but I wanted to try and extend my arch support a little more. The Protalus inserts I used were a size 10. In the case of these ATR 5’s, I bought a half-size larger to provide more room in the toe box. However, I wore a size 9-9.5 when I hiked the PCT, so my feet have definitely “grown.” Then again, maybe I’ve just “grown” overall. This is about half a size larger than the 10 I usually wear. This was the one area where these particular shoes were challenged a bit. Wet terrain is also a good test of the treads. When I get tears in my trail runners, they have been soaked for long periods. Climbing was strenuous, and I spent at least one day in mostly rainy conditions, with the shoes staying wet most of the day.Ĭonstantly wet shoes are a good test of the upper fabric. Over the ten days, I wore the ATR 5’s, I hiked over rugged terrain – rock, dirt, mud, and road walking (my favorite). The one requirement I did not mention but is probably the most important was comfort. The shoe met the requirements below and exceeded my expectations in some areas. The HOKA Challenger ATR 5 was primarily based on the criteria mentioned in those initial impressions. I discussed my shoe decisions in this post.
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