By Matt Bento ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ Sep 5, 2019
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The Salewa Wildfire is comfortable hiking shoe for longer approaches without much climbing. This pair offers comfort and support that several other approach shoes trade for enhanced climbing ability. It doesn't climb as well as models from climbing specific brands like La Sportiva or Five Ten. We enjoy scrambling, bushwacking, and even a little trail running in these shoes, but when it comes to exposed slabs on late night descents, we turn to other models with stickier rubber and better overall climbing performance.
Color Updates
A current color choice for the Wildfire is shown above. Though the colors have been updated, the shoe design remains the same as the model we tested here.
Stiff for edging and standing in aiders, excellent for scambling, good hiking support
Awesome balance of hiking and climbing abilities, great support
Durable, great traction in dirt and mud, excellent value, workhorse approach shoe
Cons
Doesn't climb very well, weight and packability
Synthetic uppers not as durable as leather
More narrow than the rest of the TX line, expensive
Relatively heavy and bulky
Heavy and bulky, especially when carrying on your harness or in a pack
Bottom Line
If you don't plan on doing any exposed scrambling in your approach shoes, these are comfy for the long haul
These are our first recommendation for the majority of climbers due to elite all-around performance
A great shoe for climbing guides or anyone who needs support for hiking but also a precision fit for climbing
This model combines high performance with the ability to handle big loads
These durable shoes are well-equipped for miles of hiking and scrambling at a great price
Rating Categories
Salewa Wildfire
La Sportiva TX2
La Sportiva TX Guide
La Sportiva TX4
La Sportiva Boulder X
Climbing Ability(35%)
4.0
9.0
9.0
8.0
9.0
Hiking Comfort(25%)
8.0
8.0
8.0
10.0
7.0
Support(20%)
8.0
7.0
8.0
9.0
10.0
Weight and Packability(20%)
3.0
9.0
7.0
4.0
1
Specs
Salewa Wildfire
La Sportiva TX2
La Sportiva TX Guide
La Sportiva TX4
La Sportiva Boulder X
Outsole
POMOCA Butylic compound rubber
Vibram Mega-Grip
Vibram Mega-Grip
Vibram Mega-Grip with Trail Bite heel
Vibram Idro-Grip V-Smear dot pattern
Upper Material
Mesh, EXA Shell
Polyester mesh
synthetic TPU, PU
Leather
Leather
Weight per Pair (in oz)
26.6 oz (size 9.5)
20.3 oz (size 9.5)
24.8 oz (size 9.5)
26.2 oz (size 9.5)
32.8 oz (size 9.5)
Width Options
Regular
Regular
Regular
Regular
Regular
Mid Height Available?
No
No
No
Yes
No
Midsole
POMOCA Speed Mtn sole
Mem-lex/C2 Combo Cord
dual-density compressed EVA, TPU Torsion Shank
Traverse injection MEMlex
Micropore EVA
Sticky Rubber? Toe Rand?
Yes, Yes
Yes, Yes
Yes, Yes
Yes, Yes
Yes, Yes
Show full specification detailsHide full specification details
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
These are the only shoes we've tested with a plastic exoskeleton. After some hiking and scrambling, we could take it or leave it.
Credit: Matt Bento
Climbing Ability
The Wildfire uses POMOCA rubber, a compound that doesn't grip as well as Vibram or Stealth, at least in the experiences of our testers. This significantly detracts from the Wildfire's climbing scores.
Edging
One tester described these shoes as "stiff but not so sensitive." He means that the shoe is supportive enough to toe into edges, but the thick outsole makes it difficult to feel secure on the hold as you would with lighter weight, less supportive model.
While excellent hikers, these shoes fell clunky on easy 5th class.
Credit: Matt Bento
Smearing
Slab climbing is where the type of rubber on the shoe most impacts performance, and in our "solo the Northwest Books of Lembert Dome test," our tester felt downright gripped on the short slab section of the route. Our lead tester wished he had a rope, or at least a different pair of shoes.
Here we appreciated the extra friction on slippery limestone while approaching the sport crags around Mesquite, AZ.
Credit: Matt Bento
Crack Climbing
The rubber over the top of the toe on these shoes gives it some protection from the violent twisting and jamming of crack climbing. These shoes are high volume and comfortable, but this limits their ability to climb hand-sized cracks. Combine that with their sub-par edging; we'd like to keep our TC Pros on for the offwidths too, thank you very much.
Hiking Comfort
The Wildfire excels when it comes to hiking comfort. They have a highly adjustable lacing system and a plastic "exoskeleton." Both features contribute to a stable hiking experience. One tester comfortably ran ten miles in these shoes when he forgot his trail runners. The mesh uppers ensure that the Wildfire breathes well, much better than the leather options. If high mileage is a bigger concern on your approaches than security while scrambling, these are a decent shoe for humping heavy loads over longer distances. But! With the La Sportiva TX4 you can solidly hike and scramble, so why not have your cake and eat it too?
Support
The EXA shell technology combined with the stiff, thick (for an approach shoe) outsole make for a supportive shoe. The Wildfire is ready for long approaches and heavy loads. One tester spent multiple weeks hiking heavy loads up to 50 lbs (mostly water) up to sport crags in the Utah hills and found the support more than satisfactory.
These shoes offer excellent traction on mud, gravel, and pretty much every other surface we encountered.
Credit: Matt Bento
Weight & Packability
These shoes have a pull tab/clip-in loop on the heel, though it's a bit hard to slide a carabiner through compared to larger loops. The high volume, thick sole, and large lugs don't exactly make for a sleek package when clipped to your harness. For those of you paying attention to ounces (as you should be), these kicks add 26.6 oz (size 9.5) to your harness.
These shoes felt heavy clipped to a harness, and the small pull tab is a little cumbersome to clip with a carabiner.
Credit: Matt Bento
Value
This is a seemingly durable hiker. However, its value pales if what you need is a climbing-capable approach shoe.
Conclusion
Salewa produces capable, well-constructed hiking shoes, and they'll get you to the crag in comfort, no doubt. But the Wilfire just isn't up to the climbing standards laid down by brands that also make climbing shoes, and this prevents it from scoring as high overall.
If your hikes involve steep scrambling and exposed slabs...
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