Montrail Mojave
By Matt Smith

Trail shoes are a dime a dozen, but comfortable waterproof/ breatable trail shoes are a little more difficult to come by. The Goretex XCR allows the Mojave to fit and flex quite well. True to Montrail's claim, the TerraFlex protection plate DOES do an excellent job of protecing the bottom of your foot, especially when scramling around on scree fields or boulders, a feature lacking on most trail shoes. For my personal preference, the Mojave is not quite nimble enough to be a full fledged approach shoe, but it did alright for modest scrambling.

At 18 oz. the Mojave is a little heavy and bulky for a light duty or trail running shoe, but not to the point that I experienced fatigue during a week of walking around on trails in southern Utah. Rather, it seems like a perfect shoe to wear when you're not sure what you're going to encounter. The Mojave is equally at home on an Alpine Trail, Moab slickrock, or walking across the road to Ray's Tavern in Green River after a week in the San Rafael.

My personal feeling is that GoreTex is a little over kill for a low top boot. Unless you happen upon some water that is deeper than the sole, but not quite to the ankle, you are paying for something that limits breatheability with relatively small benefits. That being said, they did keep my feet warm and dry while slogging around in the mud for three days in Zion National Park this February. I found the Mojave was warm enough for moderate winter use.

Summary: The Montrail Mojave is an excellent do-it-all shoe. At $120, the pinch to get a Goretex XCR shoe / boot is tolerable. If you're looking for an affordable solution for 3 season activity, definitely try on the Montrail Mojave.

Buy the Montrail Mojave Shoes.

Mattis a contributing editor and the canyoneering specialist at Gearreview.com.

For more information, contact:
Montrail
2505 Airport Way South
Seattle, WA 98134
(206)621-9303
goodfit@montrail.com