I began my thru hike of the AT in Feb with the original version of this boot. It lasted me over 1,000 miles until PA where the rocks kind of tore it up a bit. The boot was still good to go but I had a pair of unused Merrell’s waiting at home so I decided to get those sent out. With about 500 miles left in the trip, I saw Salomon released the Quest 2. I didn’t feel like buying another pair of boots but I felt like I needed a good pair before I headed into the White Mountains, so I decided to purchase the new Quests and had them sent out to Vermont where I would pick them up.

With about 484 miles left of the AT I received the new boots. I was like a kid on Christmas. I popped them on, they felt a little stiff but I know they had a short break in period. It was only 10 miles before they felt worn in. I completed my thru hike a couple days ago and I’ll say that I will never use another pair of boots. These Quest 2’s are amazing. Extremely comfortable, I never had a blister in them. The lacing system is unique, you can loosen or tighten each of the three top levels of the lace to how you want. I would usually just tighten all of them. I will say that the laces they provide with do not stay tied throughout the day. I’ve never had a problem keeping laces tied expect with the Quest 1 and 2. I recommend you double knot it.

The boot can take quite a beating. If you’re unfamiliar with the AT, the last 484 miles of the trail going north includes the White Mountains, southern Maine (which some including myself believe is harder than the Whites), the 100 Mile Wilderness and then the summit of Katahdin. I took the boots straight from the box and into all that and it held up extremely well. I noticed that the seams on the front of the boots do come open though, same thing happened with the Quest 1s that I began with. Except this time is happened quicker. The boots still worked fine but I was a little upset to see that.

Against water, the Quest 2s do very well. You can fully submerge the boot up near its collar and as long as you remove your foot fast enough, you will stay dry. This was a great feature to have on the AT. Other hikers I was with would have to carefully hop around little 2-3 inch puddles of mud and water while I could just walk straight through it and stay dry. I remember one stream that I had to ford. In the middle of it I would have to put both feet completely under running water to get across. I figured I would just suck it up and deal with wet feet. To my surprise my feet were still dry even after having both feet completely under water for 3-5 seconds with each step across this overflowing stream. I couldn’t believe it! Now that being said, water can and will get through the boots. If it’s raining all day or you’re hiking in snow, your feet will begin to get wet after a few hours of hiking so it’s not completely waterproof.

If you’re like me and need good ankle support, these boots will do the trick. It’s a high cut boot so if you roll your ankle while hiking (which I do a lot) you will be fine. The same goes for overall foot protection. The soles of the Quest 2s are pretty tough, you’ll have to step on a very sharp pointy rock to feel it.

As for traction and grip, the Quest 2s also excel in this area. I still slipped a few times on rocks and roots but so did every other hiker, I just seemed to do it less. I’ve had to go up some rocks that were nearly straight vertical up and down. The boot didn’t slip at all. I felt like a vampire at times being able to walk up walls. Sometimes I feel the tread is too good, a few times I didn’t lift my feet high enough off the ground and the tread would get caught and cause me to nearly fall down. Nice to know the tread is that good. After summiting Katahdin, I continued onto the Knifes Edge which is a very narrow and dangerous trail. It’s all rocks and requires four point climbing in many sections. The boots almost made my feet stick to the ground, felt great. The Knifes Edge is not the place where you want to slip and lose your footing.

As I mentioned earlier, the boot is very comfortable. Almost like a heavy duty sneaker. I carried a load of 40-45lbs on the trail and the Quests (1 and 2) had no problem bearing that weight and keeping my feet comfortable. I also ran on the trail a few times when it was getting late and I needed to make up some distance. Obviously, I did so with a pack on my back. The Quests were able to handle this as well. A good ruck running boot if you wish to do so.

All in all this is an AMAZING boot, I’ll probably stock up one or two more just for future hikes. If you’re a traditional hiker like myself and is looking for a good mid weight boot, look no further.

Pros
– Nice lacing system
– Great traction/tread
– Does well against water
– Very durable and lasts long (Have nearly 500 miles on mine and they can still go. Over 1,000 on the Quest 1s)
– Good looking boot
– Almost zero break in time
– No blisters
– Comfortable
– Great foot and ankle protection
– Can handle heavy backpack weight
– Easy to put on and take off

Cons
– Laces tend of come loose
– Seams wear out