The Gore-Tex Surround system visible in the Meindl XSO-70

One of the big buzz products on display at the recent Kendal Outdoor Retail Show was Gore-Tex’s new Surround technology for footwear.

Various brands had new shoes and boots featuring the Gore-Tex construction, which is aimed at keeping feet cooler but still dry in warm and wet weather.

Gore-Tex claims much better breathability because Surround’s structure includes a spacer gap which allows perspiration out and venting through side mesh.

The new shoes and mid boots will be in the shops for spring next year, and both Meindl and Zamberlan had examples at the show, with Meindl displaying a cut-away shoe showing the innovative construction.

The women's model of the Meindl XSO-70 Mid

The Meindl XSO-30, the ‘S’ denoting a Surround update to its existing XO range, is a multi-activity shoe that will retail at £145. There is also a mid-boot version, the XSO-70 at £160.

The Zamberlan Air Round

Zamberlan’s Air Round shoe also uses the Surround membrane and will also sell at £145, with the Air Round Mid boot expected to retail at £155.

Many UK customers still insist they want non-Gore-Tex shoes, despite the country having one of the wetter climates in western Europe.

Zamberlan’s Hike GTX has a Hydrobloc split leather construction with Gore-Tex Performance Comfort membrane and will sell at £115. But the non-Gore-Tex version will come in under the hundred-pound mark, retailing at £99.

The Pelmo Plus GTX is Zamberlan’s multi-day hiking boot, which will also take a flexible crampon.

Zamberlan Pelmo Plus GTX

It features Hydrobloc Nabuk leather, with Gore-Tex Performance Comfort waterproof membrane.

The boot has a dual-density polyurethane midsole for shock absorption and a Vibram Mulaz Evo outsole, with crampon insert on the heel.

The Pelmo Plus GTX will sell for £230.