La Sportiva - Bushido Series

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.

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 🤙

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.