La Sportiva Slingshot Running Shoe - Men's - 2007

Great styling, and efficient lacing. But that's where my kudos stop. Cons include: (1) Narrow toe box = my toes hurt after technical trail running; (2) shoe runs a full size small (size up); (3) some stitching around the lower toe unraveled quickly after I missed a thread runner (no pun intended). If it feels good on your foot get it; otherwise I recommend going with a traditional trail running company.

The Slingshot is amazing. As a trail racing flat is works great, and I have also run long in these (15 miles). The rubber is the stickiest around. Great on mountain speed-hikes too. I completed two trail races so far, and I am convinced it is one of the best shoes around for mountain or hill climbing races. The inner lacing harness system snugs the Slingshot around my foot and provides a custom fit for me.

It took three tries to get the right size, shoes might not run true to size, I typically wear a size 10 and had to keep ordering a size up until I ended up in the 11. It is the first shoe that I have ever had that was an 11. On the trail they seem to be fine, I am not an avid runner, but do go trail running 6 or so times a year. For the price these are a great shoe.

I can't believe how much better these shoes are than my previous salomons, nike's, and mizzuno's. So light and COMFORTABLE. Slush, mud, and pavement, NO Problem.

I was really impressed with the tread on the bottom of these shoes. I know they use sticky rubber which I think really helps me when the trails turns rockier. The thinner padding is exactly what I was looking for because I use these for my shorter faster runs, I also have a pair of Pikes Peaks that are a perfect compliment to these shoes and have a ton of cushion.

Because reviews said these run narrow I ordered the men's version rather than women's. They fit great.
Pros: Flexible, lightweight, low to ground, neutral
Cons: Construction - They seem well-made but pieces were falling off when I started my second run. Zero cushion - Seems like this would be easy to fix by swapping out some of the dense rubber/foam for cushiony foam. Would also make the shoe lighter and more flexible.
Could be improved: Lacing - Replacing regular laces with system similar to Salomon or Yankz.

This is an approach shoe made to look like a trail runner. Its foot bed is very thin, and the shoe itself is not design to fit anyone with a normal arch. I have a size 12 foot with a normal arch and normal width and it was like my foot was too much for the shoe. When laced and tied it didn't cover my foot. The upper is cut quite low. Perhaps the other Sportiva trail runners are better.

I bought these shoes, wore them around town for about 2 weeks and then hit the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, and Escalante. These are perfect for (non-snow) hikes and short to mid-length treks. I also bouldered around in them and they are great for jams and smallish holds with their stiff sole. Highly recommend!

This is a super lightweight, form-fitting shoe. Probably best for agile runners or those who don't need of a lot of support or motion control. Fits narrow. Would be great for trail racing.

This is a really great shoe, I've done several races on surfaces from gravel road to ankle-deep mud. The form fit keeps the shoe on the foot! It’s light and supportive, water drains easily so your foot stays warm after stream crossings.
Excellent shoe.

I have been running in the Slingshot shoess for over a month now, and I have to say that I am hooked. The shoes surprised me with how well they drain after hitting a big puddle. There’s no sloshing around in them. The lacing system is rad, it really helps mold the shoe to your foot. The sticky rubber soles have been especially helpful with the wet conditions here in the Northeast. I have been pounding the hell out of them and they have held up like no other shoe. A really well constructed shoe. Two thumbs up!

This is an approach shoe in sold as trail running shoe. Much like what the other dude has said it did not cover my foot all the way. I think smaller/slim agile runners will have better luck with this shoe. It does look sick!

My husband bought some of your Sportiva shoes at a store on one of his trips and loves them, so I found your web sight and bought him a couple more! Service was fast, Price was great, and the shoes are groovy. Thanks, Belinda .

Great shoe. Not only great grip and traction, great fit right out of the box. These things are sticky!!

On the down side, they are so sticky, they WILL leave black marks on hard floors.

I have small feet and normally never wear more than an 8, and sometimes even an 8 is big for me. I had to return these shoes twice till I got the size right. Order a full size up at least if you don´t want the hassle of returning these shoes.
Other than that, great looking and good fit. I use them for urban wear when I need to do long walk´s on town.

I wear these shoes whenever I workout and go running. They fit my feet perfectly, making them feel like a part of my foot. The only downfall is the super thin sole, which do wear down a little quicker. But so far, the Frixion rubber doesn't seem to wear as fast as most other soles do.

I tend to go for the tanks when it comes to trail runners, always looking for extra support. I tried these out for speed workouts and racing and they far-exceeded my expectations. They felt comfortable the first couple of runs, so I thought I'd try them on some of the rougher terrain and they held their own compared to my North Face Ultra 102's, North Face Endurance Boa's, Vasque Velocity's and others. I think that apart from winter snow runs, these will be my shoes of choice from now on. The grip is fine (not exceptional, but better than "good"), the support is amazing for the weight, the weight is hard to compare to other trail shoes (these are in a different league): they are the kind of shoes you put on and really, really believe that you are a faster runner than before you had them on. Excellent product. Caveat: I'm not sure how they would fare in overly muddy conditions. The tread isn't overly deep. Still, as mentioned above, it's more than adequate.

cheers

These sick (in a good way) shoes get so much attention!!! I love it!!! They are bright and loud. There is no in between you either love them or hate them as far as the color goes. The shoe is comfortable and offer a hidden lacing system. If you throw away the box they come in you will never know about it. Either way they are laced though it is a nice shoe. Great support where i need it. The sizing is really different due to it being a Euro size chart. I wear a size 11.5 in US size and ordered a 45.5 in the Euro size and they fit perfect.

If you are a light person looking for a lightweight trail shoe, this may be a good bet.

Bigger people should stay away. It feels a bit like running in grocery store flip-flops - every rock and root is felt underfoot.

Additionally, they are sized a little small. I lost a toenail on my first long run in these shoes, and I had bought them a half size big. This is the first pair of running shoes I've had that I've considered returning.

I was super excited to get these, since I prefer low profile trainer/racer style shoes. They soon arrived. I followed the jacked up lacing system, and realized that these shoes were no match for my normal volume instep. WTF? La Sportiva knows their stuff when it comes to hiking and climbing shoes. Do they think everyone boasts a tiny Italian climber frame? You know, guys- There are trail runners out there larger than 140 lb that still prefer a racer. The tongue wouldn't even cover the top of my foot.
No, I don't have large/wide feet. Bummed.

I bought this shoe for running on the road and for some trail running, this shoe is great, it's lightweight and fits my foot well. However, this shoe doesn't provide much support for the ankle. A great shoe if you just want a lightweight running shoe, but if you need some support, I'd say keep looking.

Slick Rock, Sand, Washes, Dirt, Gravel, Tuft, Cinders and one trip to the grocery store, these babies go anywhere. Unbelievably light, feels like running barefoot. Sole and footbed conform to rocks, roots and anything else you step on, feels like your gripping the earth. My feet are on the wide side and bent, but still shoes fit really well. And, as a plus, break in time was minimal, not a blister insight on the first run. One pinch point for me, on my left foot just above the attachment of the achilles tendon to the heel, but goes away after awhile.
Drawback – color-red and yellow look hot on the trail but really bad with black socks in the grocery store.