Salomon Evasion 2 Aero

Rugged like a tractor...inside too! Low cut, lightweight, highly breathable trail shoe for the most rugged, rocky, and wet trails out there with a grippy sole like Velcro—so stable you can even carry your own heavy pack till you drop.

Day 0—Looks can be deceptive, this cumbersome looking clogs when put in action felt feather-light and nimble becoming one piece with the foot I could easily walk, jog, run, jump, and climb with a grip like tiger claws sticking like Velcro to any surface, urban, rugged, rocky or wet providing maximum safety and protection. 

Day 43—Finally started to feel kind of broken in, my intention was to go on a two-month backpacking trip with only one pair of low cut non-Gortex shoes (because of the hot weather) and a pair of flip flops with a backpack and a bag to carry varying from 40 to 60 lbs.

The Contagrip sole deserves a standing ovation, it made the shoe complete, even on sand.

Maybe low cut, but never felt didn't have enough support even when I had to carry some 60 pounds of backpack, water, food, and gear on rocky uneven surfaces, sand or asphalt. To accommodate the extra weight I took out the Ortholites and put the Superfeet Blue insoles instead which upgraded the shoes up a notch.

The inside of the shoe is not what you call plush. The first weeks were rough to say the least, at some point had to take a break for a day or two and was forced to walk for miles on sharp rocky surfaces barefoot; the feeling afterwards was amazing as if I had received a kind of a total foot massage! Guess like this I got a taste of how our forefathers walked about in nature long ago, I always thought of the barefoot thing as a fad but I'm a believer now, I highly recommend!

The uppers of this mountain trekking sneaker is suede with a breathable open mesh—it worked very well even during the hottest days—tied up with good grippy regular laces. 
Even after two months of intensive use the shoes are good as new. I will definitely break them in and have them ready for next summer so I can hit the trails this time blister-free.

Background

My mistake was I bought them last minute and started to break them in at the airport which was...kind of too late and as result for the next 5-6 weeks was getting all sorts of blisters especially at the small toes. I tried Compeed plasters and regular plasters but without much success just a minor relief. Luckily I had with me a pair of Smartwool mini socks that saved the day.

My respect for Salomon shoes goes way back. Some 12 years ago I bought another amazing low cut Salomon trail shoe, the Elios. I ended up buying four pairs and wore them out to the bone. Before finally buying the Evasion 2 Aero I went to all the outdoor shops and tried them all, because the Evasion is a relatively cheap basic ugly shoe didn't get much media exposure, reviews and the such, so was lucky that this outdoor shop had them on the shelf.

Sizing: Had to go a full size up from what I normally wear leaving as a rule of thumb a finger's thickness space between toes and toebox. That was greatly appreciated, especially when going downhill and loaded.