Customer Reviews Salomon S/Lab Ultra 3

All of the S/LAB Ultra series of trail running shoes have been fantastic and the 3rd generation is no exception. The new fabric is more breathable but durable and excellent at keeping sand and dust out. This is also the first in the series to do away with a tongue which worried me. I am happy to say the fit remains awesome, and with this change comes a snug but comfortable ankle fit that seals out debris. I have NEVER gotten rocks or sand in these shoes - I think you'd only need gaiters in the worst of conditions. Unfortunately the tongue-less design extremely difficult to get on! I can only do it with a metal shoe horn and a bit of work (or without the she horn a LOT of work). I think it's a good tradeoff. However, for the next model, Salomon, please make the following two improvements: First, position the little pocket for the speed lace higher by a few mm. As it is the pocket is directly under the last cross of the laces and it is very hard to stuff the laces and mechanism into the pocket. And second, revise the speed lace mechanism to make it operate more smoothly and round off the corners so it doesn't get caught when being inserted or removed from the pocket. For some reason this year's mechanism seems pretty sticky when sliding it over laces and when trying to get it in and out of the pocket.

I have a few miles in these now. Coming from my beloved Ultra 2 (I mean I LOVED those shoes..) these seem to run a bit longer though the measure the exact same? The ride is exactly the same. I live in the rocky off camber rooted trails of WNC and these shoes never fail. Rain, snow, mud, dust, slick rock or miles of gravel is eaten alive by them. I am 6'3" and 225+lbs and these shoes seem to be the perfect combo of agility and keeping my clydesdale hooves in good shape. The only real complaint I have is the lace garage is kinda a pain. Does it effect the performance, nope... but a shoe change near a pain cave could be a serious issue. It just seems more difficult manipulate than it needs to be.

I love this shoe. I have 2 pairs. One a half size up form the other. At first the lace pocket was difficult to use, until I figured out a trick to access it easily, and the shoes seemed a bit tight and painful in spot but i stuck with them and they broke in beautifully. Out of all the shoes in my giant shoe pile the Ultra 3's are the ones I tend to grab. They are built built so well they just seem to get better and better the more miles i put on them. Sadly the soles have worn down much faster than any shoe I've owned and need to be retired after only 160 miles.The lugs just started peeling off the shoe!. The sole longevity seems like such a waste since the break in period took some patience, the shoes have so much life left in them, and also due to the high price. I hope the next iteration sees a new sole material. It's sad to see a good shoe die so quickly.

S/LAB Ultra is my shoe of choice when it comes to trail running. Looks great and performs better than any other shoe in that category that I have ever tried. I would point out that the process of actually putting them on is annoying, it is simply too tight on the rim and not designed for ease. Minor issue, considering that once you manage to put your foot in the shoe, it works like magic.

The S/Lab Ultra 3 is my favorite shoe, it fits my running style and it feels like a glove. The only problem are the insoles, see pic 2, which were often slide inside the shoe. Once that happens for the first time, it won't stop. On the Black limited series, which I treasure and use only for races, that happened during my second run. Is it possible to buy replacement insoles and what to do to prevent them from sliding? This problem notwithstanding, this is the best trail shoe I've used so far.

Likes: comfortable and supportive on long trail runs, like the 8mm drop, rock plate, and not over bearing outsole cleats. Questionable- the quick lace pocket is under the upper laces which makes it pretty much worthless

These shoes are perfect for rocky roads, but it has poor performance in muddy roads. I kept slidding especially when running through a muddy uphill in a rainy day.

Very comfortable and lightweight. The roomy toe box is wonderful. My only recommendation to Salomon is to make the shoe's tongue slightly longer so you can access the lace holder more easily.

The out the box feel is as you'd expect from Salomon and the collar is great at keeping bits out of the shoe. However like other people have experienced I've suffered heel rub from the black part of the collar after long descents. I'm also disappointed that the outer sole has worn down a lot more than I'd expect after only 130 miles. Summary they're the first shoe I love as much as I hate. I'll keep running with them till the sole goes through, as the upper is going strong and crossing my fingers that Salomon improvement to the sole and collar before I need to replace.

I've had my ultra 3s for about a year saving them for special occasions. They were worn for a couple hikes for "break in" which was not necessary They are ready to go right out of the box. I did my first 50K ultra in them through Mt Rainer and since then have done multiple half marathon length races through the mountains in them. The best features are the ankle pads and tongue pad that cushion. I didn't know they had them but was pleasantly surprised and enjoy them. the insole is also comfortable for long distances. By far the best advantage is how quick they dry and how little water is retained in the shoe from water crossings. With proper socks the shoes didn't have any water in them after being submerged within 10minutes or so and my feet were dry in 30-45minutes. One star was taken off because there is a seam in the center of the heel on the shoe that likes to dig into my heal when wearing ankle socks. It only happens on the left shoe and might be a defect. The solution is wearing long socks, costing the shoes a star for the price. IG:Noo_rest

I've worn my ultra 3s hundred of miles and they keep my feet pretty happy. Love the traction, love the fit, but like many others I have to mention that the lacing system is tough on these. Otherwise, they are great and I will likely get another pair. I have worn these shoes on basically every surface and they do well with it all!

Having had several pairs of the S/Lab Ultra from the first edition and can say they continue to improve and the 3 is no exception. A very comfortable shoe and a good standard fit, they also drain and dry very quickly. The one point that prevented me from giving these 5 stars is the 'Debris Sock' as it is a bit loose and did not prevent dirty entering the shoe. I'd say these sock is either extended higher up the ankle or it is made a bit tighter.

Chaps and chapesses I have upgraded my shoes by taking a knife and opening up the sock gaitor. I think I have a high instep. It bothered me, so i plucked up the courage to use a knife to make some slits in the material ( not to the edge) to make it easier to stretch. Better but no cigar. Then I got even braver and cut it to make a tongue. Perfecto! The material does not exactly cut nicely but it's not a disaster with it unravelling either - so if you have the problem I had (pressure on instep, causing aches after running) this might work for you. Size 12 btw, as per my earlier review I think the longer the shoe the bigger the problem.

This shoe is simply fantastic. Feels very secure on your feet, kind of like a sock (though it took me a few runs to break them in lot of rubbing on the heel for first few runs). I love the close-to-the-ground feel of the shoe. This shoe is narrower than your traditional shoe and runs a little large (I usually wear 9.5 US on most running brands, but ended up settling for 9 US). The narrower toe box makes the shoe a lot more agile, thus making me confident that I won't sprain my ankle on a loose rock. I used this shoe on a 31 mile run and had no discomfort. Only reason I didn't put 5 stars is that the durability of the shoe seems less-than-optimal. I ran 160 miles in them, mostly trails (except for the 2-3 miles to get there) and the lugs are wearing out rapidly. Hasn't impacted traction yet, but not sure I'll be able to push them past 250 miles. Additionally, though it does not impact the performance of the shoe, the red insole bleeds onto your socks, which will stain them. Overall, I highly recommend this shoe!

I loved the Ultra 2. The upper locked my foot in place like few other trail shoes could. I am probably only 50 miles into the Ultra 3 and have yet to really get out and run any vertical on it. So far, so good. The additional padding on the tongue is an upgrade, and the "gator" like change around the ankle isn't as much of a pain to get on as other reviews would have made me believe. However, the change to the lace garage is unbelievably stupid. When you cinch the laces tight it renders the integrated pocket totally unusable. It's almost as if nobody even bothered to test the shoe.

Fit is a little snug, if I'm using for a ultra I might go half size up. The pouch for the lace is really annoying to use, the lace overlaps it so when you pull the laces snug it takes effort to tuck the lace in the pouch. Grip is great, like all Salomon trail shoes. Did get a little blister on the toe the first 10mile run, just need to break them in.

This shoe rides the same as the previous model. Getting the shoe on can be challenging but once it is afoot, the fit is similar to previous models.

I bought a couple months ago. I like the shoe lace pocket is better designed than previous shoes like speedcross and Slab 2. Wider feel than SLAB 2. Comfortable Sock like feel hugs angle which helps keep debris out which is great Overall I'm happy with my new shoes!

I love those shoes, one of my favorites for fit and comfort on long distance training runs and ultra trail races. However the rubber has absolutely no grip if the terrain is technical and wet or muddy. How come such expensive shoes have no grip? You have other models with good rubber, why not use the same for a long distance shoe? I just don't get it. I run on the mountains most of the time here in Seattle and this lack of grip is a huge disappointment. I wish I could wear these shoes more often, but that's never going to be the case. I have been wearing Salomon all my life and buying the s/lab was such a big investment and now I have an excellent pair of shoes I can only wear for about 3 months of the year. Huge disappointment.

I really wanted to love these shoes. I loved the idea of not having to wear gaiters but able to keep rocks and small debris out. Unfortunately they have bruised the outside of my ankles because the topline of the shoe comes up too high for me. Maybe they work better for Men. I found the sizing to be a little on the bigger side, but I was ok with it as I was planning on wear them for an ultra race.

The good: beautiful running shoe, love the looks. It's very comfortable. The annoyance: the pocket for the lace is not super convenient, you get used to it. The bad: the sole on this shoe is not durable whatsoever. I run on these maybe once or twice a week and after a month or so I already noticed a lot of wear. Very disappointing for an otherwise great shoe.

I bought this shoe last winter for distance trail running and ended up with achilles tendinitis due to excessive rubbing and beating in the upper heel area where the sock liner hurts my tendon. The snug fit of the upper, the aggressive stitching at the top/back sock liner connection and the lacing system did not help but made it worse for the achilles rubbing especially after 6-8 miles. I found this issue highly problematic and disappointing for an ultra distance shoe which I bought for running distance with comfort. The achilles pain went away in 2-3 weeks after I stopped running in this shoe and came again when I put them on for a 10-12 miles on the trails. I am not able to run in this shoe at the moment without hurting my achilles, which I never had with my Sense Pro 4. I really tried to love this shoe but ended up with disappointment in each of my attempts. The upper and outsole are still like new because I could not keep running in them without pain and discomfort.