Good footwear can mean the difference between a bad situation getting worst and escape to safety. During the Seminole Indian wars in Florida, the troops sent down from the north wore boots called brogans which were not at all suitable to the slippery sugar sand they faced, and caused them to fall during hand to hand combat, which was the Seminoles used to their advantage.

That's kind of a non-relevant example in todays world, but it illustrates an eternal principle, something as simple as inappropriate footwear to your environment can lead to disastrous results during a crisis - whether expected or unexpected. 

Therefore it's not a bad idea to consider the practicality of your everyday footwear - if you suddenly found yourself in an emergency situation, will your footwear help or hinder you?

With that idea in mind, I recently picked up two pairs of Salomon shoes to try out as my daily wear shoes: their Speedcross 6 Forces and the X Ultra 4. 

Each one serves a different purpose, but between the 2 of them have them I now am wearing a capable shoe on my feet 99% of the time when I leave the house.

I started off with the Speedcross 6 Forces about 3 months ago. We will focus on that model in this review. 

Why Speedcross 6?

I needed to replace my outdoor shoes, ones which I use for sporting events, when playing around in the woods and when camping. 

I have a discontinued pair hiking boots from Salomon called the X Ultra 3 Mid GTX Hiking Boots which I love so I decided to give Salomon a shot again for a pair of low-tops I was looking for. 

Putting my emergency planning hat on, I'm also auditioning these shoes as possible 'bug out shoes" or at least a solid backup pair should the X Ultra 4's work out to be my primary choice. 

Built for the Outdoors

The sole of the Speedcross 6 has an aggressive treading design which grips very well in outdoor environs. They work fine on hard surface as well, meaning they aren't prohibitively slippery, but you can tell these shoes were meant for the dirt when you wear them on concrete or the like. 

I tried them mountain bike riding, and they aren't good for that. The grip is not conducive for flat bike pedals. 

The Speedcross 6 are great outdoor range shoes, hiking shoes, field and trail running shoes. The are in a way like soft cleats and feel that way when wearing them on turf or in the dirt. 

Comfortable and Roomy

I have wide feet, so I need shoes with a little bit of extra girth in the forefoot. That means I have to go a full size up from what the actual length of my foot is. The Speedcross 6 is considered a "wide" shoe by Salomon, and for the most part that is correct, as many of their shoes tend to run narrow in their normal sizes I would say. 

I still went up a size with the Speedcross 6 and even though theres a little extra room between my toes and the front of the shoe it doesn't affect my wearing of them in any way, and having a slightly wider shoe makes these all the more comfortable especially while wearing for long periods of time.

Feet can swell, thick socks can take up space, all this leads to the extra room being a necessary feature for my considerations. 

They are made with a nice flexible fabric which is soft and gives just enough as to not squeeze the feet unnessarily. 

Durability

Time will tell with the Speedcross shoes - most modern shoes have glue that breaks down on the soles after a few years, used or otherwise and I don'e expect much different with the Salomon products. The upside is lower weight shoes than say leather boots, but the tradeoff is shoes that last decades. Such is the modern world. 

I don't plan on doing heavy duty work with these so I'm not super concerned with them falling a part but I will update this article once i've put a few thousand miles on them to let you know how they hold up. I'm at the 3 month point with them right now and so far, zero complaints. 

Made to Move

The point of these shoes is speed - it's even in the name. They are meant to be light and fast, and to make you faster when navigating unpaved environments. 

They are essentially trail running shoes, but designed to be worn for longer periods than your typical workout or race but they perform and are designed for running and have extra padding in the heel precisely for that reason. 

Conclusions

I'm very pleased with these so far. They feel great and really provide a good strong grip to the ground. And I guess I should say it, I think they look cool too - and while that shouldn't be a top priority for choosing a shoe that needs to perform, if you aren't wearing them on the regular then they can't help you when you need them. I think theres something to be said about that. 

Where to Get Them

BTW If you buy anything with the links we provide on this page we might get a small percentage of the sale from the manufacturers end. For more info click here.

Salomon Speedcross 6 Forces

A long-time favorite of tactical athletes and staying true to its legendary roots, the 6th version is lighter with an even more grippy connection to the ground and faster mud evacuation. The FORCES specific version features more room across the forefoot.

Best for Captive Eylets, Lace Pocket, Non Reflective Materials 

• Height: Low 
• Foot protection: Light 
• Foot support: Neutral 
• Weight: 310 g

$145Salomon