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The Puez from Salewa are synthetic hiking and trekking boots with an integrated Powertext Waterproof membrane and knit top to balance waterproofness and breathability.

The Puez Knit is a mid cut, mostly synthetic hiking boot built around a lightweight, flexible body. Starting at the bottom, it features a POMOCA alpine trekker outsole, a reinforced toe box, alpine hemp based midsole, breathable knit upper with an internal PowerTex waterproof/breathable membrane, and a stretchy fabric based ankle enclosure designed to keep water, sand and snow out. The two included /swappable sets of laces run through Kevlar loops, reinforced for durability. The Puez knit are available now in various sizes and colors for roughly $250.

Comfort with the Puez is quite excellent. I found the knit body to be soft, inviting, and very conforming to the foot, including the stretchy ankle enclosure. After a short break-in period, they flexed easily with my stride while also staying confidently in position around my heels, ankles and toes. The unique angular lacing system not only helped relieve pressure around the joints around my toes, it also helped to lock the boots in place, which reduced friction and slip points inside the boots. Even with relatively lightweight socks, I found the Puez to be extremely comfortable and easy to wear for long, hard days on the trail. I noticed minimal heel slip and my feet never shifted forward and backwards either, which dramatically reduced the chances of developing blisters.

On trail traction is similarly excellent. The boots utilize a simple yet effective array of triangular, equally space lugs. Smaller, closer spaced lugs are arranged at the toes, while wider, more horizontally stretched lugs are arranged around the arch of the foot. This simple arrangement provides a consistent, predictable grip across most surfaces. Traction can suffer a touch on wet roots and rounded rocks, but otherwise performs extremely well. I noticed a particular quirk with the tread, where the ball of the foot seems to have an extra grippy feel, which helped on steep climbs and when navigating rocky structures. Downhill braking is consistent and reliable, but nothing spectacular. I enjoyed the consistency of their traction above all else, where they always performed in exactly the way I expected them to.

Trail stability was top notch. The reinforced heel shank provides a stiff yet obedient platform that sturdies up the ankles, without restricting them. This saved me at least once from an ankle roll on a collapsing stone crossing, and allowed me to recover with some dignity intact, even if I did look like a dancing wet noodle. They hop, shuffle and scurry with excellent responsiveness while providing a sense of security.

Waterproofing and breathability were both great. I never had any moisture push its way through, shuffling through tall wet grass or crossing through ankle high streams. The knit body seems to do a slightly better job of ventilating than most I’ve tested, but this could also just be the waterproof/breathable PowerTex membrane doing its job. I found they were able to keep my feet quite dry into the high 80’s (F) as they allowed perspiration to work it’s way through the membrane and out of the top cuff via my socks.

My only complaint with the Puez Knit was getting them on. The stretchy enclosure is a great addition as it’s comfortable, keeps out debris, and improves fit, but can be a slight challenge to shove a foot through. The boots have two pull tabs on the tongue and one on the heel, and I recommend using them all. It takes considerable pulling tension to get the boot up over the heel. Thick and medium weight socks tend to bunch up and stretch out when shoving the foot in as well, which was really my larger issue. As the cuff wears in it becomes less of a challenge, but never really goes away. Still, a couple seconds of extra effort across a days worth of hiking it’s that big of a deal. My recommendation is to grab the pull tabs, one hand on the front and one on the back, and pull the opening up as wide as possible, then shove in the foot. This way is fairly quick and keeps the sock from bunching up.

Smaller details like the second set of laces and an included thicker insole/insert are nice additions.

Overall

I quite enjoyed the Salewa Puez Knit boots. They’re lightweight, very comfortable, and lock in place better than anything I’ve tested in years. The unique angle lacing system does a great job of keeping the foot in place and preventing heel slip, while the knit body and enclosure keeps out debris and moisture. They’re a little tough to get on and off, but otherwise are solid performers when they’re on the trial.

Highly Recommended

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