La Sportiva - Bushido II Mountain Running® Shoe

La Sportiva Bushido are great for narrow feet.  I highly recommend you don't do 15 km for your first trail run. Let your joints get used to the uneven terrain. Build up slow.

La Sportiva Bushido are among the most durable trail runners. What did you do to them?

I have the II's, not the latest one, and it's built like a tank. You can probably still get them on clearance.

I don't think anyone else thinks Saucony Peregrines have "a decent amount of cushioning." Most people would never run an ultra in them for that reason (though I did, just a 50k). I have a bad ankle but my issue is rolling outwards. Saucony Peregrines feel good and secure for me as long as I do heel lock (which I do on all shoes) and tighten the laces. I feel comfortable bombing down hills in them.

Those are my exact two pair of trail shoes, pairs I bought specifically because I don't like cushioning. Not much out there other than barefoot shoes are as low stack as Bushidos. Peregrines DON'T have "a decent amount of cushion." Bushidos just have even less.

I agree with all of this. Bushidos are so reliable and great, but they don't fit everyone.

The two trail runners I really like are La Sportiva Bushido 2 (except they're slightly too narrow for my toes so I can't only wear the thinnest socks and I had to stop using them for longer runs), and Saucony Peregrines (except they're a little shorter than expected so I had to size up another 0.5 compared to my road Saucony). They're both firm, lower cushioning, lower stack (6 and 4 mm) with good traction. Peregrines are infamously not durable so I wouldn't wear them all around town, just for hiking and trail rubbing, but they're very comfortable. Personally I wore them for my ultra.

I have owned 3 pairs of Salomon XT-6’s and I find them to be incredibly comfortable but somewhat lacking in durability. Again I’m on my third pair so for me the pros greatly outweigh the cons but they’re not my go to trail runner. If you’re looking for something else at an even better price point I’d recommend the La Sportiva Bushido II. They’re my favorite pair of trail runners I’ve tried.

La Sportiva Bushido. Excellent for rough terrain running (including grippy on wet granite slab), minimalist heel (6mm), and sufficient suspension.

Same. I liked the Bushido II more but I'm still happy with the III. La Sportiva Bushido is a slightly heavier shoe but the additional traction and stability is incredible for running in rugged/wet/scrambly terrain.

I'm glad Bushidos are so high up in the comments as that's what they're built for. Fit is most important, of course. But if they fit, these are incredible for scrambling on slab and scree.

La Sportiva is known for having a narrow heel. Check out the Bushido if you want something that doubles for hikes and technical fastpacking. It's a more nimble and technical shoe than the Prodigio. What it lacks in cushioning it gains in control on the trail, which matters more when hiking.

La Sportiva Bushido is preferable to Prodigio for technical, rocky terrain.

I backpack in my La Sportiva Bushido II’s and if I’m crossing a bigger creek I just take them off and throw on my Chacos. My Chacos double as my campsite shoes.

Altra Lone Peaks for wide fit and rock plate. La Sportiva Bushido II grips wet rock best. Skip waterproof, just get mesh and let them dry. Half size up helps on descents. Gaiters only worth it if trails are super dusty.

Interesting, I got holes in the sides of my IIs fairly quickly, but I got them a bit too small. Sized up half a size for my IIIs, have used them for about 70 miles so far, no issues yet (though I haven't been into the mountains with them yet, mostly dirt/gravel terrain closer to home)

Perhaps Bushido 2 then add insole cushioning for longer days.

I don’t run but I will say bishido 2 is my favorite light weight technical hiking shoe I’ve ever put my foot into. Just did a 15 mile hike with 3,200ft of elevation the other day to end a 45 mile hiking week with them. I also hike with 30-35lb in my pack every time. I’ve been nothing but happy with them, but can’t speak to the Bushido 3’s. Get them from rei with the one year return policy as a member and just return if you don’t like them. Not a direct answer but take this info for what you will.

I have la sportiva bushido ii's that I got off a sale rack from REI in 2021...I have never particularly loved them but they've finally gotten super comfortable in the last year or so (now that they're visibly wearing out, both with holes in the upper and the lugs wearing down).... I'm loathe to replace them though!

Bushido for the rock plate.

La Sportiva Bushido, I prefer the II, it’s discontinued but you can find them if you look well. The III are ok but are less durable. Love those and can do a lot of distance before they are unusable.

I have both La Sportiva Bushido 2s and Altra Lone Peaks and have used both throughout the Whites. I’ll generally choose La Sportivas for better protection or grip, Lone Peaks for comfort. You can get away with Altras on those boulder fields but I choose not to.

Thirding this. Generally you wanna keep trail shoes on trails. That said, there are some trail shoes that imo can last up to 1k miles, so you may want to consider those. I’d recommend: bushido 2 (if you can find it in a chill colorway that doesn’t scream trail shoe) Peregrines (same as above) These can both run pretty narrow just as an fyi

Mike Zegama 2 are amazing all around shoe. VJ MAXx and LaSportiva Bushido 2 are great if u have a narrow foot.

I like the Prodigio (regular) for long runs but not in steep terrain because the collar starts to bite into my ankle. Prodigio Pros look like a different collar design though. I wear Bushidos for techy and shorter runs. Curious to hear thoughts on this as well!

Bushidos are my hiking, scrambling, techy trail, and shorter (10k ish but will go more) trail runners. I find them very comfy even though they seem built like a tank. Great mountain shoe.

I have done 30k of a mix of off trail and on with scrambling with 4k ft gain and >7k ft decent in a day on them and they seemed to do fine. That was mostly more hiking speed other than some jogging when I could. I could’ve been more comfortable at the end of the day but then again I loved the stability when I was in the scrambling parts. If I did that again, that would be the shoe I chose again. I am seriously considering them for a 28k mountain running race in the fall that has almost 8k ft of vert because of how technical the trail gets. I may also look at La Sportiva Prodigio Pro for that race because I like the normal Prodigio for longer runs (but not technical or too steep because of the upper). Normally if I doing those types of distances, I am doing more hiking than running, so the Bushidos seem great for that. The race will be a long one for me. If I was running that long, I may want something with more cushion, but I am old now! 🤣 I feel like for hiking, the Bushidos would still be my go to for now.

They are wider and have more room so they feel a little bigger. Not as snug as Bushidos (I have same size in both). That seems to be a good thing for longer runs though. I have a narrow foot so La Sportiva works well for me. They are also pretty light and well padded - run great. The only downside I see is the uppers are kind of hard plastic and it digs into my ankles on steeper grades. Love them for longer runs as long as the grade is not too steep because of that. I am looking into the Prodigio Pros for that one reason - the uppers look different. Hope that helps!

Yes. Bushidos are the most durable trail runners, that are actually good to run in, I have had and fit my narrow foot perfectly. I have II not III though, if much has changed. Tough to beat. I did have some old Salomon XA Pros that were pretty durable too but I didn’t think they were great to run in - seemed more like hikers.

I’ve been a fan of the La Sportiva Bushido 2’s. Ive raced some 20 milers in them and also scramble 4th (and some low 5th) class, never had an issue with traction. My only gripe now is that after getting more into distance road running, the toebox feels a bit narrow (although not as bad as salomon)

As others said these are two very different shoes. Bushido is low stack and narrow, but good for really technical terrain, including scrambling. Prodigio Pro is much higher stack and more unstable because of that, and much wider, to the point that it is too wide for me. The ride is nice and energetic, however I think it is best used on runnable terrain. I really enjoyed running rocky dirt roads in it where it swallowed rocks very nicely. I'd have to be far more cautious running in Bushidos on the same terrain. I also really like regular Prodigio, that is perhaps closer to Bushido than Prodigio Pro, and it fits me a bit better.

Here is my excessive collection of trail running shoes - all of them still have some usable mileage, although a number of shoes are nearing retirement Salomon * S/lab Ultra 3 * 2x S/lab Genesis * 2x S/lab Pulsar * S/lab Pulsar 2 SG La Sportiva * 2x Prodigio * Kaptiva * Bushido 2 * Mutant * Akasha NNormal * 2x Kjerag Dynafit * Ultra 100 * 2x Alpine * Feline SL Hoka * Zinal * Speedgoat 5 Also have 3 pairs of road shoes Note: obviously I didn't buy these all at once. Many of these are several years old.

I've done some scrambling wearing La Sportivas - both Mutant and Bushido. That included some alpine climbing such as Mount Stuart in Washington state. In general I prefer Mutant as Bushido is a bit too narrow. Also, Vibram Megagrip outsoles have very good grip on rock, including wet rock. I wonder why a post like this gets downvoted. It is perfectly appropriate for this subreddit, much better than many other posts.

I have fat, hobbit-esque feet, and have found La Sportiva and Altra both have good shoes. Altra are frankly road/smooth trail biased, while Sportiva tend to be good on more technical terrain. For hybrid stuff I'll do Altra Lone Peaks, and have a buddy that really love their Timp and Olympus. I run my ultras in Bushidos (which I'll probably change soon), but LS has a bunch of "Mountain Running" shoes in their lineup.

Frustratingly, yes. I burned through a set of Bushido II's in about 3 months, bought a set of Bushido III's and found that they were wearing down fast, so bought the last two pairs of Bushido II's Sierra here in the US had. I did R3 here in the US with the II's, and I find they're sorta the perfect shoe for terrain that might range from packed singletrack to Class 3+ scrambles. They are not good for southwestern canyons or sandstone - the mesh on the sides and top gets abraded pretty easily. And when these shoes get wet, you will get an unmistakable wet dog smell as they're drying. I will say, they're what I would call a 10-mile shoe unless you're okay beating up your feet a bit. The tradeoff is really excellent ground feel and precision in exchange for less padding. The next step up - if it's sandstone, Class 5, or requires chimneying/stemming, TX3s or TX4's.

Frustratingly, yes. I burned through a set of Bushido II's in about 3 months, bought a set of Bushido III's and found that they were wearing down fast, so bought the last two pairs of Bushido II's Sierra here in the US had. I did R3 here in the US with the II's, and I find they're sorta the perfect shoe for terrain that might range from packed singletrack to Class 3+ scrambles. They are not good for southwestern canyons or sandstone - the mesh on the sides and top gets abraded pretty easily. And when these shoes get wet, you will get an unmistakable wet dog smell as they're drying. I will say, they're what I would call a 10-mile shoe unless you're okay beating up your feet a bit. The tradeoff is really excellent ground feel and precision in exchange for less padding. The next step up - if it's sandstone, Class 5, or requires chimneying/stemming, TX3s or TX4's.

I like Altra and La Sportiva brands. Altra's shoes tend to have a wider toe box, making them more comfortable for those with wider feet. Both brands have waterproof options. I primarily hike in La Sportiva's Bushido II trail runners, which are more suitable for narrow feet.

I only use boots if I need crampons. Scree, talus, bouldering is sooooo much better with the right trail runners. They are stickier and give you better feel for the rock. You are more nimble and quick to react. I’ve done thru hikes and off trail high routes in trail runners. I sometimes use running gaitors. The only real protection boots give is if shifting rocks hit your ankles. They don’t prevent you from rolling an ankle. I like La Sportiva Bushidos, which have a relatively stiff sole and a good rock plate. Not all trail runners have a rock plate.

La Sportiva Bushidos fit your description. They run narrow but if you like Salomon and Arcteryx they will fit similar.

These are the only shoes I've ever repurchased after the first pair wore out. The fit is amazing for someone with a narrow foot. No heel slippage ever and love the way they hug your feet.

La Sportiva mountain runners are great. My favorite right now is the Akasha II's. Trail runners with rubber I'll trust on low 5th terrain. I even soloed a pitch of 5.6 in them recently. Bushidos are also great, cheap, but a little more minimal. That being said I used them for a long time. If you need high top shoes they have a couple high top trail runners with the same rubber. Unfortunately though, features don't matter if it don't fit so try them on

I hike in La Sportiva Bushido's and love them. Needed something with really sticky soles because the trails around here often require a few Class III moves to get up to a peak. But they run narrow. Friend of mine hikes in Hoka Speedgoats and they are great on groomed trails, but for bushwhacking off trail not so much.

I'm a trail runner turned full time hiker. The past 10+ years I've been partial to Solomon Speedcrosses, XA Pros and La Sportiva Bushidos. The terrain in Arizona tears up shoes and I can get about 4-500 miles a pair. Once I've found a pair that I like, I pay attention to close out deals and can often find $140 shoes for $80-$90. Especially if they are an ugly color. Then I'll stock up and buy 2-3 pair to last me the next year.

You are right, they are a bit wider in the forefoot, which generally suits me well for longer distances.  La Sportiva's Prodigio range also got wider compared to their other models. I like the precise fit of the Bushidos and their mountaineering boots though for their intended purpose.

Gravel is a tricky surface, I agree. It probably depends on the the percentage of a certain terrain in a run that I choose the shoes. Generally, for steep grass I like Mudtalons with 8mm lugs, for snow the Genesis and for barely runnable rocks Bushidos. But then again, there is always a trade-off, since a run is usually composed of different surfaces. As an allrounder in alpine environment, I often go for Dynafit, Prodigio or Ribelle Run. YMMY. (And yes: I might have too many shoes).

I loved the Jackal 1 (haven’t tried the newer model but it looks great) and currently am in the Mutants for seriously rocky/bouldering/loose gravel and they’re like I have gecko feet on lol. I did have an issue with the Bushidos however; the middle of the sole doesn’t have any grip on the bottom, literally just a plastic plate with branding on it. I found myself slipping on rocks right jn that section of the sole which led to some of my biggest spills.

I find the higher the stack leads to more rolling ankles. Shoes that have not worked for me: Brooks Cascadia, New Balance Hierro Shoes that have worked for me: La Sportiva Bushido, Topo Terraventure. Also would like to find a more cushioned shoe but they have been directly correlated to rolled ankles for me and I'm sick of spending money on shoes for now. I'll see how far I can go in the Bushidos, I did a 50 miler in them and it was good, although I was definitely hurting at the end!! The more you do the more you adapt though!

For technical terrain you probably want La Sportiva if you don’t have wide feet. Bushidos or mutants are the usual recs. Note that a shoe that is good for difficult terrain won’t be as comfortable for long miles, and vice versa so there’s a trade off there. If you aren’t actually running consider approach shoes too. They’re much better for climbing.

I did so much research on this subject last year before landing on the la sportiva jackal. IMO the bushido are too soft for serious scrambling. I also used scarpa ribelle run xt’s, which I liked, but did not fit my foot correctly. Scarpa also makes an approach/ runner, but from what I’ve been told, they aren’t great to run in.  I listened to a podcast recently where the guy was talking about how great norda is for scrambling due to the dynema upper. If I could try them on and they weren’t so expensive, I would probably go that route. The biggest downside to scrambling in running shoes is the mesh when you are jamming. I’ve climbed up to low fifth class in my jackals for what it’s worth.

I find Bushidos really comfortable and ran a 50 miler in them one time, but acknowledge that my feet are exactly a La Sportiva fit and their shoes are often wildly narrow for other people. In terms of comparison to TX4s, they are lighter, less stiff, and slightly more cushioned. I think they are more comfortable than TX4s for hiking long distances, and I’ve climbed up to around 5.4/5.5 in them, though of course without climbing rubber, they’re not as secure as approach shoes on rock. If Bushidos are comfortable on your feet, I’d recommend them. Sure, maybe don’t run a 100 in them, but for hiking or running techy trails, and the occasional scramble, they’re a great little shoe.

Bushidos are designed for techy, mountainous running, and I believe excel at what they are designed to do. They are not as “comfortable” as something like a Hoka, because they are meant to have a close, precise fit, so they just don’t pack as much midsole foam as other, more cushioned shoes. However, I find that the precision feels more comfortable on technical terrain. I would absolutely wear mine for distances up to 30km. And given the choice, I’ll always prefer a running shoe over an approach shoe if I’m going to be running, or even hiking long distances. TX4s are great approach shoes and are nice for approach hikes, easy climbing, etc. but can be heavy and feel a little clumsy for running, in my experience.

If the shoe fit is good, you should definitely be good for longer than a few kilometers :) The rock plate helps mitigate a lot of foot discomfort and fatigue on rocky stuff, and if you’re used to hiking in TX4s, which also don’t have a cushy midsole, I feel like the Bushidos will feel light and fun and comfy for you.

Another + for the Bushidos. Im on my 14th or 15th pair now, and I swear by them. Ive used them up to low class 5 climbing and for thousands of miles of hiking (4 thru hikes so far). I just took my most recent pair over the north cleaver route on Mt Adams, and they already had 600mi on them. Still grippy and good for the whole traverse, though they did end up in the trash after.

I heart my La Sportiva Bushidos, which are the nimbler little brother to the mutants. They’re stickier and have a lower profile/drop so I like them better for scrambles on dry desert terrain and talus. I posted a few weeks ago that you can absolutely tell they were engineered by rock climbers, which is a compliment. I’ve raced half marathons in them and hiked 20 miles in them. But I’m seriously considering getting the Mutants for longer distances. Obviously the answer is to get both. (My feet are on the narrow side but I also wear road running shoes with a wide toe box and zero drop and find the Bushidos comfy.)

Sooooo, my hot take is that I have an utterly different trail shoe. I love my Atmos for long distance on pavement. But on the trail I don’t need the squish the Atmos gives me because that’s being provided by the ground. I wore them once accidentally in a race and it felt awful. Squish on squish, total loss of proprioception. But I come from a more minimalist background so getting the Atmos was a big shift for me. I wear La Sportiva Bushidos and they’re perfect for my foot shape. (Narrow-ish, medium-high arches, neutral/hypermobile ankles, wide toe splay.) Lots of ground feel, incredible traction for the chossy desert terrain I’m usually on. Not officially a wide toe box shoe but they still work well for me. 6 mm drop and basically no rocker. I tried all the things the running shop had that were analogous to Atmos and hated all of them for various reasons. I suspect most people will think I’m bananas for running in such different shoes but it keeps my feet adapted to a lot of scenarios. I generally wear barefoot style shoes in everyday life (I can actually be barefoot at work most of the time). This is a useful video. https://youtu.be/-kBiOYTu0Rk?si=3VueMVjQNvuIltwS

I never liked the Bushido, but have run in the Akasha and Mutant a fair amount. The Prodigio Pro fits my foot a lot like the Mutant but with a much more responsive midsole and more forefoot room. The Prodigio Pro isn't an evolution of any existing LaSpo shoe, though -- it's a much bigger forward leap. Responsive, sticky like the Mutant, nimble, and far more stable in the heel than the Akasha. Would I scramble low 5th Class in the Prodigio Pro like I do in the Mutant? Probably not on purpose... But long runs are a dream in them.

La Sport Bushido. The mutants are supposedly more comfy for longer days but I've done multiple 12+ hour consecutive days in the Bushido with no issue. Also backpacked in them.

+1 for the Bushidos, they fit my foot perfectly and I’ve used them on approaches with great success. The only trouble I’ve found with them is if you’re putting a ton of miles on they don’t offer as much cushioning as other shoes do. But highly recommend still!

My personal rec is La Sportiva Bushido. I play a couple times a week and got 3 years out of my first pair, 1 year so far on the second. I only wear them for DG.

I did have a pair of bushidos and loved them for the balance between trail and grip for scrambling but unfortunately they were intolerably narrow for me. I did see they have a wide version out now so maybe I’ll have to give that a try

I was kind of hoping to get a reply out of you, since your content is what inspired a lot of my objectives + I’d noticed you like to wear cruxes! Since making this post I’ve realized the scarpa ribelle run 2’s have been slightly widened in the forefoot so I might have to give that a shot, but you’ve definitely got me curious about the cruxes especially if you can last all day in them. In terms of my ability I’d say im a climber first and a hiker second, so Im just not sure if I should lean into my strengths (crux) or boost my weaker side with my shoe choice (trail runners), basically. Will have to look into the acrux/aerios. As an aside, Robie Reid confused me as I see a lot of trip reports in the 21-27km range!

I absolutely love my bushido for shorter and technical runs Surprised you basically recommend everyone stop running in them

I really like my La sportiva bushido But I would say especially on trail, there is no best shoe. It entirely depends on conditions. I live in a mountain valley in the west coast. I get everything from nice semi-groomed forest floor dirt tracks to rooty rocky messes to slab after slab of rock to ascend and descend Add in some winter rain and the nicest trail can become the most treacherous with deep mud

>... false sense of security so you roll/sprain your ankle worse. This was very true for me :) In my country the "old hiking rule" was that you always need high boots for mountains because they would protect your ankles. But it turns out that with high boots I had a false sense of security and was thus less careful when descending and consequently often twisted my ankle. The high shoe maybe helped a bit and prevented a harder sprain but it still hurt. I then switched to trail runners and I can see that I now walk way more carefully and have a way more precise foot placement than before. Consequently I haven't twisted my ankle ever since the switch. However it must be said that not all trail runners are equal in terms of stability and ground feel... La Sportiva Bushido which I have now are awesome but some Nike trail runners I had in the past were very bad and unstable.

Nnormal Kjerag and La Sportiva Bushido are perfect for this.

You can really use any trail shoe that's not a super shoe for that. No need for something heavily cushioned for that distance (as opposed to ultra's).I would probably wear Saucony Peregrine or La Spotiva Bushido for that if it was more technical. Hoka Challengers if it was more rail to trails like.

salomon speed cross: unmatched traction and high cushion, not super stable though saucony peregrine: great grip with deep lugs similar to the speecross, not as cushioned but more stable hoka speedgoats: good balance of stability, traction, and cushion, but if you’re running consistently on sharp rocky terrain they are gonna fall apart. their foam is notoriously easy to break down and tear altra experience wild: great cushion and stability, tread isn’t as aggressive but still grips on a wide range of surfaces, doesn’t run quite as wide as some other altras which may be a good thing for you to get a more secure fit la sportiva bushido ii/iii: my personal fav of the shoes mentioned, universally grippy on all surfaces, best lateral stability and rigid support, cushion is a bit lacking but not the worst

Literally got to this post bc La Sportiva ruined the Bushido's with their new model. Don't running shoe companies and hedge fund bros realize they'd make more money by carrying the same perfect models that die hard fans love and just charging more i/o making worse products that have us move to another brand? I never ran in La Sportiva's until losing my old favorite Saucony, Altra, Hoka and Adidas brought me to them.

Topo Terraventure 4 La Sportiva Bushido. Actually, I think a lot of La Sportiva would fit the bill, if you have a narrow foot.

Sportiva Bushidos are the only show I wear hiking and have done low class 5 scrambles in. They’re a narrow fit but if they work they’repretty awesome 

La Sportiva Bushidos have good grip and low stack. Also popular for both running and hiking.

Lower stack height will make all the difference. Good outsole also important of course. Hokas are made for going slow or groomed trails. Saucony peregrines are great or la sportiva bushidos are another decent option if your feet arent too wide.

Bushidos are a good choice. It might take you a bit of time to get used to the lower stack height if you're used to a more maximal shoe. Consider the Prodigio. More cushion, but not enough to get in the way or lose precision. Outsole is a combo of Frixion Red and Megagrip so it's nice and sticky.

The lug pattern matters just as much as the outsole material. For example, the Bushido is likely going to be a better rock shoe than the Cyklon just because of the outsole design. For rock, especially wet rock, you want large lugs with lots of surface area. Look at the outsole of an approach shoe vs a mud shoe like the Speedcross for example.

LS Prodigio, Merrell Agility Peak and Topo MTN Racer as my go-tos. LS Bushido for techy shorter stuff. Saucony Peregrine ST for mud. Old pair of Cascadias with screws for the snow and ice.

Why this shoe and not a trail shoe? Why sacrifice traction? I'm not sure what you'd be getting from this shoe that a trail shoe wouldn't do better in a mountain race. Look at the La Sportiva Bushido. Low stack, excellent traction on most surfaces, including rock. You may need the wide if you're used to Altras. Look at the Merrell Skyfire as well. Inov-8 also makes several lower-stack options that are high-quality.

Been a big fan of the La Sportiva Bushido for the past couple of years. It's a trail running shoe but I've found it plenty supportive for big elevation days while remaining light weight and coming in wide options as well. Hiked Mt. Washington in them last week and was never wishing for a burlier footwear option for the day.

I have very narrow feet and run very rocky trails out west and like La Sportiva Bushido. They protect my feet from the pain of (literally) hard terrain but give me great traction on scree and slick stuff. When I lived on the east coast I liked Brooks Cascadia, but had to ditch them when I moved here. Absolutely would not recommend La Sportiva for wide feet

The official shoe of the Sierra High Route is the La Sportiva Bushido.

The durability of the upper is nice but I find the fit in the 001s too sloppy - if I’m edging it tends to twist around my foot. Whereas something like my Bushidos feel like an extension of my foot. I’ll use Nordas scrambling on a multiday backpacking trip, but they aren’t my first choice for a quick scramble. 

Everyday road: Mizuno Wave Inspire Long road/race: Puma Deviate Nitro Light and mixed trails: La Sportiva Kaptiva More technical trails: La Sportiva Bushido Slushy winter misery: Arc’teryx Norvan VT Goretex At my mom’s house when I visit: North Face Endurus Backpacking/fastpacking/looser fit: Norda 001 (two pairs, both at 900ish km) I’d buy everything but the Norvans again. I’ve already got a spare of the Mizunos, Nordas, Pumas and Kaptivas on standby. 

I have narrow feet and hike/ backpack I love my La Sportiva Bushido trail runners. They have a non waterproof and waterproof (called GTX). I also like Oboz.

I agree with this. I've also run 50 plus miles in them, honestly it was pretty painful for the last 5 or 10 miles, it's not the lack of cushioning for me but the way they're stiff and clunky. . . Still, that stiffness makes them work well on talus and 4th/5th class rock. If they fit your for I think 15-20 miles would be fine.

I get pretty good heel lock down, but the one thing I dislike about the LS2 is how the Matryx cuff is kind of stiff and stays open, if I don't wear gaiters it really collects sand and rocks. I had bad heel fit on a couple of la Sportiva shoes and never really found a pair I could wear on long technical runs- the Bushido fit well and it's great for technical running up to 6 or 8 hours, after that it's painful.

Whatever fits your feet well, and fellow Redditors can’t tell you that. For me, it’s either Saucony Peregrine or LaSportiva Bushido, but those might be absolutely wrong for you. Go to a good store with good return policy and try for yourself!

I have Salomon Speedcross and La Sportiva Bushido trail runners I got from Boulder goodwill. Both are great for summer

La sportiva makes great technical shoes for sky running. Differing levels of protection and width. But most all have good sticky vibram rubber. I like the kaptiva and mutant for tech. The bushido is also low sprung and techy. But a little too narrow and low volume for me. I’ve also got some miles on the Nnormal Kjerag 1.0 and they’re impressive as well. Look for lower stack and sticky rubber and then find one that fits your foot…

If you have a narrower foot, la sportiva bushidos are fantastic. Very grippy- did well even in thick mud. Dries in 5-10 mins on a warm day. I’m already on my 2nd pair. For wider feet a lot of people like the altra lone peaks

Approach shoes could be what you're looking for, as they are much more durable. If you liked the Bushidos and Mutants, maybe try the Tx4 (LT). They are resole-able too. I find approach shoes do everything better than low-top hikers. I see your other comment about Tx-guides - those have a special narrow last and fit quite differently than Tx4's. The Tx4's also don't have the sole delam issues that the tx-guides do. Scarpa also makes some hybrid approach-running shoes like the rapid series and ribelle run series.

I guess you just have to pick which downside to have then. From your post you listed pack-out, worn tread, and side blowout as the problems. Approach shoes solve all those problems, which is why I suggested them. Yeah, they do solve those problems with the 360 rand, which creates the draining problem. You can always have multiple pairs and pick / choose based on the water flow of the route and time of year, that's what I do. Just no ideal solution. About mutants with different rubber - I think you should at least look up the Scarpa Rapid or Spin infinity. The rapid is a running shoe with a plastic stiffener and approach shoe rubber. The infinity is more running-y without the plastic thing but the same approach outsole on as well. fwiw about the Tx4 and Tx guide with a "running shoe fit" - these shoes are on totally different lasts and fit very differently. Tx4's are much wider than bushidos. I own all 3 (also bummed about lifespan of the bushido tread). I can't tell if you're saying they're narrow or wide, that's all

I like ultra raptors far more than Bushidos. Lone peaks are the most overrated shoes on the planet.

I have more miles on these shoes than any other single pair of shoes. I have had five pairs of speed goat fives but I can only seem to get 300 miles on those shoes while these have over 500. I will say that 500 is about as much as you can squeeze out of these shoes though, but that’s saying something

Up to 9 models of trail shoe and still looking... La sportiva bushido (500+ mi): great shoe but not enough of a rocker and limited cushion for longer days. Salomon ultra glide (350 mi): great shoe but limited durability of midsole and not stable enough on varied terrain. Hoka speedgoat 5: loved this shoe but can only seem to get 300 mi out of the midsole before I notice significant decline (still brought 5 pairs of these to 300+) Hoka Mafate speed 4 (320+165mi): loved this shoe but a set or two of the eyelits are not reinforced and will eventually rip, and the toebox is too narrow for me and gives blisters on the outside of my big toes. Saucony peregrin 3 (150 mi): like this shoe but long days or steep ascents are too much and the heel counter gives blisters (disclaimer: I have bony heels). I wear this for shorter runs with some tech but not much steep uphill. Saucony xodus 1 (250 mi): like this shoe but doesn’t perform well on technical terrain in terms of stability and outsole-lugs sheered off on first technical downhill. I wear this for non technical trails. Altra lone peak 7 (300+ idk): like this shoe but just for non technical trails, Toe box is too wide to get a full lockdown. I use this shoe for hikes and walks on non technical terrain and it is the shoe i wear more than any other bc it is my daily shoe at work, where i am on my feet a few hours every day. Nnormal tormir 2 (200 mi): like this shoe but the lockdown doesn’t prevent my toes from cramming into the front of the toebox on steep descents. I wear this for technical trails without steep descents. Hoka tecton x2 (12 mi): I have only worn this shoe twice for shorter (6 mi) runs, but it doesn’t seem to have the level of midsole comfort/cushion that would get me past 20 miles. I wear this for workout/faster runs on trails. Hoka tecton x3: bought these for a race because of the upgrades to the midsole and then got injured and couldn’t do the race. Feel amazing on my feet and am excited to try these out when I have an opportunity. My trail shoe rotation is almost complete. But I am still searching for the unicorn: a trail shoe that has a grippy and durable outsole, a lockdown that is a good for technical trails and steep descents, and a midsole that is sufficiently stable, cushioned, and resilient. I like the outsole of the tormir, the midsole feel and durability of the tormir and xodus. And I like the lockdown of the bushido and speedgoat. If only the tormirs had a better lockdown…if only the speedgoat midsole didn’t degrade at 300 miles. Should I try the Nnormal Kjerag? Is there a frankenshoe out there for me? Redditors what say you TLDR: is there such a thing as a trail shoe that has a durable and grippy outsole, durable,stable, and cushioned midsole, and a lockdown for technical trails and steep descents?

Bushido fan here as well. I used to be a Peregrine stan but when they changed the fit 3-4 years ago I could no longer wear them. The Bushido seems similar to the old Peregrine - to me anyway. Grippy, good ground contact, comfortable. And perfect for rocky Colorado trails.

I can't confirm that La sportiva is bad in muddy conditions. It totally depends on the shoe. The bushido is definitively an allrounder that can handle muddy conditions very well. It clogs less than most of my other shoes. I also have the cyklon cross gtx which is a beast in snow and mud. The only shoe on par with it was a Salomon speedcross - but the latter is much worse on all other conditions. However I use the cyklon only in winter.

Everything that is good for scrambling will be "tough" on your feet. For scrambling you want a thin midsole, low stack height and also important - a low profile. I love the bushidos for that and also use them for runs up to marathon length without any problems. I know a few people that use the the Dynafit feline sl for scrambling - that one could be a bit more comfortable

They have a very wide toebox compared to other La sportiva shoes. At least compared to the Bushido and Cyklon, those are the other shoes I have. Around the heel and midfoot they still fit snug.

I was scrambling all week in the Nevada desert in my bushidos this week.

Google will never get you there. And even individual reviews can be biased. You’re gonna have to try them on and see what works for you. “These run narrow” or “these run wide” is BS. It’s all relative to the individual. Sounds like you want a “low” and not a “mid”. And we’re immediately going to rule out Oboz and Keen and Merril. Try Solomon, try Topo, try even a bushido by La Sportiva.