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Adidas Retooled Its Most Important Daily Sneaker into a Gritty Street Hiker

The Samba returns to its roots as a purpose-built, cold-weather beast.

Close-up of the front part of a brown sneaker featuring a textured suede upper with matching brown laces and a smooth rubber toe cap. The shoe has a rugged, slightly fuzzy appearance on the suede sections.Adidas
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By Jack Seemer

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Contrary to common knowledge, the Samba didn’t start out as an indoor soccer shoe.

In fact, that no-skid outsole only arrived in the 1990s, four decades after Adidas founder Adi Dassler first debuted the now-ubiquitous sneaker.

archival image of 1962 adidas samba
Early Samba shoes, like this 1960s version, looked quite different to the everyday sneaker we recognize today.
Adidas

Truth is, the earliest Samba models looked a world apart to the ones we recognize today. They were were also built for a specific purpose: to give soccer players extra traction on cold, icy pitches during winter play,

Now the sneaker will return to those rugged roots in the form of the Samba WTR, which brings a trifecta of cold-weather updates to the biggest name in the Adidas catalog.

Brown Adidas sneaker with a textured suede upper, featuring the signature three stripes on the side in a smooth material. The shoe has a rugged rubber sole and brown laces, with a padded collar and tongue displaying the Adidas logo. The toe area has a smooth protective overlay.
The new Samba WTR sees the shoe reclaim its reputation as a cold-weather beast.
Adidas

Winter-ready

While you could reasonably call the modern Samba a slim, streamlined silhouette, the newest variant is anything but …

The most notable change happens underfoot, where the simple gum outsole makes way for a clunky tread clearly inspired by traditional hiking boots.

Black rubber sole of an Adidas shoe with a hexagonal tread pattern and the Adidas logo embossed in the center. The shoe is positioned upright against a light gray background, casting a shadow to the left.
The outsole of the Samba WTR looks more like a hiking boot than an everyday sneaker.
Adidas
Close-up of the heel and midsole of a brown Adidas sneaker featuring a textured suede upper, smooth synthetic stripes, and a rugged rubber sole with the Adidas logo and trefoil emblem embossed on the side.
Performance aside, the new outsole gives the Samba WTR a gritty aesthetic.
Adidas

While it lacks the type of lugs you would expect from today’s purpose-built trail shoes, the tread pattern that replaces the Samba’s three-zone outsole gives it a slight performance edge for slick, ice-covered sidewalks.

Brown suede Adidas sneaker with a textured finish, featuring three smooth leather stripes on the side, a thick rubber sole with the Adidas logo embossed near the heel, and matching brown laces.
From afar, the upper follows the form of today’s Samba. However, shaggy suede and rubber overlays help to complete the rugged makeover.
Adidas

As for the upper, it generally follows the template laid down by the present-day Samba. However, a close inspection reveals a handful of winter-optimized additions, including a no-sew rubber toe cap, metal eyelets and warm shaggy-suede base.

Close-up of the front part of a black sneaker featuring textured fabric and smooth rubber detailing on the toe cap, with black laces threaded through black eyelets.
A no-sew rubber toe cap replaces the suede panel on the Samba OG.
Adidas

Finally, reflective detailing on the laces, side stripes and heel panel give it a added dose of practicality for low-light conditions.

Black Adidas sneaker with a textured suede upper, featuring three reflective silver stripes on the side. The shoe has black and white patterned laces, a black rubber sole with a rugged tread, and the Adidas logo embossed near the heel. The interior lining appears to be a dark mesh material.
Reflective detailing increases visibility in low-light conditions.
Adidas

Availability and pricing

The Samba WTR is expected to go on sale soon in two launch colorways: black and brown.

Adidas has yet to announce an official price for the Samba WTR. That said, similar treatments to iconic sneakers such as the Stan Smith have gone for around $150.

About the Author:

Jack Seemer is the executive editor at Gear Patrol, with over a decade of experience in product journalism. He currently reports on a wide range of topics, including footwear, watches, EDC, cookware and more.

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