La Sportiva or Salewa

Joined
Apr 19, 2020
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91
I am heading to unit 74 Colorado this Sept. for an elk hunt (pending draw) and need a good boot. This will be my first mountain experience. We will be packing in and camping at 9000' and hunting up. Pack weight should be around 60-65 lbs. Daily carried pack weight will be sub 20 lbs. I am fortunate to receive a significant discount from both of these companies or I would be considering other brands as well. Should I consider a really stiff or a flexible sole? I am concerned about the toe box width. I normally wear an EE width boot. Unfortunately I do not live in an area where I can try on different boots, and I need to get something soon to start the break in process. What boot do you run from these brands and why?
 

Benjblt

WKR
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Dec 1, 2016
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Western Oregon
I have very limited experience with both of these so take that in to account. As in, I've mostly only read a lot of reviews and tried several different pairs on. I really liked the La Sportiva's. I will say all the boots I've tried on seemed narrow. If you look online it seems that people are dumping them because they bought their US size and they ended up being small and realized this after they used them for a while. I bought the Trango Tech's. I sized up a complete size. I've just started testing it. It's got a less stiff sole and I like that. The only Salewa I've tried on is the Crow. I think the toe box is bigger. I'm not sure the rest of the boot is more narrow or wide. My feet are boarder line wide, by the way. I sized up a full size based on other European brand experience. I think I really only needed to size up a half size. If you are a size 42.5 European I'll make you a scream'n deal by the way. Overall, I think the Salewa fits MY foot the best. It appears to be a really well made boot.

Watch the GoHunt video reviews on Youtube. They review the La Sportiva Trango Tower, which is a good stiff boot. I think a little stiffness is good but most of us go too stiff. My opinion. I think it depends on how much side-hilling and how much rough rocky terrain you end up going through though.
 
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Poser

WKR
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Dec 27, 2013
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Durango CO
La Sportiva has a narrow foot profile when compared to many US made boots. For the most accurate fit, check the Mondo Point measurements and measure your foot appropriately (google “Mondo Point”).

For 74, which is my backyard, you want a full rand that wraps all the way around the boot, otherwise the leather gets trashed. Scree slopes, rock outcroppings, lots of butt scooting using your heels as brakes, kick steps in steep tundra, side hilling for hours on end are all the norm once you get into the 10k+ elevations.
 

HuntCrazy

Lil-Rokslider
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Nov 30, 2013
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153
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Apple Valley, Ca
Never ran La Sportiva .... so I cant say anything on them. I have ran quite a few pairs of Salewa, love there boots however I just cant find a pair to fit me right, its always in the heel as well(?) Just think my heel dont fit right in there boots. Super awesome company as far as QS.
Now I will say I did run Mammut the last year.... Holy shit its my go to right now! I bought another pair for this year!
Good luck! Im a boot junky a bit myself( I just bough a pair of Han-Wags as well, seem to be really nice as of now)
 
Joined
Jul 18, 2019
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^ This is good advice... I used to run in a Sportiva trail shoe and loved it. Hunting pal uses their hiking boots and I think they're built well, but didn't really work with his foot. If you have picky feet you could regret ordering online like he did - good discounts aren't generally returnable too. Definitely a stout boot though and favorable reviews.

I also have a pair of Salewas (I think the Mountain Trainer) and they were by far the most comfortable boot that I've owned out of the box. After doing a high country hunt with them (about 35 miles and packed three bucks off a 3,000 daily climb with my pals), my feet were hurting for a solid week. They probably would've been hurting no matter what, but I wanted to point out that boots that are as comfortable as sneakers could haunt you once you're loaded up heavy and putting in the miles. I'm 6'3" and 200+ lbs with size 11.5 if that means anything.

Another option is to order both pairs from Amazon, wear them around the house, then return them both before chasing down your discount. I've made many bad choices on boots and it'll ruin your hunt if you do it wrong.
 

NoRush24

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 9, 2018
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259
I tried some Salewa repace’s in half size up from my normal shoe size, and they were just a hair narrow all around for me. They felt great but I returned them. Didn’t feel confident enough to waist the money and try to hike in then. Felt like a great boot. I normally wear hanwag Tatra in a full size up and wide. Which is overkill it’s a bit too wide. If that helps at all.
 

b2one

WKR
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Feb 21, 2014
Messages
350
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Snowflake, AZ
I have run La Sportiva, Salewa, Mammut, Scarpa, Meindl, and many others. The advice you have been getting is spot on in my experience. If you are a EE size, I would take La Sportiva off the table - they are a narrow boot. I have a wide forefoot, and the outside of my foot is always aching after about 7 miles if I try to make a narrow boot work. What feels OK on flat ground does not relate to side hilling, off-terrain fit.

The Salewa shoe fits OK - I only have about 70 miles on mine, but so far so good. Mammut is my go-to as well, I have the older Mammok GTX, and they have been great. I am on my 3rd season with them, hunting, ice climbing, spring climbing, etc., but they are on the stiff side.

Meindl is often overlooked. I think they fit a nice sweet spot of being wider in the forefoot, not too stiff in the shank, but will still kick steps and take crampons. The Comfort Fit extreme looks like the closest model to the ones I have used, and is available in a wide.
 

Smokey12

Lil-Rokslider
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May 14, 2019
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I have Salewa crows. I sized up a half size and have a wider forefoot. The toe box is the best i have tried and they give you two different soles one for a wider foot and the other for a narrow foot. They are a stiff boot but they are great so far.
 
OP
E
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Apr 19, 2020
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Thank you for the detailed feed back. Much appreciated.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

Rknight

Lil-Rokslider
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Jan 20, 2018
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Texas
If you’re in east Texas it’s be worth a drive to dfw and go to Scheels and REI and try on a bunch of boots. Then you know what works and can order through your discount site. Also remember that it is expertvoice or one of those sites it can take a while to ship and some of the stores are turned off from corona so give yourself plenty of time for shipping delays

the la sportiva didn’t fit my foot at all and I wouldn’t say I have a wide foot. The Salewa are really comfortable right out of the box, I was surprised how much more I like them and the meindels I’ve had for a couple years
 
OP
E
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I ended up choosing the Salewa Crow GTX 1/2 size bigger than I wear in a running shoe. Comfortable right out of the box. Thanks again for the feedback.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
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321
For breaking in since I know how flat East Texas can be find some place with a hill and practice going uphill and downhill on it as much as you can so you can make sure you're not banging the toes on the downhill or sliding in the boot. Stairs don't cut it.
 

_Scooter_

Lil-Rokslider
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May 11, 2020
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Northern CA
Both make great boots, so it's whatever fits your foot. Since you can get a deal on both, why not just order both and return the one that doesn't fit?

Also, just ebceuase you can get a deal on both doesn't necessarily mean either of those brands will fit your foot. Deals are great, but not worth it if that brand doesn't fit or suit your exact needs.

I still can't wrap my head around people buying dedicated mountaineering boots for hunting, even if you're hunting in the mountains. These boots have such a stiff shank and are also made to be used with crampons. Mountaineering boots are great for mountaineering and going up steep faces, etc. They usually aren't the greatest or most comfortable for hiking in long distances.

As someone who hasn't done any hunting yet, but has done a lot of alpine climbing and mountaineering, there's no way I'd even consider a dedicated mountaineering boot for hunting in the mountains and would instead go for a heavy duty backpacking boot. Mountaineering boots have a lower profile, especially in the toe box usually meaning a narrower fit, all meant to increase sensitivity and increase climability of the boot with edging, etc., things you really dont need in a hunting boot. With a dedicated, heavy duty backpacking boot you get a much more "walkable" and comfortable boot that will still accommodate a pair of flexible, strap-on crampons (that most hunters will probably never use anyway) and still be stiff enough and offer enough support to go over scree and boulder fields, steep hillsides and traverses and up to class II or even Class IV terrain and be great for carrying a heavy pack.

I've hiked in 5+ miles each way in mountaineering boots to get to the route that I was going to do that day and the hike in usually sucked in mountaineering boots, and many times we'd carry in our mountaineering boots and hike in with lighter weight boots, sneakers or approach shoes for that reason, stash the shoes we wore on approach at the base of the route and then put our mountaineering boots on (unless there was a lot of snow on the approach). No way I'd want to do several days of hunting in a pair of mountaineering boots.
 
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Joined
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As someone who hasn't done any hunting yet, but has done a lot of alpine climbing and mountaineering, there's no way I'd even consider a dedicated mountaineering boot

This guys seems to know what his is talking about regarding boots. As a guy who as done a fair bit of hunting and absolutely NO mountaineering i will throw in my two cents.

I personally like the stiffness of some of the mountaineering boots. I currently use the La Sportiva Trango Towers, but I have low volume feet. I am rather heavy (about 200lbs) and with a pack, especially a loaded pack with horns/hide/meat, the stiffness seems to reduce fatigue. The trango towers are very light compared to the heavy leather "heavy duty hiking" boots I have worn in the past. Combine this with a solid rocker on the bottom, I can hike gentle terrain pretty comfortably. I also like the low profile of the sole and the more precise fit of the boots. I have more confidence when navigating steep, rocky stuff.

Also consider that a lot of hunting is done off trail, not quite the well groomed access trails I see posted by everyone that crested a 14'er wearing a pair of chuck taylors.

But the guy above probably knows more about this stuff than I do. Mountain climbers geek out over boots. Just saying what as worked for me in the mountains.
 

_Scooter_

Lil-Rokslider
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This guys seems to know what his is talking about regarding boots. As a guy who as done a fair bit of hunting and absolutely NO mountaineering i will throw in my two cents.

I personally like the stiffness of some of the mountaineering boots. I currently use the La Sportiva Trango Towers, but I have low volume feet. I am rather heavy (about 200lbs) and with a pack, especially a loaded pack with horns/hide/meat, the stiffness seems to reduce fatigue. The trango towers are very light compared to the heavy leather "heavy duty hiking" boots I have worn in the past. Combine this with a solid rocker on the bottom, I can hike gentle terrain pretty comfortably. I also like the low profile of the sole and the more precise fit of the boots. I have more confidence when navigating steep, rocky stuff.

Also consider that a lot of hunting is done off trail, not quite the well groomed access trails I see posted by everyone that crested a 14'er wearing a pair of chuck taylors.

But the guy above probably knows more about this stuff than I do. Mountain climbers geek out over boots. Just saying what as worked for me in the mountains.

I also have a low volume foot and La Sportiva fit my feet well as far as volume but are too narrow in the toe box for me. Scarpa seem to just fit my foot better. Having a low-volume foot makes it really tough to find boots that fit and don't have a lot of slop and heel lift. Also, throw into the mix that although my foot measures a 10.5 or 11 on a Brannock device, it actually breaks like a 12, which means to get a comfortable boot that breaks in the right place without causing pain to the top of my foot I usually have to size up, but then the volume of the boot actually increases, and that's not good for someone with a low volume foot...

Obviously my comments above are just my opinion and based on my experience. But coming from the mountaineering and ice climbing world a lot of those boots are made more for performances nd as a result you sacrifice somethings. I remember when the La Sportiva Trang's first came out YEARS ago and they were kind of a step in a new direction of a more hike-able, more sensitive boot, and you're right when you mention that they are quite a bit lighter than a traditional heavy backpacking boot.

The low volume sole in the forefoot of the Trang's is purposefully meant to make the boot climb better, which for me meant a little sacrifice in comfort, but like you mentioned it works for a lot of hunters. If I was hunting in the mountains I'd go for a Scarpa Kinesis Pro GTX or La Sportiva TX5, but there's obviously no right or wrong answer if what you go with works for you.
 
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OP
E
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Apr 19, 2020
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I have really enjoyed the stiff soles so far and have not found them to be uncomfortable in any terrain (yet). I've logged just over 100 miles in them over mixed terrain since May 15. I have exactly 15 miles running, and 20 miles with a 50lb pack. The boot is perfect for me, but I'm also accustomed to the same activity in crappy belleville desert boots! I do need to find a good hill to put in a few loaded miles down on.
 
Joined
Jul 17, 2013
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The low volume sole in the forefoot of the Trang's is purposefully meant to make the boot climb better, which for me meant a little sacrifice in comfort, but like you mentioned it works for a lot of hunters. If I was hunting in the mountains I'd go for a Scarpa Kinesis Pro GTX or La Sportiva TX5, but there's obviously no right or wrong answer if what you go with works for you.

Thanks for the suggestions, ill have to give those a look. How is the fit for the scarpas for low volume feet?
 

_Scooter_

Lil-Rokslider
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Northern CA
Thanks for the suggestions, ill have to give those a look. How is the fit for the scarpas for low volume feet?

as someone with low volume feet Scarpa hiking, approach and mountaineering/ice climbing boots have always fit my foot very well. I wear an 11.5 in sneakers, Vans, etc and an 11 in dress shoes and I size up a little in Scarpas with a 45.5 and never got any heel lift or slop.
 
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