Skip to main content
SoleFeedSF
Buyer's Guide

Salomon X Ultra 5 Review & Sizing Guide

Published Updated

Buy X Ultra 5 in the non-Gore-Tex Low for hot-weather day hikes and the Mid GTX for cool/wet multi-day trips; skip it if you have wide feet or need maximum cushion underfoot — the X Ultra 360 sibling is the cushier athletic alternative in the same Salomon line Salomon X Ultra 5 GTX vs X Ultra 360 GTX.

Shop all

Key facts

Category
Lightweight day hiker; Low and Mid cuts with optional Gore-Tex; Contagrip MA outsole.
Fit
Athletic narrow last; runs roughly true to size in length but narrow across the forefoot.
Variants
X Ultra 5 Low, Low GTX, Mid GTX, Mid Wide GTX — Wide only in the Mid GTX cut.
vs X Ultra 4
Refined outsole rubber and toe-cap bond; addresses the most-flagged X Ultra 4 wear complaints.
vs X Ultra 360
More traditional Salomon X Ultra ride; 360 is the cushier, more athletic sibling.
Best weather
Non-GTX for summer breathability; Mid GTX for shoulder-season cold or wet multi-day trips.

Full breakdown

Salomon X Ultra 5 is the 2025 successor to the much-litigated X Ultra 4 — same Contagrip MA outsole pattern but with refined chassis, an updated upper, and a sibling X Ultra 360 that overlaps the same lane. r/hiking discussion converges on choosing the non-Gore-Tex Low for warm-weather summer hiking and the Mid GTX for shoulder-season multi-day trips, with one summer-hiker thread asking exactly this question and surfacing a clear non-GTX recommendation for breathability Salomon X Ultra 5: Gore-Tex or non-Gore-Tex for summer hiking?. Buy them for narrow-foot day hikers who want Salomon's grip-and-stability formula in the current generation; cross-shop the X Ultra 360 if you want a more athletic alternative.

FAQ

Should I buy the X Ultra 5 Gore-Tex or non-Gore-Tex?

Buy non-Gore-Tex for summer day hikes and Mid GTX for cool or wet multi-day trips — the GTX membrane runs hot in warm weather and slows drying once water gets in over the collar. A direct r/hiking summer-hiking thread asked exactly this question for the X Ultra 5 and the consensus picks non-GTX for breathability when ambient temperatures are above ~70F Salomon X Ultra 5: Gore-Tex or non-Gore-Tex for summer hiking?. If you primarily hike in cool, wet shoulder-season conditions, choose the Mid GTX and accept the warmer summer trade.

X Ultra 5 vs X Ultra 360 — which Salomon flagship should I buy?

The X Ultra 5 is the more traditional Salomon day hiker; the X Ultra 360 is the cushier, more athletic alternative in the same family — choose by ride preference, not by perceived hierarchy. Two dedicated r/hiking comparison threads from late 2025 / early 2026 ask exactly this question for both the standard and GTX variants Salomon X Ultra 360 Gore-Tex vs Salomon X Ultra 5 Gore-Tex Salomon X Ultra 5 GTX vs X Ultra 360 GTX. Buy X Ultra 5 for the classic stable hiker feel; buy X Ultra 360 if you want a softer ride that feels closer to a trail running shoe.

Will the X Ultra 5 Mid GTX hold up for 6+ months of daily Nordic / heavy weather use?

Buy them for one heavy-use winter cycle and accept that outsole rubber wear is still the weak point on Salomon hikers. A Trondheim-based 6-month review on r/hiking explicitly asks whether they are worth it for that use case Salomon X Ultra 5 Mid GTX for 6 months in Trondheim (Erasmus), worth it?. The Mid GTX collar and the refined toe-cap rubber address the worst X Ultra 4 failure patterns, but plan on replacing them after one heavy winter rather than expecting 2+ years of daily Nordic use. Skip them for sub-arctic multi-year use; the at-this-price expectation is one heavy season.

How does the X Ultra 5 fit, and should I size up?

Stay true to size on length for most feet — Salomon's narrow last has not changed materially in the 5 generation. A dedicated X Ultra 5 sizing-help thread on r/hiking surfaces the same TTS-on-length advice with the standard caveat that wide-foot buyers should look at the Mid Wide GTX variant Salomon Ultra 5 X sizing help. If you have wide feet, choose the Wide; if you have narrow-to-medium feet, true to size works.

Is the X Ultra 5 the safe pick for someone who got burned by the X Ultra 4 quality issues?

Yes — the 5 generation addresses the worst of the X Ultra 4 outsole-wear and toe-cap-bond complaints. Buy them at retail with the standard warranty path if a defect shows up, and inspect the toe-cap-to-rubber bond on delivery; the 5 is the safer pick than continuing on clearance X Ultra 4 stock. A Trondheim 6-month review thread explicitly asks the worth-it question for the 5 Mid GTX after the 4 burned-buyer cohort moved on Salomon X Ultra 5 Mid GTX for 6 months in Trondheim (Erasmus), worth it?. Skip the X Ultra 5 only if you have wide feet — choose Merrell Moab 3 instead; Salomon's overall outsole-rubber durability still lags Moab 3 per dollar, so plan accordingly.