Salewa Pedroc 2 PTX Shoes Review

Shoes that skirt the line between categories end up being the hardest to test. So often, the reality is that they serve one purpose really well and fit more within the “passable” realm of the other purpose. The new Salewa Pedroc 2 PTX are line-skirters. On the one hand, they’re a low-cut hiker… but perhaps they’re also a trail runner, as their inspiration might suggest. Somehow, I think the Pedroc 2 PTX has pulled off both hiking and trail running fairly well. Like any multi-activity shoe though, certain sacrifices have been made in the name of versatility.

Salewa Pedroc 2 PTX Shoes Features:

• Waterproof, breathable Powertex® membrane with PFAS-free water repellent treatment
• 3F System ensures dynamic stability and support
• Pomoca outsole with directional lugs promotes a smooth stride and optimal grip
• TPU film protection
• 10mm drop
• Weight: 900g (as weighed on my scale per pair in size USM 11)
• MSRP: $180

More Than Inspired

So, the Pedroc 2 PTX is a low-cut hiker which dabbles in the trail running space. In my time testing them, I divided my time equally between those purposes. I regularly took them out as my seasonal go-to shoe for local hikes of various lengths, wore them for the non-technical approaches on climbing days, and put a lot of trail running miles on them. Just earlier today, actually, I put 10 elevation-heavy trail-running miles on them. All that to say, they were tested as they were intended to be used – a versatile mixture of hiking and trail running.

For hiking, I really don’t have many notes. They’re great right out of the box – comfortable, burly, well-fit, and set up with ample grip. For running, it took some time to get to a good place. The break-in period for these shoes was painful at times. I began running in the Pedrocs immediately, and that was a mistake. After my second run, I developed bruises on the balls of my feet. It took a couple more weeks of walking and hiking in the Pedrocs to soften up and break in the foam enough for me to run comfortably in them. The same was true of the shoe’s tongue, which juts a bit into the ankle. When brand new, that thin tongue material is a tad stiff, and on my first run with low socks, it chafed away a layer of skin.

In time though, the tongue softened and the shoes’ soles broke in. When they did, running became comfortable, even good. While the Pedroc 2s don’t sport the same sexy features that big trail running brands do, like carbon plates or rock plates or some carefully crafted proprietary foam recipe, they still end up being a comfortable and perfectly adequate pair of running shoes out on the trails. I can’t say that I was really expecting that from a shoe designed with trail running as more of an inspiration than an end goal. Many attempts to make a running shoe that excels in anything other than running result in a shoe that’s terrible to run in. Not so with this one, after the break-in period.

Much of that and much of the shoe’s general success is attributable to its Pomoca sole. It’s large-lugged with decently wide lug spacing, which helps lend better traction on more aggressively featured terrain. Beyond the standard fare of rocks and roots, patterns like these also help with penetration into softer trails, mud, and snow, lending more traction in the flats where other shoes might struggle. As an added upside, that broader spacing also helps to shed mud and debris. I’ve been hiking and running the Pedrocs for a couple months now, and the soles are standing strong with no lugs cleaved off and only minimal wear-down. They suit the shoes well, whether for hiking or running.

The fit of the Pedroc 2s is also good, and that’s largely thanks to their 3F System (also present on the Wildfire NXTs I tested recently). The 3F System provides an elevated eyelet that’s securely anchored to the heel of the shoe. The result is that tightening the shoe sucks your foot firmly into the heel rather than just tightening downwards on top of your foot. It makes for a more consistent fit and results in less toe-crunching when it comes time to run downhill. The one downside I found with the 3F System on the Pedrocs is that it’s a bit proud on the inside edge, and I occasionally end up clipping the 3F strap from one shoe on the strap for the other shoe during my normal stride. That much is a bit irritating, but it only happens while running and is yet to fully trip me.

Core to the Pedroc 2 PTX is its waterproofing. PTX is an abbreviation for Powertex, Salewa’s in-house waterproof membrane. My hiking and running with Pedroc 2s has involved a lot of puddles and streams, and a fair amount of rain. Throughout that, I haven’t had any instances where water got into the shoe. More notably, I think, I haven’t experienced any bogginess in the shoes. It’s common for waterproof running and hiking shoes to breathe a bit worse, but I’ve found the Pedroc 2s to be airy enough. I wouldn’t call breathability one of their selling points per se, but they certainly aren’t boggy. That alone is a real win.

The final things to address with the Pedroc 2 PTX are weight, pricing, and user base. Weight-wise, my size US Mens 11 shoes clock in at 450 grams per shoe. Your average trail running shoe tends to sit closer to 350 grams per shoe at that size. But while these are above the norm in that space, they do sit about where you might expect for a pair of low-cut hikers, perhaps even a bit less. At $180, they’re priced up there in the premium range. It seems just a touch steep to me. Still, for the person looking for the support and burliness of a low-cut hiker which can still swing its weight as a trail runner, perhaps it’s worth the cost.

Fit: I ordinarily wear a size US Men’s 11 for trail runners and hiking shoes. That’s what I tested here, and they fit as expected. No chafing, sizing complaints, or issues with odd proportions.

Buy Now: Available at Salewa