Although originally designed as a trail runner, the XA Forces Mid has become the heavy lifter in the Salomon Forces line due to its lightweight construction which offers a great deal of ankle support and foot stability.
When the Forces line first launched, they took commercial footwear which were popular with military and LE customers and essentially gave them a new paintjob. What they found over the past few years is that the Forces customer subjects the shoes to situations that they were not originally designed for. After analyzing the returns, Salomon designers embarked on a significant upgrade to this popular shoe. In a rare peek into the design process, Salmon shared this drawing with us. The final product differs slightly.
There are specific issues which have been addressed. For instance, they’ve introduced the same material used in the Quest 4D. Additionally, they changed the construction to introduce double and even triple stitching. They’ve also eliminated overlaps of fabric wherever possible because thenedges of fabric was getting caught while riding Quads and separating.
Here, you can see the new instep, designed to take more wear and tear while climbing ropes and fast roping.
Finally, Solomon improved the sole and introduced a wider toe box.
The XA Forces Mid is available with or without a Gore-Tex lining in US sizes U.S. 4.5 to 12.5, plus 13.5 and 14 in Black, Coyote and Ranger Green (GTX version only).
Below is their full press release.
Salomon has revealed a new, upgraded XA Forces Mid GTX shoe, the centerpiece of the brand’s Forces range. If you liked the brand’s XA Pro Mid, the earlier version of this shoe, you will appreciate the improvements made to the new XA Forces Mid GTX. Available beginning January 2018, it features several improvements over its predecessor, which was the very first shoe that the brand developed specifically for military use. In the GORE-TEX® version, it will be available in black, coyote brown and ranger green. The shoe is also available in a non-GORE-TEX® version offering a more breathable variant. The non-GORE-TEX® version is available in black and coyote brown.
Now in unisex models (available in half sizes from U.S. 4.5 to 12.5, plus 13.5 and 14.5), the design goal of the XA Pro Mid GTX was to improve strength and durability. It will use the same fabric found on the Quest 4D Boot, which is four times more durable compared to the previous fabric when it comes to tear strength, and has been put to the test in the lab and on deployment. To make it stronger, the shoe now has a single-layer construction, reducing the overlapping of materials. Formerly a single stitched shoe, the new version has double and triple stitching for stronger seem construction.
The outsole also has a more durable design. A new layer adds to the sole’s thickness and additional rubber with deeper lugs provides more contact with the ground. A break in the design of the heel helps with climbing, while a rubber pad on the medial side of the shoe aids in protection. The toebox has also been made slightly roomier than in the previous version.
Available soon from www.salomon.com/us/men/collection-forces or your favorite Salomon Forces dealer.
