Price: $319.99
Used by: Editor Alistair Hall
Used for: Four months

I’ve walked around 320km in these shoes over the past few months, on all manner of terrain. They’re supportive and comfortable. 

There’s a tendency in footwear these days to opt for a super-soft midsole (see Hoka One One and The North Face for recent examples). These shoes provide more bounce and shock absorbency, but I’ve found they can also lead to greater foot and even back fatigue, especially when walking on hard surfaces. Not so with the Dropline, which sports a firm cushioning midsole that doesn’t bounce. It’s made for tackling rocky alpine terrain and as such doesn’t twist or flex over uneven terrain. Salewa’s 3F system locks the foot in place to ensure this stability. 

The grip is exceptional. There hasn’t been a terrain – rock, trail, coast – that I’ve felt unconfident on. And, despite doing a lot of walking, mostly on hard-baked summer trails, the tread is holding up well with only a few lugs on the outside forefoot being whittled away. 

The only negative is that Salewa tends to build footwear based on a narrow last, so people like me, with broad feet, can sometimes struggle to get into them.

Verdict: An ace shoe offering stability and comfort on all-day hikes.