Zamberlan Salathé Trek: the long seasons of the technical footwear suitable for trekking, dog handling and hunting

Where not to go with the Zamberlan Salathè trek?

It is perhaps simplest to summarise by exclusion the types of terrain that are not recommended for these technical shoes because, apart from particularly wet and muddy environments where higher winter boots or even rubber boots may be necessary, for the rest, from the plains to the hills, in the woods and on rocky terrain where they have proved particularly performant, all the way to the mid-mountain, the Salathé Trek seems not to fear any environment or natural element.

Lightweight, flexible and particularly close-fitting, therefore recommended for those who prefer a narrow and precise fit to a wide sole, the Salathé Trek boots with their medium ankle height allow you to enjoy a wide variety of environments and related activities.

When and how our activities with Salathé Trek took place

We tested the Salathé Trek model both in its shoe version and as a technical boot, although what differentiates them is simply the height at the ankle of the latter, which is therefore more structured in its grip and protective against the stress and chafing that can occur during hunting and dog handling activities. The most evident features are its lightness (weight is only 480 grams) and flexibility which allow it to be fully enjoyed from the beginning of spring until the end of autumn when low temperatures require more padding. From arid to rocky terrain, the grip and safety guaranteed by the Salathé are excellent and now well proven, since we have been using these boots for two years. We have been able to appreciate these characteristics both in the mountains during our chamois hunting documentaries in the Alps, as well as during our dog handling days in the hills and when hunting with pointing dogs on the high plateaus not only in Italy, but also in the mountainous regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In these areas, thermal excursions showed us the good thermoregulation of boots equipped with a Gore-Tex lining. In the respective mountain and lowland environments, in fact, the variations in temperature and humidity proved to be very pronounced from the early morning hours to midday on summer days, and wearing waterproof footwear capable of maintaining a constant temperature made it possible to successfully tackle walking sessions of at least 6 hours for several consecutive days.

Thanks to its particular design, the Vibram outsole proved to be very stable and grippy, especially in rocky mountain terrain, allowing muddy debris encountered along the way to quickly slide away. Fundamental to comfort while walking is both the softness of the suede upper and the flexible collar at malleolus height, which is comfortable not only when twisting your feet and to reduce rubbing while walking, but also for the boot's ease of fit. The Hydrobloc external treatment combined with the water-repellent lining allowed us to cross mountain streams and the damp terrain we encountered in the woods in the hills. No problem, then, for those who, in addition to their passion for hunting and dog handling, enjoy hiking or mushroom picking in these environments. With the Salathé Trek Zamberlan has managed to find a concrete and reliable answer for those who frequent the same environments for even different passions, from plains to mid mountains. The Zamberlan Salathé have a sporty design and attention to detail that allows these shoes to be worn in contexts other than trekking, in travel or relaxation situations. After our days of activity spent wearing these shoes we can recommend, due to their snug fit, to choose a half size larger than your usual size in order to have the possibility of enjoying the same comfort, using technical socks of different thicknesses in the alternation of seasons and environments that, with the Salathé, you can serenely explore. As for safety and peace of mind during our outings, it was useful to know that a further feature inherited from mountain footwear is the presence in the Salathé Trek boots of the Recco identification device, a reflector system sewn into the boots that makes the hunter or hiker searchable by search and rescue operations in case of need.

Zamberlan Salathé Trek technical specifications

For more information on the Salathé Trek boots, visit the Zamberlan website.