I bought this mainly for casual day hikes and lightweight trail running . I already own a pair of Speedtraks which has performed flawlessly in the outdoor trails here in Sacramento. However, I wanted another pair which would double up for day hikes with backpack and the XA Pro 3D fit the bill perfectly. While the speedtraks have deeper aggressive sole, the overall build is designed for speed (hence lightweight) and running.

The XA Pro is built on the 3D chasis which is more designed for all day hiking and some running hence slightly heavier than the speedtrak. Fit is almost the same as with most Salomon (True to size WITHOUT socks or 1/2 size smaller with socks). I wear a Size 9 in all other boots/sneakers and both my pair of Salomon's are 9.5 (US). Fits fine with my outdoor socks which just a little bit of toe room which comes in handy during summer months.

That being said, these are NOT meant for full time hiking with 60lbs+ backpacks  (and neither advertised as such). Just make sure you are aware of this if you are looking for 100% heavy duty hiking shoes.

I'm an active outdoor person and own Keen, Merrell and Salomons and highly recommend Keen for sandals and Salomons for trail running/hiking. Merrell quality has gone downhill over the years.

Lastly, be aware of FAKES! Yes..there are a lot of Salomon fakes on Amazon/Ebay and there are legit Salomons made in China while fakes come from there as well. If you are buying this from Amazon, look at the original packaging, hang tags, construction, writing fonts, etc. If you are a "sneaker head", you should be able to spot fakes.