La Sportiva

Trail Ridge Mid Hiking Boot - Men's

Lightweight hiker

Familiarity:

I returned this product before using it

Size Bought:

13

Height:

6' 5"

Weight:

250

These are awesome hiking boot-solid and lightweight! I?m returning because they felt too narrow on my instep. I wish they made them in a wide.

Extreme breathability for thru-hiking

I bought these a few months ago now, and the first thing i think about is just how breathable they are. They are certainly NOT waterproof. If your looking for waterproof look elsewhere. These are more ideally suited to hot humid country.. where it’s mostly dry weather. However, they do dry out extremely fast if you do get them wet. And their light weight… tracktion.. and stability are perfect for hiking the Appalachian Trail etc. At first i was skeptical of the lacing as they didn’t have the higher laces i am used to with a toughened backpacking boot, but realized, they are so light… such lacing in unnecessary anyways. If you replace the insoles with a good ortho set such as superfeet, or sole you will be doubly delighted. As for traction.. they have good mixed terrain traction. Slippery rocks in New England.. the sandy shores of a beach… the wet boulder country. However, i have heard complants in scree country (on certain rock formations and the like), but you cant have it all. As for my complaints.. these boots felt wonderful and light straight out of the box. But they have some drawbacks. For one thing… if you purchase these to do a lot of every day street walking (tarmac), shopping and all of that kind of thing… then the “cleat” type soles will become painful after about three to four miles. Superfeet help this to some extent… so does a short break in period. Also.. i found these to be extremely… tight in the toe box. More so then any other shoe ive ever owned. I kept telling myself “they’ll break in.. you’ll see”… but the toe box doesn’t. Even with the thinnest Darn Tough socks i’ve got these are painful in the toes. And the strangest thing is i can wiggle my toes easily inside the shoe, and they (my toes) seem to be exactly where they should be in the shoe… but when walking uphill, downhill… and even straight on down the road… they are painful in the toes. This was deceptive, because in the photo’s they look like they have a wider toe box. So the cushioning is about standard or better, but between the “cleat” like pattering of the soles.. and the tight toe box, after about four miles my feet are killing me. Overall.. these are well designed boots, perfect for hazy, hot, humid… but dry conditions. However, consider ordering up half a size or a full size depending on sock preferences.

Boot

Amazingly lightweight. Good rubber. Sturdy protection from elements. Pretty cool and stylish. The heel is maybe a little awkward and tall the semi slip on feel makes me feel like I should’ve just bought the low tops. It’s more of a low top with a collar than combat type boot but nevertheless they are awesome I wear them daily

It is an amazing hiking shoe, but ...

It is an amazing hiking shoe, but it does run a little narrow ( i am a 2e width and my small toe was numb during hiking even with thin socks ) I wear 10.5 - 11 shoes, i got 45 in these and i have good room between my toes and the front of the shoe. The outer materials is like a heavy duty felt material with some mesh on the top of the toes ( which had a small tear in it after 3 hikes in the sharp rocky mountains of Arizona ). The toe cap is stiff and helps protect your toes pretty good ! The midsole is a foam like material that gives you a great feeling and comfortable ! Outsole is a super sticky rubber than holds up to sharp rocks, dirt, sand. * Havn't tried it on wet rocks* It will protect the bottom of your feet from sharp rocks. I did around 15 miles total on them so far and i can say my feet felt happy after i was done. The lugs are beefy and strong. Over all i like the shoe but wish it was a little wider ! It is best for day hikes with a light pack. Works amazing on rocks and rough trails !