2018 is in full force, and you should be taking your outdoor adventures to new heights! If you’re like me and love speed and lightness on the trails, read on.

Going fast outdoors isn’t just about hiking or running faster. It’s the total package, from your training and physical ability, to the gear you pack. Training will take time and effort; gear choices, on the other hand, are give instant boosts in comfort, performance, and overall experience.

And the one piece of gear that’s super easy to take weight off of? Footwear.

Over the years, I’ve learned that “light” and “supportive” doesn’t necessarily translate well for trail- and hiking kicks the way they do for road ones. Lightweight pairs for the trail help with footwork, dry super fast (especially during river crossings), and pack easily. In a pinch, you can even tie the laces together and wear them around your neck.

The problem with lightweight hiking shoes pop up – painfully, in many cases – when either the terrain gets real rough, or when the hike is a multi-day one (we call those “major hikes” here in the Philippines). Ever felt a pebble in your shoe? Multiply that discomfort by fifty, and that’s roughly how bad it feels to wear poorly made and -designed trail runners/hikers. And over several days? Forget it – trip’s over.

This is why when I had the chance to put the new Salomon Sense Pro Max to the test, I took it.

I’m a long-time Salomon user; the unbreakable XA Pro 3D is my go-to for gruelling multiday adventures, while the X-Alp Pro Mountaineering Boot has carried me across the Himalaya and the highest peaks in Southeast Asia. The Salomon Sense Pro Max, however, is the lightest pair of shoes from Salomon I have ever held and worn, and I wasn’t too sure if it would live up to the reputation of it’s bigger, badder siblings in the line-up.