My favorite hiking shoes this year are the Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic. I decided to write a review for these shoes for two reasons: (1): It seems like every time I wear these shoes (both on and off trail) or post photos of them online, I get asked a ton of questions about where I got them and what kind of shoes they are. (2): The six reasons why I love these shoes so much deemed review worthy on my blog.

Full Disclosure: As a Salomon Hiking Ambassador, I get the opportunity to try out some of the newest and latest gear from the brand. Last year, I wore the Salomon Odyssey Pros all along my Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike and loved them. What I loved most about these shoes was that I could wear them directly out of the box without needing to break them in. Some other features about the Odyssey Pros I loved were that they’re super comfortable, had great traction on the bottom and dried pretty fast after getting my feet wet on any given water crossing.

My only complaint for all three pairs I wore along the trail was that I got holes in the toe box in each shoe, right where my big toes were. This wasn’t because my shoes were too small. In off-trail life, my shoes are 8.5 in women’s. For long-distance hikes, I bump my shoe size up to a women’s size 10 because my feet swell the more I hike and I want to give my toes and feet plenty of room to be comfortable. The holes in the toes of my shoes were partially because I’m notorious for constantly stubbing my toes on tree roots and tripping over rocks and partially because the material in and around the toe box was kind of weak. To be fair, most trail runners on the market don’t have a whole lot of reinforcement in the toe area like a hiking boot would.

Salomon took their Odyssey Pros from last year and made them even better this year with the Odyssey Triple Crown Magics. These shoes aren’t your ordinary trail runner shoes. They’re light, protective, comfortable and are specifically designed for hiking and backpacking long-distances. Not only has Salomon loaded these shoes up with their state-of-the-art technology, but has also included a few incredible upgrades like a thicker and more stable midsole, adding a protective toe cap and changing up the color options.

After putting over 700 miles into my first pair of the Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic this year on the PCT, I can honestly say these are my favorite shoes to hike in. Here are six reasons why the Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic are my favorite hiking shoes this year:

1. Protective Toe Tap

Adding the protective toe tap was a game changer for me with these shoes. Thanks to the protective toe tap, I’m happy to report there haven’t been any holes in the toes of my shoes this year. Trust me, I’ve kicked plenty of rocks and stubbed my toes on several tree roots. This one improvement has greatly extended the life of my shoes out on trail.

2. Wide Toe Box

Both the Odyssey Pro and Odyssey Triple Crown Magic shoes have a wide toe box. For me, having a lot of room in the toe box is a long-distance hiking must-have feature for my shoes. The more miles I hike, the more my feet swell. The more room they have to swell, the more comfortable my feet are overall and the less blisters I get. The more comfortable and blister-free my feet are, the more miles I can hike each day.

3. Durable Mesh

The number one reason why I prefer wearing trail runners as opposed to boots for hiking is having the breathability for my feet. It’s also why I refuse to wear GoreTex footwear on trail. If my feet sweat, I want them to be able to get dry. If my feet get wet from a water crossing, I want them to be able to dry as quickly as possible. The durable mesh not only does a great job of keeping the shoes together while putting in the miles in all types of terrain, but it also allows for a super, quick dry in all kinds of wet conditions.

4. Contagrip Technology

Thanks to the grippy traction on the bottom of these shoes, the Contagrip technology helps me stay on my feet when walking on wet and smooth surfaces, instead of slipping on my butt on wet rocks and logs.

5. Thicker and More Stable Midsole

When you’re walking 20+ miles a day for five months, you want to do whatever you can to protect your feet and make them as comfortable as possible. One of the upgrades Salomon made to the Odyssey Triple Crown Magics this year was giving the midsole extra cushion and more stability, taking an already comfortable shoe and making it even MORE comfortable. The extra stability in the midsole also helps protect feet from rocks, sticks and the constant pounding on the trail.

6. Fun, Bright Colors

The Triple Crown Magics come in two different color options: (1) Bluestone/Blue/Navy Blazer or (2) Cherry Tomato/Blue/Sulphur. I have color option (2), which looks like a rainbow tie-dye pattern and I love it. They’re bright, flashy and fun, even when they’re completely covered in mud and dust. I hear from people all the time on trail telling me how cool they think my shoes are and how much they love them. I’ve never gotten so many compliments on my footwear before I started wearing these shoes. They’ve been quite the conversation starter on trail this year.

Even if I weren’t a Salomon Hiking Ambassador, I’d still spend my own money and buy these shoes to hike in because they’re comfortable, durable and super fun.

Shoe Sizing

The Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic hiking shoes are marketed on the Salomon website as Unisex shoe sizing, meaning you’ll need to measure your foot length (in CM or Inches) in order to find out your Order Size. Sounds complicated, but it’s not. On the Salomon’s Sizing Guide, there’s a detailed illustration that shows you how to measure your feet correctly.

Just a heads up, I’ve found Salomon’s Unisex shoe sizing to be very similar to their Men’s shoe sizing. For example, I’m a Women’s size 10 for my hiking shoes. According to Salomon, this means my foot length is 26.5 CM, making me either a 9M in Men’s/Unisex sizing or a 10W in Women’s.

Where to Purchase Online

The two main online retailers I’d recommend purchasing the Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic hiking shoes from are either REI.com or Salomon.com.

REI.com
The Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic hiking shoes are listed two ways on REI.com:

Men’s – Odyssey Triple Crown Magic – 2 color options – $140.00
Women’s – Odyssey Triple Crown – 1 color option (Bluestone/Blue/Navy Blazer) – $140.00

*If you’re a woman looking for the Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic in the Cherry Tomato/Blue/Sulphur color option, select the link for the Men’s shoe above and refer to the Salomon Shoe Sizing Guide above. For example, I’m a Women’s size 10 for my hiking shoes. For the Men’s Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic, I’m a size 9M.

Benefits to Purchasing at REI.com:
* REI members receive money towards their annual dividend
* REI’s 100% Satisfaction Guarantee – You can return for a replacement or refund within one year of purchase, except electronics which can only be returned within 90 days of purchase
* REI offers a number of sales/disocunts throughout the year
* Free U.S. standard shipping on orders of $50 or more
* Option to pick up in a nearby REI store for free

Salomon.com
The Salomon Odyssey Triple Crown Magic hiking shoes are listed three ways on Salomon.com:

Unisex – Odyssey Triple Crown Magic – 1 color option (Cherry Tomato/Blue/Sulphur) – $150
Men’s – Odyssey Triple Crown – 1 color option (Bluestone/Blue/Navy Blazer) – $140.00
Women’s – Odyssey Triple Crown – 1 color option (Bluestone/Blue/Navy Blazer) – $140.00

Benefits to Purchasing at Salomon.com:
* Free standard delivery on all orders
* A 2-Year Salomon Quality Warranty

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