The Salewa Puez Mid PTX shows off Salewa's lighter side. The brand is best known for beefy trekking boots, but the Puez is lighter and more comfortable than its signature Mountain Trainer series. In spring of 2025, I picked up the new leather version of this Italian hiking boot to test and review its support, weight, fit, comfort, weather protection, traction, and value through a series of test hikes. I love this boot's looks, but its in-between build makes it hard to pinpoint who, exactly, should pick up the Puez for their hikes. My Salewa Puez Mid PTX review gives you the goods on this brand new hiking boot.
This post includes affiliate links. If you click on these links and buy something, the retailer may share a small percentage of the sale with Hiking Feet—at no cost to you. That's a free and easy way for you to support this site's free and independent content.
Salewa Puez Mid PTX Review
My personal review of the new Salewa Puez Leather Mid follows from 40 miles of day hiking around New Mexico. I hand-picked several trails to test this boot's performance on different types of terrain, including desert washes, woods, weathered granite mountains, and slickrock canyons. A monsoon thunderstorm offered me a quick opportunity to test the boot's waterproofing. I weighed my pair and compared its comfort and performance against other hiking boots I've tested and reviewed. As always, this is an independent review—not a sponsored post—based on my first-hand hiking experience and my experience as an outdoor industry professional.
Testing the Salewa Puez Leather PTX in the Sandia Mountains
Support
The Salewa Puez Leather PTX hiking boot prioritizes comfort over ankle support. Sure, it's a mid-cut, but those supple, nubuck leather ankle collars aren't thick or rigid enough to lock down your ankles on uneven terrain. Plus, the stretch mesh over the Achilles—while super comfortable—prevents a protective seal around the ankles. If ankle support is high on your list, take a look at the Salewa Mountain Trainer or Mountain Trainer Lite.
On the plus side, there's an edging plate that adds some lateral stability and foot support from the heel to the ball of the boot. At the same time, the boot bends easily at the foot's natural flexpoint. Those supple leather uppers aren't supportive but offer good protection from sharp rocks and desert vegetation. Overall, its support is on par with a solid hiking shoe—not a traditional hiking boot.
Weight
Similarly, the Salewa Puez Leather Mid Powertex tips the scales a little bit lighter than traditional hiking boots. My pair (men's size 12.5) weighs 2 lbs 8 oz (2-3 ounces more than the original, knit version of the Puez ). That's 4-5 ounces less than most midweight hiking boots in my gear closet but 6-8 ounces heavier than the lightweight hiking boots I recommend. Overall, this boot has a relatively athletic build—especially for a leather hiking boot—but it's not quite a lightweight. For more weight savings, try the low-cut Puez hiking shoe.
Salewas have a snug fit by American standards
Fit
Overall, the Salewa Puez hiking boot has a slightly narrow fit. Like most Italian brands, Salewas run a little small and narrow in the forefoot and toe box (compared to US brands). Given my moderately wide feet, I sized up one full size from my everyday shoe size to get more width. That gave me an okay fit—fine length-wise and snug-but-doable width-wise. The Puez is a better fit for hikers with standard to narrow feet.
Testing support, comfort, & traction along Oso Ridge
Comfort
As a brand, Salewa generally stresses support over comfort—the Puez reverses these priorities. On my test hikes, I found this boot to be moderately cushioned and flexible underfoot—not as stiff as most leather hiking boots or alpine trekking boots. The leather uppers are especially soft with a stretchy, synthetic band in back that softens things up over the Achilles tendon. There's little to no break-in time. As mentioned above, you're more likely to get comfortable fit if your feet are narrower.
If you're not looking for a supportive hiking boot, you'll probably like the boot's feel. Its build is more approachable, less technical, than the typical Italian hiking boot.
Testing the Puez's waterproofing in a monsoon thunderstorm
Weather Protection
The PTX in this boot's name standards for Powertex—Salewa's proprietary waterproofing. Living in arid New Mexico, my opportunities to test its performance were limited. However, a surprise monsoon thunderstorm let me stand for several minutes in standing water. As expected, no water penetrated the Puez's weather-resistant leather and waterproof membrane.
This boot isn't GORE-TEX, but I have no reason not to trust Salewa's Powertex waterproofing. I'll continue to update this post if I have any troubles with waterproofing down the road.
The tread on the Salewa Puez shows out on rocky terrain
Traction
Traction was this boot's best feature. On my test hikes, this boot's soles were dependable on both solid rock and loose sand and gravel. When I scrambled up smooth boulders at the bottom of Embudito canyon, the relatively wide and soft lugs stuck to rocks well enough to tackle some tougher routes. When I descended a steep shoot of loose weathered granite on Oso Ridge, the outsoles also dug in relatively well, thanks in part to a relatively pronounced heel brake.
Even though this hiking boot is casual by Salewa standard, it still features premium traction—enough grip for mountainous hikes.
Women's Salewa Pedroc Leather Mid Powertex Hiking Boot
Value
The Salewa Puez Leather Mid Powertex sells for $250 (regular price). The synthetic knit version costs $20 less. That's a steep price for a boot that's not specifically built for backpacking. On the bright side, the Puez features the most supple, best-looking nubuck leather I've seen in a hiking boot. It's traction is a big plus. And some hikers will like its good looks and approachable build. But that's a potentially prohibitive price for many hikers.
Click on the links below to see differnt color options and possible sale prices:
Men's Salewa Puez Mid
Check current price, styles, and colors:
Women's Salewa Puez Mid
Check current price, styles, and colors:
Salewa Puez Mid: Pros and Cons
Based on a month of New Mexico day hikes, here's my take on the pros and cons of the Salewa Puez hiking boot:
Should you buy the Salewa Puez hiking boot?
The Salewa Puez Leather Mid PTX hiking boot may be a splurge pick for men and women who love its Italian looks, the feel of its soft leather, and its plus traction. However, its an expensive hiking boot that doesn't stand out for its support or its weight savings. The Puez hiking shoe may be the better buy since it's lighter, less expensive, and doesn't lose much ankle support (going from the mid-cut down to the low-cut). However, some hikers will love this boot's agile build and more approachable, beginner-friendly feel. This is the rare hiking boot that's built for both off-mountain use and more technical terrain. If you don't need lock-down ankle support and it fits you, the Salewa Puez could be a premium pick for either casual hikers or more serious hikers who move quickly over mountainous terrain.
