La Sportiva - Bushido III

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.

YES. but. The new version the IIIs are falling apart waaaaayyyy sooner. I have holes in the sides after 100 miles, vs 2-300.

Btw I have been a lover of Hoka Speedgoat for several years. I use a GTX mid version & use it for mostly trail running in ❄️ winter time. I use the La Sportiva Bushido outside of winter. * hiking boots vs trail runners https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouverhiking/comments/1ltydv7/hiking_boots_vs_trail_runners/ * What shoes do you swear by? https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouverhiking/comments/o77olh/what_shoes_do_you_swear_by/

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

If you're only hiking a handful of times a year, and your current boots get the job done, I'd say stick with what you got. Hard to say it's worth the money for you. The main benefits of trail runners are lightness and ventilation. My non gtx runners can be submerged in a river and be mostly dry in minutes. I believe your boots are already pretty light, so I don't think you'll notice much difference in terms of weight unless you're really pushing long distances. Even then, I personally don't notice a huge difference between my la sportiva bushido 3 shoes and ultra raptor 2 boots. I think there's a 3-4 oz difference on each foot, and there definitely is a non zero difference, but not Earth shattering.

i favor la sportiva - trail runners designed not to be too heavy on your feet & soles have the best traction - often on sale and last a long time. bushido comes in all black and wildcat is plain gray. Second someone’s comment about skipping goretex, it is more expensive & doesn’t breathe, which makes your feet sweat, i.e. defeats the purpose & puts you at risk of getting blisters. When the weather is so bad you’ll basically have to go wading, stick your socked foot into a thin plastic shopping bag/the free shower cap provided at hotels, put on your shoes, then stuff shoes with newspaper when you’re not wearing them to quickly dry them out afterward. The too-trendy Hoka/fat sole might attract “here’s an out-of-towner” attention when traveling & could even cause you to trip up on lil stairsteps.

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).

Same with the bushidos 🤙