Salomon X Ultra 360 review

Don't miss out on the Salomon X Ultra 360 if you are in search of the following:

• a more affordable version of the Salomon X Ultra shoes
• an entry-level hiking shoe for shorter hikes on moderate terrain
• a breathable outdoor shoe for warmer temperatures
• a shoe with solid arch/pronation support

Even though there is nothing inherently wrong with the X Ultra 360, it is possible that this shoe may not match your hiking needs 100%. Luckily, Salomon has a very wide range of hiking footwear for all sorts of trail challenges.

There is a much lighter and even more breathable Salomon Outpulse for fast-paced hikes. On the other hand, you can opt for the Salomon X Ultra 4 for more confidence on technical terrain.

Compared to an average hiking shoe, the platform of the Salomon X Ultra 360 is slightly more elevated above the ground. We measured its heel stack at 34.4 mm which is just a couple of millimeters above the average.

The shoe offers a rather balanced underfoot experience which buffered our feet from rocks and debris but didn't mute the ground feel completely. It also offered sufficient impact protection for long, all-day hikes.

As the shoe's platform got thinner towards the toes, the balls of our feet felt pretty connected to the trail.

The shoe's forefoot stack height proved to be a couple of millimeters lower than average at 18.9 mm.

We were surprised by the rather steep heel-to-toe drop of this Salomon shoe. Subtracting its forefoot height from the heel stack, we got a whopping 15.5 mm!

But is this a bad thing? Not for 99% of hikers, no.

Unless you are specifically looking for a low-drop hiking shoe to achieve more natural biomechanics, you won't mind the high drop of the X Ultra 360.

On the contrary, it will provide more shock absorption in the heel without elevating the entire foot high off the ground. And it will prevent your Achilles and calves from overworking if you carry a heavier pack.

The Salomon X Ultra 360 packs a moderately firm foam for the midsole. We measured it at 26.1 HA which is close to the hiking shoe average.

But it feels significantly firmer than the static durometer reading might suggest because it is also lined with hard rubber and is mixed with a stiff stability chassis.

Cold weather is yet another factor that can make the X Ultra 360 feel even firmer.

After keeping the shoe in the freezer for 20 minutes and repeating the durometer measurement, we found that its midsole firmness jumped up by 21% and returned a reading of 31.6 HA.

It doesn't mean that the shoe will turn into a brick overnight but it will take some breaking in once you put it back on the foot.

We loved how the shoe's well-padded insole contributed to the comfort, offering the additional 7.6 mm of foam underfoot. This is more than you see in the average hiking shoe. 

With about 6 mm of added length, we also see some additional toebox space widthwise.

Measuring the widest part of the upper (ball of foot area), our caliper returned 104.2 mm, which is a few millimeters wider than average.

The tip of the toebox, however, shows a more standard reading of 78.6 mm at the big toe mark.

The X Ultra 360 features Salomon's proprietary Quicklace closure.

We love this setup for how quick and easy it is to regulate. There is also a handy lace garage on the tongue that helps to hide the excess strings.

Salomon states that the X Ultra 360 belongs to its Stable footwear category which offers a solid amount of foot support.

Even though we wouldn't call it the most stable hiking shoe we've tested (and certainly not as stable as the Salomon X Ultra 4 GTX), we felt quite confident in the X Ultra 360. After both on-trail experience and in-house testing, we believe that it does lower the risk of ankle rolls and foot buckling.

The torsional rigidity of this Salomon shoe didn't allow us to twist it so freely in our manual test. Thus, we rated its stiffness with a pretty high score of 4.

The unforgiving Advanced Chassis around the heel is of course the leading stability component of the X Ultra 360. It holds the rearfoot firmly in place, preventing the heel from shifting and rolling inwards (overpronating) from the very moment it touches the ground.

If you are someone with severe overpronation or if you prefer extra stability for a heavy pack and tricky terrain, the TPU chassis of the X Ultra 4 GTX or the XA Pro 3D v9 provides even more side-to-side containment and arch support.

The heel counter of the Salomon X Ultra 4 feels like it's been cemented around the ankle! But in a good way.

Showing just a little give on the sides and none at the back, it deserves a high stiffness score of 4 out of 5. It works together with the Advanced Chassis to stabilize the back of the foot and minimizes undesirable foot play inside the shoe as well.

Salomon made sure that the landing area of the X Ultra 360 was wide enough to provide solid footing.

Measuring the widest part of its midsole, our caliper returned 115.3 mm. That's about 5 mm wider than the average but not too wide to feel burly.

At 88.5 mm, the shoe is also slightly wider than average in the widest area of the heel.

Overall, we found the midsole dimensions of this Salomon shoe to be quite optimal for navigating less predictable terrain like loose rocks and soft muddy patches.

Even with its sturdy upper and hard rubber outsole, the Salomon X Ultra 360 remained fairly bendy and cooperative whenever we needed to flex our feet. This helped the shoe feel a bit more nimble.

To back this up, we measured how much force it takes to bend the X Ultra 360 to a 90-degree angle. At 22.5N, it required 30% less than the average hiking shoe.

But if you take the Salomon X Ultra 360 out on a chilly day, you will find that it stiffens up a bit.

Repeating the force gauge measurement after 20 minutes of cold exposure, we found that the shoe required 21.2%% more effort to bend. This is not critical but it does mean that some warming up and breaking in is going to be needed.

Without the added weight of waterproofing or any other technical components, the Salomon X Ultra 360 comes in at 12.9 oz (367g) in a men's US size 9. A bit lighter than average.

As you can see, there is no "GTX" abbreviation in the name of the Salomon X Ultra 360 which means what? No waterproofing membrane to block the airflow!

The smoke we pumped into this Salomon shoe passed through the toebox fabric with very little obstruction. We were genuinely surprised by the amount of smoke that came out considering how tightly woven the upper textile is.

The ventilation holes were not even visible in our transparency test!

But once we took a closer look at it through our microscope, it all became clear. The fabric is actually quite porous.

In addition, the shoe's insole is also pretty generously perforated in the forefoot.

When all of these components come together, they create a pretty well-ventilated environment for the foot inside the X Ultra 360. We approve this hiking shoe for summer use, rating its breathability with a high score of 4 out of 5.

P.S. If you do need the waterproof version, look for the Salomon X Ultra 360 Climasalomon Waterproof. Or for the X Ultra 360 Edge GTX if you prefer the Gore-Tex membrane.

Salomon is the god of foot protection. Never once did we lack reinforcement in the brand's outdoor shoes and the X Ultra 360 did not disappoint either (even despite being the cheaper option).

The shoe's exaggerated toe bumper/mudguard covers nearly half of its toebox protecting the toes and the upper textile. It is so impressively thick and wear-resistant that even 12 seconds of drilling it with sandpaper wasn't enough to burn a hole.

Compared to most other hiking shoes we've tested, the X Ultra 360 never lost its toebox integrity after our Dremel test. Considering that the scuff is merely cosmetic, we rated the shoe's toebox durability with a high score of 4 out of 5.  

Salomon also made sure that the inner fabric of the X Ultra 360 remained intact for as long as possible.

Our 4-second Dremel test showed that the mesh was ready for some serious friction as it hardly got scathed by the sandpaper.

Rating the heel padding durability of the X Ultra 360 as high as 4, we expect it to take much longer to show a tear compared to other hiking shoes.

The brand's proprietary rubber compound proved to be a hard one in the X Ultra 360. With a durometer reading of 86.6 HC, we found that it is harder than 65% of hiking shoe outsoles in our lab.

In the next text, we pushed the shoe's rubber outsole to the limits by drilling it with sandpaper for 22 seconds at a 10K RPM speed.

Measuring the newly formed dent in the shoe's lug, we found it to be slightly deeper than average at 1.3 mm. But considering the shoe's below-average price point, we didn't expect incredible durability from this Salomon shoe. Thus, we believe that it is a fair result.

Measuring the rubber layer without the lug depth at 2.0 mm, we found that it is slightly thinner than average too. But nothing critical.

The shoe's All Terrain Contragrip outsole never faltered once during our wear tests.

With an above-average lug depth of 4.5 mm, the X Ultra 360 latched onto moss-covered logs, muddy puddles, and rock-heavy trails.

The varying shapes, sizes, and directions of the shoe's lugs bit the ground on both ascents and descents very effectively.

The X Ultra 360 is among the cheapest hiking shoes in Salomon's lineup. However, it is not cheap in substance.

Even though it is a step-down version of the more advanced Salomon X Ultra shoes, it features many similar components that make it supportive, stable, and quite durable. With its reasonable price point and no glaring drawbacks, the X Ultra 360 is a perfect entry-level hiking shoe.

There are no reflective elements on this Salomon shoe.

The X Ultra 360 has very nicely padded interiors both around the collar and in the tongue. We measured the tongue thickness at the above-average 12.0 mm.

That is a good buffer to prevent the cinched Quickace strings from pressing on the instep. 

The finger loop at the back is very helpful with the on-and-off.

There are no gussets on the sides of the tongue meaning that it's not attached to the rest of the upper. This could result in some light tongue shifting but we didn't experience any discomfort because of that during our wear tests.

The shoe's OrthoLite insole is removable and can be swapped for a custom insert. But we found it to be quite comfortable thanks to the molded shape and perforations.

It is worth mentioning that the Salomon X Ultra 360 is partially made with recycled materials:

• 50% of the shoe's upper
• 8% of the shoe's midsole (recycled electrical cables)

If you want an even more environmentally-friendly version of the shoe, try the X Ultra 360 Edge which packs even more recycled content.