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 | As an allrounder |
 | As a trail runner |
Arc’teryx has been successfully building its trail running and mountain sport shoe quiver over the past few years and spring/summer 2024 sees a new batch of interesting arrivals. We have had the Sylan GTX on review since March. The Sylan, Sylan Pro and Sylan GTX are the new trail runners. Released alongside these three are the Vertex Alpine, a speed orientated approach shoe, and the Kragg a slip on casual shoe for sport climbers and boulderes.
As far as I can tell the Sylan and the SylanPro are the same shoe with the Pro having a different colourway and more prominent ‘sponsored athlete’ logo. The GTX version is obviously a different beast utilising Gore’s Invisible Fit Technology which gives a more flexible and less bulky Gore Tex upper. However it is still considerably heavier and less forgiving than a standard trail shoe upper. That is not to say it is uncomfortable because the Sylan GTX proved to be a pretty comfortable shoe. Gore-Tex upper trail running shoes have always been a bit of a mystery to me personally – a solution in search of a problem as far as running is concerned. My experience is that in the UK and Alps the only time a Gore-Tex running shoe comes into its own is either running through long grass down in the valley or light snow (when it stops snow melted from body heat soaking your feet). Otherwise as soon as you cross the smallest of streams or even a large puddle the water overtops your shoe and your foot gets just as wet, now there might be a ‘wet-suit’ like benefit in winter as that water will not be ‘exchanged’ so you’re warm and wet but you’re wet! In the summer Gore-Tex makes for an uncomfortably hot shoe that takes longer to dry once wet inside than a standard mesh upper trail shoe. The best solution I’ve found for dealing with wet/cold is to use something like Sealskin socks and go up a half size in my winter running shoes. So I’m not the biggest fan of Gore-Tex trail runners and the Sylan GTX had an uphill battle to impress me.
The Sylan GTX has what Arc’teryx refer to as a comfort fit with more room around the toes and forefoot area. This was music to my ears as a troll footed runner I frequently struggle to find trail running footwear that is wide enough to be comfortable. My default at present are the HOKA Speedgoat ‘wide’ fit shoes and I was pleasantly surprised to note that the Sylan GTX’s inner sole measured up as pretty close in width (9.8cm in my size 44). Now that doesn’t mean it comes up quite as wide as the aforementioned shoes as there is less volume in the upper but certainly it was perfectly comfortable after a bit of breaking in. As an aside manufacturers can produce ‘wide’ foot versions of a shoe in two ways. Firstly actually make the sole of the last truly wider or, use the same width sole but increase the volume of the upper so that the foot can ‘overhang’ the inner sole. The former is more expensive but arguably a better solution, however I digress, suffice to say the Sylan GTX is a better bet than most if you have wider feet or prefer a bit of room for your feet to swell on those long runs.
The Sylan GTX has a pronounced rocker on the sole to aid propulsion. This may take some adapting to if you haven’t run on a heavily rockered shoe before but most people soon adapt and it is not some new fangled concept – traditional shepherds boots have used a ‘sprung last’ for well over 150 years! The ‘drop’ for the Sylan GTX is a middle of the road 6mm (28.6mm : 22.6mm) which is fairly middle of the road for trail running. The InFuse® EVA and Polyolefin midsole provides firm cushioning but it feels quite stiff initially, reducing the shoes ground feel a little and it felt like it took a bit more breaking in. The outer sole is not as wide as some of the more cushioned trail running shoes. The only fit issue I found was a problem with heel slip – probably a combination of the heel shape, stiffer GTX upper and stiffish midsole. Overtime the problem reduced but didn’t altogether vanish so I had to be mindful when lacing up and make use of heel lock lacing. The Vibram® LiteBase Megagrip outsole unit with its 6mm lugs was a revelation and I would rate it amongst the best for grip of all the trail running soles I’ve used in recent years. We often get accustomed to non-UK based outsole designs that have their roots in perhaps drier and/or less technical terrain. These designs are then found wanting in the steep, wet grassy descents or muddy paths that typify our hill regions. Not so on the Sylan GTX! It gripped well across a variety of surfaces from rock to mud to grass, wet or dry. I rate it significantly better than my (admittedly a little worn) Speedgoats and though not a fell shoe it works well as a climbing approach shoe in the mountains – facilitated by the inclusion of a proper heel clip in loop so I can hang it off my harness.
Overall I was impressed with the Sylan GTX. Perhaps not as an outright trail running shoe, I suspect the standard Sylan will be better, being both lighter and with a more flexible, cooler and accommodating upper. The Sylan a fair bit cheaper at £180 vs £210 for the Sylan GTX. However the Sylan GTX is a serviceable trail runner which will double up as a hiking or approach shoe. If you’re off on a trip where running is a secondary activity to hiking or climbing the Sylan GTX can pull double duty and reduce the quiver of footwear you may be packing.
Pros
- Great grip
- Durable construction
- Comfortable
- Good width
Cons
- Tendancy for heel slip
- Hot for trail running
- Cost
SRP £210
Disclaimer – CGR reviewers are never paid to provide a review and the website does not take advertising. We are a bunch of keen climbers and outdoor enthusiasts that accept sample products and offer an honest and independent review of the item. The reviewer will often keep the sample after reviewing it for both hygiene reasons and more often they’re in no fit state to return!
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