Salomon Techamphibian 5 Shoes Black - 44

I've had several Tech Amphib shoes and these continue to be one of my favorite shoes. They're a great alternative to sandals, allowing me to wear short socks. They're very airy and fairly supportive, a bit better than sandals but a bit less than sport shoes.My only criticism is with the heel adjustment strap. There's no accommodation for storing the excess so it sticks out. Besides being unsightly, it's potentially a problem should it snag on something. Currently, I merely tuck the excess under the used strap but there should be a more elegant solution.

Having had years of great use from the Salomon Techamphibian 1&2 (not much success with Techamphibian 4 - they only lasted 3 months before the mesh was shredded) I purchased the Techamphibian 5 online, when they became available in March 2023, to use on a two week hiking, kayaking, rafting and sightseeing tour to Sri Lanka in April – the hottest month of the year. This is what I assumed the Techamphibian was designed for and the Techamphibian 1&2s I had were ideally suited to – namely a comfortable cool walking shoe that drains well and dries quickly when they get wet.Having returned from Sri Lanka I can give my findings from 2 weeks of rigorous use – other than a pair of slip slops this was the only pair of shoes I took to keep down weight.Firstly, the ... MoreHaving had years of great use from the Salomon Techamphibian 1&2 (not much success with Techamphibian 4 - they only lasted 3 months before the mesh was shredded) I purchased the Techamphibian 5 online, when they became available in March 2023, to use on a two week hiking, kayaking, rafting and sightseeing tour to Sri Lanka in April – the hottest month of the year. This is what I assumed the Techamphibian was designed for and the Techamphibian 1&2s I had were ideally suited to – namely a comfortable cool walking shoe that drains well and dries quickly when they get wet.Having returned from Sri Lanka I can give my findings from 2 weeks of rigorous use – other than a pair of slip slops this was the only pair of shoes I took to keep down weight.Firstly, the Techamphibian 5 is quite a narrow shoe and as with all other Salomons I’ve purchased you need to buy a size or two larger than with other brands. Although tight around the toes it is still quite a comfortable walking shoe with good traction that coped with jungles, rivers, the stairs up Adam’s Peak Mountain and other more rugged mountain trails. Some of the trails were above intermediate and I had no issues – so a low pass.When it came to aquatic conditions things didn’t go well, the upper part of the shoe has a synthetic chamois leather like material that soaks up a lot of water, the shoe also makes use of foam layered materials which combine with a thick mesh material to soak up and hold a great deal of water.Due to these materials the shoe doesn’t dry, which is both uncomfortable and causes the skin to soften and become susceptible to injury so these shoes can’t ever be used without socks – not an issue I had with the Techamphibian 1,2 and 4s.On our first night I washed the shoes in the late afternoon and left them to dry overnight (12-14 hours) with the rest of the group's shoes. In the morning mine were the only ones still wet, in fact they had hardly dried at all, so I started the day with wet shoes that had started to smell a little. By the fourth day the stench from my shoes had become intolerable and the group gave me an ultimatum to find a solution or discard the shoes that evening. Fortunately, I was able to buy some hospital grade disinfectant from a pharmacy to wash and soak the shoes in, this followed by an hour and a half of blow drying with a hairdryer resulted in a dry pair of shoes that smelt like a hospital that were acceptable to the group - so the shoes could stay. I have no doubt that hadn’t I blow dried the shoes every night from then on, these shoes wouldn’t have dried for the whole 2 weeks – there was a wide range of footwear used in the group and no one else had this problem. So, an aquatic shoe that doesn’t dry, smells bad after a couple of days and can cause injuries without wearing socks when wet, fails dismally in this area.Lastly, how well-ventilated and cool is this shoe? Again, a fail as the materials that soaked up all the water is also hot, soaks up and holds the sweat, and is unventilated - especially the synthetic chamois leather material.Back in Europe now, the shoes have been machine washed, smell nice and have been sent to the charity shop as I can’t think of any circumstances that I would ever use these shoes in the future.

Needed some new kayaking shoes, having owned previous models of the Techamphibian. I decided to order a pair of these. Didn’t last an evening of walking around the neighborhood. The heal adjustment strap has started pulling out of the shoe. Looks like it was a bad stitch. Hopefully Salomon will warranty the shoes. Would love to give a higher rating, but can’t do it with poor quality.