adidas Terrex Swift R3, Men's Terrex Swift R3 Mid GTX®

Product Information

There isn’t a lot we would change here – the only issue we noted is that the Adidas Terrex Swift isn’t the most breathable hiking shoe in the world, due to its sturdy build and waterproof membrane. Personally, we’d save it for use from autumn through to spring, and switch to a more lightweight and breathable hiking shoe such as the Salomon Vaya for hiking mountain trails in hot dry weather. That stiff midfoot provides a great platform on sloping terrain, just like a boot where you can use the edge to cut into the turf (albeit less successfully than a boot due to the lesser ankle support). The ankle support may not be quite up to boot-level, but it is certainly unusually good for a hiking shoe. The cushioned midsole adds a plushness to the ride, which is also enhanced by that stiffening armour, which lets you float over the rough stuff with ease.

While looks are far from the most important factor in an outdoor shoe, we love the smart urban feel of the Terrex Swift. You could easily wear it for more casual outings when you aren’t off on any outdoors adventures. There’s a quirky but fun extra, too – you can personalise the R3s by adding up to nine characters on each of the shoes. This shoe finds the perfect balance in the midsole - not too soft and not too hard. What this means in practice is that we get a good amount of ground feel whilst still keeping our feet protected and supported. We measured the midsole for softness by pressing a durometer to it. No surprises there - it showed 32.5 HA, the average for hiking shoes.One big improvement in the design of the R3 compared to its predecessor is the traditional lacing system which has replaced the pull-tab drawstring of the R2. There is also the addition of a wider set of eyelets at the bottom of this design, which allows the shoe to be pulled in more tightly around the top of the forefoot, giving a more secure and personalised fit. This is a feature I’m particularly impressed with because I have very thin feet and it allows me to adjust and tighten the laces for extra precision. High-quality materials are used in Adidas TERREX items to ensure you are ready for any weather. GORE-TEX®, for example, is both waterproof and breathable, making it excellent for long journeys. Polartec Alpha also performs well in terms of moisture control and breathability, ensuring that you keep warm without overheating.

There are numerous elements contributing to the overall stability of this shoe and we thank our lab tests for documenting all of them. The most important one, for sure, is the torsional rigidity test that showed us why this shoe feels as stable as a hiking boot. Because we weren't able to twist the shoe, we rated it with 5 out of 5, 5 being the stiffest. A decade later, in 1969, the Gores’ son, Bob Gore, discovered what eventually became known as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, or ePTFE for short. To create ePTFE, Gore stretched the PTFE under certain conditions. What he created was a heat-resistant, hydrophobic, and thin fabric.

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Bob Gore understood that he was onto something with great potential. In 1970 Gore applied for a series of patents to make Gore-tex fabrics more seriously. And shortly afterward, in 1976, he started marketing their family brand, Gore-tex. At the time, it was the first waterproof and windproof fabric. Tipping the scales at just 11.4 oz (323g), this shoe is 2.5 oz (72g) lighter than the average for this category. We found it most noticeable on our longer hikes when our legs had plenty of energy to spare at the end of the day. Our SportsShoes Trail & Hiking ambassador, Ben Mounsey, has been busy putting the adidas TERREX Swift R3 GORE-TEX Walking Shoes to the test. Here he provides a detailed review and compares them to the adidas TERREX Free Hiker.

After comprehensive lab tests and putting a number of waterproof hiking shoes through their paces, we declare that the Merrell Moab 3 GTX is the most comfortable Gore-Tex hiking shoe! They are delightfully comfortable straight out of the box, keep our feet completely dry on our wet hikes, and are designed with wear and tear in mind. The toe-box has a particularly wide set of lace eyelets, which helps pull that area in tight, and it’s easy to get a good fit without fiddling around with the lacing too much, which is aided by the friction of the tube-style lace grommets. The top pair of eyelets are nicely-finished aluminium through-rivets, which should stand up to a lot of punishment.With such a plush shoe, it is possible for the stability to be compromised, but the Hoka Anacapa Low GTX has it covered. The widest platform ever to have passed through our lab, the 113.2 mm wide forefoot and 93.1 mm wide heel compensate for the softness of the midsole, making it next to impossible to roll our ankles when hiking on rough trails. Unfortunately, we would have to say no to this one. The main reason is that no hiking shoe, even models with Gore-tex, can prevent water from entering the shoe from above. For example, water can get inside the shoe if you step into deep water or mud. Waterproof hiking shoes that utilize a Gore-tex membrane will usually include “GTX” in their name, for example, the Merrell Moab Speed GTX. Gore-tex hiking shoes will also normally have a Gore-tex label somewhere on the exterior of the shoe. For example, the Adidas Free Hiker Cold RDY has a silver “Gore-tex” label on the front exterior of the toe box. These signs will signal Gore-tex was used to waterproof the shoe and not another in-house or proprietary fabric. It was first patented by Kinetic Chemicals in 1941 and trademarked as Teflon. One of its first uses was as a seal coating in uranium enrichment for the Manhattan Project. Later, Teflon was used for cookware.

Both GORE-TEX versions of these respective models offer excellent protection from wet weather, although breathability is greatly reduced in hot conditions. Therefore, I would opt for the non-GORE-TEX version of either shoe if you want increased ventilation and airflow, particularly during the summer months.Gore-tex membranes are now synonymous with waterproof shoes. So much so that many attribute any shoe marketed was waterproof to be Gore-tex; however, that may not be true. Some hiking shoe manufacturers will use different waterproof technology.