Dreamer
The ultimate climbing approach shoe which has a PU heel for walking comfort, a die-cut EVA midsole in the forefoot for climbability, and it's topped off with sticky rubber for grip.
- Synthetic suede upper.
- Protective rubber toe cap.
- Textile lining.
- Contagrip™ C outsole.
- Ortholite® foam insole sockliner.
STW - Aug 15, 2005 2:55 pm - Voted 3/5
Untitled ReviewThe rubber isn't nearly as sticky as FiveTen stealth. It's not really even as sticky as the rubber on the Montrail D7. But it's still stickier than your average outdoor sneaker. The midsole is pretty soft, so edging is out of the question. So, it's ok for 4th class and easy 5th class scrambling. If you're really looking for sneakers to actually climb in, I'd stick to guide tennies.
That said, these are probably the most comfortable outdoor sneakers I have ever owned. They feel great. So, I find myself wearing these a lot of the time.
Everyone's making an approach shoe these days. For the Dreamer, I'd guess that Salomon took one of their 'adventure racing' shoes, added sticky rubber to the front half of the sole, added some more sticky rubber to the rand, and called it an approach shoe. The result: it's actually pretty comfortable to run in, very comfortable to walk in, and semi-decent to scramble in.
To summarize, I'd say these are more comparable to the Montrail CTC or the La Sportiva Exum Ridge than the Montrail D7 or the FiveTen GuideTennie. These are running shoes with some 'approach' features added. The GuideTennie is much more of a climbing shoe with some basic running shoe features added. Different philosophy at work here.
It's also about $20 cheaper (on average) than a lot of other top-of-the-line approach shoes.
It's also made totally of synthetic ingredients. No animals were killed to make these shoes. I'm not actually sure if that's a good thing from an environmental/ethical/moral point of view, but it's an interesting point...
Sizing: I typically wear a size 8.5 in street shoes, and the 8.5 Dreamer fit me perfectly.