Prodigio 2

La sportiva pordigio 2 Thank me later

Prodigio 2. Wider and more accomodating than the OG Prodigio or the Max. I would say the Pro if you were only running in it, but I wouldn't choose it for backpacking.

I can share some of my experience. I'm a woman who generally needs men's sizes in order to get enough width in the midfoot specifically. I can identify with your experience of feeling like the medial side of your foot is hanging off the inside of the shoe. Topos were the first shoes I found that worked. I never wore the Ultraventure, though- I was a MTN Racer fan. I ended up largely getting away from them for trail running because although the midfoot is perfect the toe box is actually too wide for me. Another one I'd consider is the La Sportiva Prodigio 2. Not a brand that's generally known for width, however, this version of this shoe is built on a much roomier platform than any of their previous offerings imo. I have a pair in my usual men's size and I actually think I'd be better off in women's because they're actually a bit much in terms of volume through the midfoot. If you can find somewhere to try them on it could absolutely be worth it. I've always had ok luck with New Balance road shoes when it comes to midfoot width, however, a) I'm not familiar enough with their trail line to know if this translates, and b) their road shoes always feel great for the first couple hundred km and then the foam seems to compress medially (I assume due to my pronation) which makes them uncomfortable. Good luck!

I'm very excited for the Prodigio 2. I thought the original was great, but it did have a couple of things I'd have changed (toebox shape and width, heel cup) and it sounds like they've changed those things. I think they're going to be an awesome all-purpose shoe.

They fixed that ankle collar situation with the Prodigio 2, FWIW (yay!) but they're also a bit wider, and OP says they have narrow feet, so not sure how that would go...

Prodigio 2 for an all-rounder or Prodigio Pro for something a bit more racey.

The 2 is way more accommodating, so I wouldn't count it out, that is, if you're still looking when your shop gets it back in stock. Very different fit through the toebox and midfoot than the 1.

The Pro uses a stickier, softer rubber compound and it would be a waste to grind it down on asphalt. The 2 would be a fine shoe for this purpose. You'll still see more wear on the outsole than if you used them exclusively on trails, but it's a fairly durable rubber and it'll be better than some.

Look at the La Sportiva Prodigio 2. Significantly higher volume than the first iteration. Great all rounder.

Consider the La Sportiva Prodigio or Prodigio Pro. I've gone up to 85k in the regular Prodigio and could have gone farther; I wore the Pro for a 100M this year and they did well. The regular Prodigio will probably be more similar to what you're already wearing. Both have good energy return but the Pro foam feels much "faster". Of course, none of this matters if they don't fit you well, so you have to try them on.

You have to try them on. All the ones you listed fit differently. The Prodigio is a great shoe and you may be able to find it on sale right now. Most people need 1/2 to a full size up from their usual.

La Sportiva. Multiple ≤100ks in the regular Prodigio, 100 M in the Pro, next one will be in the Max. So much depends on fit though. What works for others may not work for you.

I ran a 100M in my Pro Pros and they were great. The only caveat with them is that if your feet swell a lot, you can only loosen them so much because of the integrated bootie construction. For my next 100 I'd choose the Max simply because of that. I've run up to 50M, and the last 40k of a 100k, in the regular Prodigio and I thought they were plenty for that distance and my feet felt great. Of course, everyone's different. They handle mud better than you'd think (and I live in an area with heavy clay mud for much of the year) but of course they won't dig in quite as much as, like, a Mudclaw. For any of the Prodigio line (or La Sportiva in general) you'll want to size up 1/2 to a full size from your usual.

La Sportiva's Prodigio line is excellent. If you need a similar toebox shape to Altra, look at Topo.

Literally every modern shoe is cushioned enough for 50k on trails. For example I've run 50k in the first gen NNormal Kjerag twice even though I am a bit on the heavier side. It was fine. If you are in PNW, I highly recommend more recent La Sportiva shoes such as Prodigio Pro, Prodigio Max, and Prodigio 2. Also Mount To Coast T1. Also consider Salomon S/lab Genesis. All of these work great on PNW trails.

They are very different shoes. I tried both, the standard feels more like a: asics trabuco 10, tradicional salomon, etc. The pro is more “modern and race style”. I had the SG5 and replace them with a nbhierro9, and the the prodigio pro is more on that veins

Oh man Catamounts were horrrrrendous for me. I used to run and hike in Cascadia 8s or 9s so when I found them on a good sale I decided to give the Catamounts a try for getting back into trail running after many years off. I could barely walk let alone run a mile and a half without getting the worst shin splints I've ever had. I used to always wear La Sportiva approach shoes for climbing so gave the Prodigios (regular, not Pro) a try and they've been amazing. To OPs question on other gear - no name Amazon shorts with a built in compression boxer 👌 no chafing and half the price of the name brands. Carefully husbanding my last two Arc'teryx Velox tees though - still to this day the best hot weather running/hiking/MTBing shirt out there imo and mine are definitely getting a bit threadbare after the 12 years or whatever I've had them. I hope when they give up the ghost I can find something else with a similar ultralight dotted/pucker weave.

The Prodigios are a great daily trainer and general use trail shoe, however the awesome grip does come at the cost of sole wear. If you log a lot of asphalt miles (or have a lot of granite or other coarse rock on your trails) they will get beat up. My current pair have 265 miles on them (approx 2/3 trail, 1/3 gravel and asphalt) and I would say have worn through 75-80% of the tread depth. I'm guessing I'll get ~325 miles, 350 max, out of them (babying them the rest of the way). When I start breaking in my new pair I plan to reserve them for trails only and switch to a pair of mount to coast H1s for my daily door to trail training runs (or even my road shoes once the trails dry out a bit). I really really wanted to upgrade to the Prodigio pros for my new pair (love the integrated gaiter and the midfoot/ankle felt even more secure than the regulars) but unfortunately the toebox was slightly lower volume putting pressure on my big toe nail. Even just having them on for 10 minutes I could tell it was a recipe for losing toenails so I had to return them.

No, they're good performance-wise for rocky terrain, just the sticky rubber will wear more quickly, especially on coarse rock like granite.

I have a pair of Prodigio low shoes. One is the most comfortable shoes I have worn. Breathable yet great in water, nitrogen infused foam is highly shock absorbent and not at all squishy, with great traction. These are primarily trail shoes. I am a heel striking supinator and the shoes fit like a glove and are light, neutral yet supportive and the uppers are durable. My only regret is that the outsole wears out rather quickly if you plan on walking on pavement for a long time.

I have had similar experiences with the Prodigio. Great fitting, very good cushioning while not being sloppy, and much stronger than they appear. My only regret is that if you walk a lot of kilometers in the street, the outsole which is designed for trails, is not durable. The shoes are so comfortable that I wish I could wear them for the streets. I guess I could with the expectation of replacing them more frequently. I really like the feel of the nitrogen infused mid sole.

They have an authorized distributor and re-soling shop in Chonburi but they don't respond to emails. Poor service. I wrote to Italy letting them know their distributor customer service sucks but they didn't get involved.

I wouldn't trust them. I no longer wear Solomon shoes since they were acquired. I find the quality is poor. I would recommend La Sportiva for comfort. If you want a quality product made in China try the Kailas Fuga Ex series. I have a pair of the EX3s and have worn them on numerous hikes. Some of the hikes were very steep on slippery mud in tropical jungle . The traction is great. On rocks and hard trails they are light, highly protective, and dry relatively quickly. The fit is similar to Solomon's but the quality is another level. I can't speak for others but my experience had been that they are excellent. P.S I still love my La Sportiva Prodigios but the Kailas are tougher and weigh only slightly more.

I have used Zamberlain, Solomon Ultras, La Sportiva Prodigios, Arc'teryx Norvan, Topo Ultraventure, Altra Lone Peak, and I am currently using Kailas Fuga EX. Zamberlain - sole delaminated La Sportiva Prodigios - most comfortable yet not durable Solomon Ultras - too hot, heavy, fit was bit sloppy. Decent traction Topo Ultraventure - good toe box but not durable Altra Lone Peak - not for me Kailas Fuga EX - Best Grip, most durable, one of the lightest, took a bit of break-in and is now very comfortable (La Sportiva still is most comfortable), great on mud yet durable on pavement, runs narrow but they have a wide model with plenty of room. https://preview.redd.it/6l8apbqae0gg1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3631376751409ad88a8d3d4b91bc11f1133c8e6 sum of the attributes make it my current favorite I am a westerner living in Asia so availability may matter depending on your location. Most use cases are softer trails or mud with roots. Some pavement. Have used them in Southeast Asia and Nepal.

I tried the non-max versions at REI the other day. They aren’t as crazy narrow as some LS models, but were still a bit too snug for me — ended up grabbing the Bushido III wide. One consideration is what sort of routes he’ll be on. Something with a big stack of cushioning could be good for cranking out miles on maintained trails, but may lack stability and ground feel for scrambling.