HOKA Transport Hike GTX waterproof hiking shoes review
A lightweight waterproof hiker that brings HOKA’s soft ride and Vibram traction to your daily adventures.
For runners who mix pavement with parks, gravel, or forest paths, Salomon’s Aero Blaze 3 GRVL quietly fills a gap. It’s a more trail-ready spin on the already solid Aero Blaze 3 road version—and while it doesn’t overhaul the formula, the tweaks make a noticeable difference when your route takes you off-road.
This GRVL edition doesn’t try to be a flashy do-it-all trail shoe. It’s not built for technical singletrack or muddy scrambles.
What it does bring is consistent comfort, great ground control, and a bit more grip and protection; which is exactly what you want for those everyday “wherever the road leads” kind of runs.
Key specs
- Price: $140 at salomon.com / £112 at sportsshoes.com (for UK readers)
- Weight: 8.7oz / 247g (Men’s US 9 – tested pair)
- Drop: 8mm
- Upper: Engineered mesh with TPU overlays and padded collar
- Midsole: optiFOAM² with Reverse Camber geometry
- Outsole: Gravel ContaGRIP with chevron lugs
- Extras: OrthoLite sockliner, traditional laces, made with recycled materials
Fit & feel: built for comfort
The GRVL version fits true to size, and actually feels a bit more forgiving than the road version, especially in the toe box.
It’s got a medium width overall with enough volume for runners with slightly wider or higher-volume feet.
The collar rises higher around the ankle (see photo above), which some runners will love for added support, though if you’re sensitive to extra padding or prefer lower-cut collars, it’s something to note.
Lockdown is reliable once the laces are snug, and even without a gusseted tongue, I didn’t notice any slippage or rubbing.
The overall step-in feel is solid—comfortable, structured, and ready to go.
Performance: stable and grounded
This isn’t a bouncy shoe, and it’s not trying to be. The Aero Blaze 3 GRVL shares the same optiFOAM² midsole and Reverse Camber rocker as the road version, which means the ride is stable, protective, and smooth but not particularly energetic.
It performs best at steady, aerobic paces. I’ve been running around 5–6 min/km in these, and they shine most when you’re not pushing the pace but covering ground steadily.
That makes it a great daily trainer for runners who value durability and control over rebound and speed.
Where the GRVL version steps up over the non-GRVL version, is in trail performance.
The chevron-lugged Gravel ContaGRIP outsole offers much better traction on dirt, crushed gravel, and wet pavement.
It’s a nice upgrade over the smoother road model, and one of the reasons to pick this version if your routes get a bit looser underfoot.
The added TPU overlays around the toe also give the shoe a bit more structure and protection on light trails, another detail that makes it more rugged without going full mountain-mode.
Breathability & trade-offs
As with most road-to-trail hybrids, there are compromises. In the GRVL, breathability takes a slight hit.
The upper traps more heat than the road version, which was more open and airy. On humid days, I noticed it running warm but as we head into fall and winter, that may actually be a plus.
Weight is up slightly too (about 12g more than the standard version), but honestly, I never noticed it during runs. For what you gain in traction and durability, the trade-off feels fair.
The OrthoLite sockliner adds decent comfort, but I did notice some subtle underfoot shift when cornering or running downhill, something that might vary depending on your foot shape and gait.
Final thoughts
The Salomon Aero Blaze 3 GRVL takes a solid road shoe and gives it just enough trail-readiness to make it versatile; at $140, it provides great value for money.
It doesn’t try to be a technical trail shoe, it’s not an all-mountain trail running shoe for mountain missions; it’s much better suited to those mixed-terrain daily runs.
