It's summer, you hope - and Salomon are right on the ball with their first attempt at a multi-terrain sandal. Is it any good though?
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Salomon MultiDry Sandal - First
Look
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Price:
£50.00
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Weight: 702g (men's 43)
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Features: Comfort
foam footbed, five-point fit harness, removable heel grip,
Contragrip 2 sole, Neoprene padding on straps. Men's UK
sizes 6.5-11.5, 12.5. 13.5 and women's 3.5-8.5, 9.5 and
10.5.
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If there's one surefire indicator of a good summer trekking trip,
it's 'Rafting Sandal Foot', the unmistakeable outline of sandal strap
branded onto skin by the sun and now there's one more branding iron
to choose from with Salomon's new MultiDry.
Originally designed for use by rafters, outdoor sandals are also
a near perfect solution to hot weather casual use, summer campsite
apres walk wear, river crossings and in some cases can also be used
for easy walking and hiking. Arguably the originals and probably best
known are Teva - whose range even includes a running sandal - but
there are plenty of other options around.
So far we like the MultiDry a lot. Starting with basics, comfort
is good with the Velcro-fastened foot straps lined with Neoprene
holding the OUTDOORSmagic test paw firmly yet comfortably in
postition with no chafing and the removable heel strap doing an
excellent job.
The footbed is spot on using what we think is EVA foam for
padding, it's soft but supportive and a neat toe mouding at the front
helps hold feet securely, though most of that is down to the harness.
Where Salomon really score is with the Contragrip 2 sole. It's
pretty much the most rugged outsole we've seen on a sandal and gives
excellent grip even on soft and slippery terrain. It also has a
surprising degree of lateral stiffness making it very stable for a
sandal.
The end result is a piece of footwear that's comfortable, stable,
holds your foot securely in place and is supportive with good grip
and well up to straightforward hiking. Anything else? Yes, they do
float, though one point is that while the artificial suede upper
dries almost instantly the Neoprene padding takes longer,though in
hot conditions this wouldn't be a problem and even in chilly Britain,
it's still a whole lot better than a pair of soaked boots.
You can remove the heel strap for a flip-flop effect on the beach
but frankly we don't really see the point. We'd also suggest that
while they fitted us well as supplied, an adjustable heel piece might
suit those with less average heel configurations...
Roll on the hot weather and a proper Mediteranean style test.
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Provisional Verdict: Salomon's
first shot at a rafting sandal is definitely worth a look.
The sole is rugged and grippy making it an option for easy
hot weather hiking and the combination of well-cushioned EVA
foam footbed and secure, comfortable straps make them
comfortable and secure. The Neoprene padding doesn't dry as
fast as a pure webbing strap, but the pay off is next to
skin comfort and in hotter conditions, it shouldn't be a
problem. Nice.
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