Lafuma hiking shoes utilize OutDry
Lafuma XLight Mid OT
Pros: OutDry technology keeps feet dry; Great traction with Vibram outsole; Reaches ankle bone providing better coverage
Cons: Uncomfortable insoles; Awkward tension system; Limited to people with wide feet
Bottom Line: The Lafuma XLight Mid OT hiking shoes utilize a great waterproof and breathable OutDry technology to keep your feet dry on hikes, but plan on getting an after-market insole instead of using the lackluster stock one.
MSRP: $130
Lafuma’s Web site
With OutDry technology creating a waterproof barrier and a synthetic leather and mesh upper, Lafuma’s XLight Mid OT hiking shoes keep water and loose debris at bay.
The hiking shoes, which weigh about 1 pound, 4 ounces each (for a size 12.5), provide ankle-high protection to keep out everything from debris to wintery slush.
The OutDry technology bonds a waterproof, breathable barrier directly to the shoe’s outer layer.
- Lafuma XLight Mid OT
Other methods often use a waterproof membrane that lines the inside of the shoe allowing it, or any other garment, to collect water and add to the gear’s weight.
However, with OutDry, which is incorporated into the XLight, there’s little room for water to penetrate. That results in a shoe that doesn’t soak up water and doesn’t weigh down your foot no matter how long you’re standing in the creek, lake, snow or slush.
When hiking with the shoes wearing a thin, very breathable sock, I didn’t find the shoes to be overly airy. But they weren’t overly hot either. It was about what I expected from a waterproof shoe with a little bit of interior padding.
- OutDry technology at work
The XLight Mid OTs utilize a twin lace pull system that allows you to adjust the bottom and top half of the shoe separately by pulling and tightening a cord. The cord then tucks away, albeit not very well, so it doesn’t flop on the top of the shoe.
Inside the shoe, I found the entire foot bed to be pretty wide – and I even have a semi-wide foot. If a shoe is too wide for your foot, you’ll have less stability on the trail.
But with Vibram soles, the widely-spaced deep lugs provided great traction on everything from loose dirt to scampering over rocks. Also, the rubber toecaps and synthetic leather and mesh uppers were durable in my tests.
- Lafuma XLight Mid OT outsole
But I found the insole to be inferior to many other hiking shoes I’ve tested. After a few miles, my feet were sore on numerous test hikes. Of course, using some after-market insoles could solve that.
Besides the XLight Mid OTs, lafuma, and many other companies have other gear that utilizes the relatively new OutDry technology as well.
